The Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre

Doing business
The city centre is rife with different venues and meeting spots, both formal and informal, and deals are often sealed over a restaurant table. The bars and cafes of the Merchant City area are a good bet. There’s precious little to differentiate Glaswegian etiquette from that of elsewhere in the UK, of course, although it’s worth being aware of the social overtones of the infamous Celtic-Rangers rivalry – offhand ribbing might not always meet with a humoured response.

Cool Hotel
The 250-room Radisson SAS Glasgow is sleek and stylish, bagging a number of architectural awards since its opening six years ago. Boasting 14 meeting rooms and three larger event spaces, the five-star property is of note for planners and solo travellers alike, also offering free high-speed internet access for all guests. The hotel is located directly across from Central Station and has four restaurants and bars, including the Sir Peter Blake-inspired eatery Collage.

Hip restaurant
Run and owned by the former head chef at Le Gavroche, Brian Maule’s At Chardon d’Or is the kind of place that takes both stomach and wallet along on something of an adventure. There are private dining facilities and three polished event rooms, but the real draw is the food – sample dishes include pan-fried dry aged Scotch sirloin with pomme fondant, and roasted monkfish tail with fennel and saffron puree.

Happening bar
uirky name, quirky pub. The Butterfly & The Pig sits discreetly beneath the Georgian townhouses of Bath Street, drawing an arty crowd with its mix of retro kitsch and regular live music. It’s not always easy to find somewhere that’s both smart and unpretentious, but this fits the bill ably. Good food is also served – good enough to mean that you might well find yourself waiting for an evening table. The menu changes daily.

Must-see sight
Glasgow does museums and galleries well. Among them, The Lighthouse is Scotland’s centre for 'Architecture, Design & The City', with an impressive collection of displays and exhibitions across six floors – entry is free on Saturdays. Elsewhere, The Burrell Collection has a great array of classical artworks and the Gallery of Modern Art draws millions of annual visitors to its neo-classical home in Royal Exchange Square.  

Getting downtown
The main airport – Glasgow International – sits 15 minutes outside town by motorway link. An express coach runs into the city every quarter of an hour, costing around £3. Taxis are also readily available and average in the region of £15. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is served by a direct train service into Central Station, a journey time of some 40 minutes. Airport meet and greet is among the services that can be arranged by the Glasgow Convention Bureau. For more information, see: www.seeglasgow.com/convention-bureau.

Getting there
Train services from London run approximately every 30 minutes, going via Doncaster and Peterborough, with a journey time of around three hours. It's 90 minutes from Edinburgh and there are also rail connections from the likes of Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford. By car, the city lies at the junction of the A1 and A69. There are scheduled flights to Newcastle International Airport from a large number of UK and European destinations.

The carbon cost
Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport are served by flights from around the UK – there's around 50 daily services between Glasgow and London. By rail, it's three and a half hours from Manchester and five from London.

INSIDER’S TIP
“If you need a quick boost between meetings there’s a great place called ReeCharge in the West End which offers a full range of massages and complimentary therapies – it even has its own oxygen bar, so it’s good for dropping in and recharging the batteries.”
Caroline Gray, Glasgow CMB  

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