All-Energy,¹ held 6-7 May at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre – SECC, was the 15th show in the annual series, but the first to be held in Glasgow. The previous All-Energy show, which took place in Aberdeen, drew 6,875 people.

 

“Naturally we are delighted by the numbers — a 20% rise in attendance is no mean feat,” said All-Energy’s event director, Jonathan Heastie of Reed Exhibitions. “We had packed aisles in an extraordinarily busy exhibition featuring 450+ exhibiting companies from 20 countries. And in many conference sessions ‘standing room only’ in the 11 equally packed conference and seminar halls and theatres, where over 440 speakers took part in 120 hours of discussion, debate and knowledge sharing. There was also a tremendous turnout for the Giant Networking Evening at the Glasgow Science Centre.”

 

Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, was also pleased with the turnout, adding: “Glasgow’s first year of hosting the UK’s largest renewable energy exhibition and conference has been an unprecedented success, with the city welcoming the best attended All-Energy on record.”

 

It’s no accident that Glasgow is rising in popularity as the host destination for high-profile energy and sustainability conferences. As Councillor Matheson puts it: “We proudly hold the title of Scotland’s renewables capital, as meetings organisers continue to choose Glasgow as the host destination for their energy and sustainability conferences. We are the UK’s first green super city, and our world-class academic institutions are at the forefront of industry innovation. For example, the University of Strathclyde’s £50 million Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult is accelerating commercial green technologies. Plus, we’re the first city in the UK to launch a green street-lighting project² which will see the replacement of 10,000 street lanterns with low-energy versions along main arterial roads leading into Glasgow.”
 
Then there’s the net economic benefit to the region as a consequence of hosting All-Energy 2015. During the week the event was held in the city, Glasgow’s hotels, restaurants, venues and local businesses have all benefited, Councillor Matheson noted. His estimates indicate that more than £4.7 million was injected into the local economy as a direct result of hosting the event.

 

“All-Energy was a brilliant show last week,” said Dan Thurlow, head of exhibition sales at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. “The organisers created brilliant content, and it was a great experience for both visitors and exhibitors. We’re also pleased that the partnership between ourselves and the city of Glasgow worked hard for the event; this was their first time here and the whole place had a real buzz about it. This is a city and a country that really cares about sustainability, and it was reflected in their excellent attendance figures."
 
Quality programming

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre concourse was packed by the official opening time of 08:30 and visitors streamed into the exhibition hall. The conference got off to a robuts start on the first day, with a superb plenary session, before a completely full auditorium (capacity 624). Chaired by Keith Anderson, chief corporate officer of ScottishPower, the panel of speakers comprised the Leader of Glasgow City Council, Cllr Gordon Matheson CBE; Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism, Scottish Government; Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde; Benj Sykes, head of asset management, DONG Energy Wind Power; and Ian Marchant, former CEO of SSE.
 
 A second plenary session was held on Day 2 on ‘Looking forward to the future energy world,’ with subsequent conference sessions embracing all forms of renewable energy: on- and offshore wind, wave and tidal, bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, solar, renewable heat. Sessions also delved into topics such as the grid, energy storage, energy systems, hydrogen and fuel cells, skills, finance and funding, legal frameworks for renewables, business energy efficiency, low carbon transport, local carbon economies, renewables for the farming community, community energy and sustainable cities. What’s more, both the offshore wind and sustainable cities conference streams were held in ‘silent’ theatres on the exhibition show floor, and the event featured more 1-2-1 meetings than ever before thanks to its ‘Meet the Buyers’ Share Fair as well as invaluable opportunities to meet UKTI Trade Officers from 17 countries.
 
Some sessions were organised by specific associations, professional bodies, government departments/bodies, or organisations working with government, regional development agencies, and academia (such as the British Hydropower Association, Industrial & Power Association, The IET, WiRES, the Scottish Government, Marine Scotland, Innovate UK, the Knowledge Transfer Network, Local Energy Scotland, Highlands & Island Enterprise, Centre for Energy Law – University of Aberdeen).
 
Shepherd & Wedderburn sponsored all the conference and seminar theatres on the show floor (offshore wind, sustainable cities, and the quick-fire seminar theatres) at All-Energy 2015, while ScottishPower Renewables sponsored registration and the banners around Glasgow. Furthermore, Centrica sponsored the bags, Gaia Wind the visitor badges and Café, and Element Power once again sponsored The Power Club and its executive lounge for those responsible for the management and development of new renewable projects. The hydropower trail was sponsored by the British Hydropower Association, and Ecocel Renewables sponsored the onshore wind trail.

As a headline sponsor, law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn came out in full force, bringing more than 90 employees. “For many years, Shepherd and Wedderburn has had a strong connection with and involvement in All-Energy,” said Clare Foster, Shepherd and Wedderburn partner and head of project finance. “As a law firm immersed in the sector, All-Energy continues to represent a superb opportunity for our 90+ strong team of energy lawyers to connect with our clients in the sector, forge new relationships and exchange ideas with energy professionals, who travel from all over the UK and beyond to attend. It would be unthinkable for us not to be here.”