National events strategy 2024 to 2035: island communities impact assessment

1.4 Step Three - Consultation

• Is there are information already gathered through previous engagements?
• How will you carry out your consultation and in what timescales? Public meetings/Local Authorities/key Stakeholders
• What questions will you ask when considering how to address island realities?
• Separate consultation events for Island communities/Local Authorities?

To support the National Events Strategy Review, four groups were convened in December 2022 for themed roundtable discussions. These looked at four different strategic areas within the events sector considering the various sizes of events that occur. The output of the four groups informed drafting of the consultation paper that was launched by the Scottish Government on 24 March 2023. The consultation ran for a total of 14 weeks with the consultation period consisting of an online survey and a series of nine face-to-face and one online workshops hosted by VisitScotland. An independent analysis of the public consultation was published in September 2023. In addition to the public consultation exercise and as part of the wider impact assessment process there have been engagements with stakeholders throughout development, both at official and Ministerial level.

As part of development of the strategy questions considered were: What opportunities do events offer to the islands, what evidence is available to showcase these, how can they be further harnessed and what are the challenges and also lessons learned from the existing island events portfolio.

Alongside the public consultation, a number of in-person regional workshops were organised across Scotland. The purpose of these workshops was to provide attendees with a regional opportunity to engage directly and in-person with the consultation exercise. Regional workshops included Highland, Orkney, Argyll & The Isles, with Island representation at other regions such as the Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley workshop. In addition to the regional in-person workshops there was a final ‘open’ session for those throughout Scotland.