The case for your next conference in Edinburgh
Discover why Edinburgh is leading the way economically and how Assembly Rooms is the ideal location for businesses to host their conference.
In 2025, Edinburgh surpassed London in GDP per capita due to its peak productivity, skilled workers and specialised sectors like tech and life sciences, becoming the UK's top-performing city for that year. Described as "Scotland's economic powerhouse," it's apparent that organisations have increasingly greater confidence in Scotland's capital as a premier destination for business investment.
At the centre of that city sits the Assembly Rooms. With its George Street address, majestic drawing rooms and historic grandeur, the venue embodies that confidence in a way that, say, a regular conference room in an office or hotel just can't replicate. An event at the Assembly Rooms, where Charles Dickens once gave a public reading, makes an unforgettable impression on clients and inspires the confidence businesses need to make a difference in society.
Elsewhere, the City of Edinburgh Council will introduce a visitor levy in July 2026, projected to generate approximately £50 million annually. Crucially, this will be reinvested directly into the cultural venues and destinations that make Edinburgh worth visiting, a city so assured of its own value that it became the first in the UK to introduce such a measure.
Edinburgh is setting the pace, and for organisations looking to hold their next conference somewhere that reflects that ambition, the Assembly Rooms has been the natural choice in this city for 238 years.