The International Live Events Association (ILEA) and VisitScotland Business Events have jointly launched Event Horizons, a specially created report highlighting the findings of the ILEA Global Event Summit 2016.

The summit, which took place in April in Scotland, brought together leading figures in the international events industry for two days of talks about the issues and opportunities faced by the industry

The Event Horizons purple paper outlines key elements of the summit, finding that attendees felt that live events remain the most effective way to connect with people and create brand positivity.

Threats to the sector highlighted in the report include unskilled practitioners, terrorism, poor economic conditions and networked digital communication devices.

Jodi Collen, president of ILEA, said: “Our delegates came together with open minds, ready to engage in discussions and activities, aiming to identify the challenges and opportunities faced by today’s industry. They left with their minds exhausted, yet filled with ideas and inspiration.

“Our inaugural summit was the beginning of the conversation, where we defined what we need to do as an industry to ensure a prosperous future. We plan to meet again soon, to delve into the specifics of how, as individuals and collectively, we can truly realize our value and achieve our global potential.”

The summit was the result of collaboration between ILEA, VisitScotland and IMEX Group, with support from Cvent and Events are GREAT Britain. It was hosted across multiple venues in Scotland, including Gleneagles and the EICC in Edinburgh and preceded by a visit to IMEX Frankfurt.

Neil Brownlee, head of Business Events, VisitScotland, commented: “It was great to be involved with such a unique event, and to have the chance to show this influential group why Scotland is the perfect stage for live events.

“The purple paper will act as a crucial outlet to help us meet our shared ambition of keeping the summit’s conversation going within the wider industry, helping to promote the true values and address the challenges currently surrounding live events.”

The paper can be downloaded in full from the ILEA website.