The event organisers, chefs and other experts at Sodexo Prestige bring a steady stream of business to venues across the country including Hamilton Park Racecourse, Perth Racecourse, Pittodrie stadium, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Hampden Park.
Austin Tilsley, regional director of Sodexo Prestige in Scotland, said the impressive overall 26% growth had been achieved because the contract caterer had committed to driving its conference and banqueting (C&B) business through dedicated account management, alongside Scottish businesses increasing their spend on events throughout the year.
An example was the performance at Hampden Park in Glasgow, which had already secured 115% of its 12-month target despite the fact the venue will be unavailable for conferences, exhibitions and similar events for three months during this summer because of the Commonwealth Games being hosted in the city.
The conference and events department at the national stadium has seen huge growth. Footfall in 2012 was 47,544, while in 2013 that grew by 19% to 56,503.
Tilsley added: “These latest figures represent extremely positive growth for the team north of the border, especially with the stadia beating their tough financial targets.
“We’ve spent a lot of time listening and understanding our client’s needs and expectations which you can see reflected clearly in our figures.
“I am extremely proud to have been part of the team which has grown the overall sales by 26%, especially during one of the hardest recessions in living memory.
“A lot of it is also down to businesses seeing growth themselves and investing more money in staff parties and events at large venues such as Hampden Park."