Ruth Malkin is Access Coordinator for Manchester Disabled People’s Access Group (MDPAG), a registered charity for disabled people living in Manchester that aims to raise awareness about accessibility issues in the city. Established for over 10 years, MDPAG is one of the few access specialists in the North West and has recently extended its services to include advising the events industry about accessibility in venues across Greater Manchester.

All the ingredients are in place to prove Scotland’s unrivalled reputation as one of the world’s top locations for meetings, conferences and events.

New Horizons
With considerable investment within the country in the run-up to both the London 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games being held in Glasgow, new facilities and refurbishments are happening across Scotland in cities and rural areas alike. Glasgow is currently in the process of opening and developing seven new hotels as part of its ongoing focus on major infrastructure developments. In the next few years the city will welcome almost 1,500 new hotel rooms and luxury serviced apartments. These developments include: the recently opened five-star, £26 million Blythswood Square; the super deluxe, £120 million Jumeirah Glasgow, with 160 bedrooms and suites; Hotel Indigo, a £11.5 million, 96-bedroom boutique hotel; and the refurbishment of the 186-room Grand Central Hotel.