The Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC) has appointed Ben Goedegebuure as the new Director of Conference Sales.

Ben joins from Congrex Holding BV, a leading European conference management company with operations in the Netherlands, Sweden, USA and Australasia, where he was Director of Marketing and Sales.

Ben, who is a well known and respected figure in the international conference industry, will head up the conference sales team at the SECC that works to bring national and international conferences to the venue.

Speaking about his appointment, Mike Closier, Chief Executive of the SECC, said: “I am delighted that we have attracted a professional of Ben’s calibre to the important position of Director of Conference Sales. The conference sector of our business continues to grow and is a major contributor to the local economy. Ben’s experience and track record will undoubtedly be instrumental in our future success.”

Ben said: “Having come from the client side of the industry I know what makes a good venue and I’m pleased to say that the SECC is one of the finest in Europe. However this role is not without its challenges; competition is tough and organisers can choose anywhere in the world to host their meetings, but I believe the SECC, Glasgow and Scotland together provide a great offering to delegates. I’m looking forward, with the support of my team, to bringing even more conferences to the City.”

In 2004 the SECC staged 62 conferences, which generated 230,000 delegate days that injected over £44 million into the local economy.