Invest Edinburgh (January- March 2011)

INVESTEDINBURGH

QUaRTERly INVESTmENT BUllETIN fRom ScoTlaND’S capITal JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011

INfoRmING THE fUTUREEDINBURGH’S woRlD-claSS IcT commUNITy IS makING a GloBal ImpacT

voted europe’s top small city by fdi magazine

alSo INSIDE ISSUE 35 » NEw campUS lEaDS THE fIElD » mITSUBISHI cHooSES EDINBURGH »10 QUESTIoNS foR GlENmoRaNGIE’S paUl NEEp » aDVENTURE SpoRTS capITal of EURopE

IN THIS ISSUE

for a free quarterly subscription to Invest Edinburgh, or to obtain additional copies, please contact [email protected]

Invest Edinburgh is published on behalf of The city of Edinburgh council and Destination Edinburgh marketing alliance by Resolve creative, Suite 104, 47 Timber Bush, Edinburgh EH6 6QHt. +44(0)131 555 7585

follow Invest Edinburgh on Twitter. www.twitter.com/investedinburgh

follow Invest Edinburgh on linkedIn. www.linkedin.com/companies/invest-edinburgh

8 10

18

2 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

THE fIRST woRD

welcome to Invest Edinburgh, the quarterly investment promotion magazine for the city of Edinburgh.

Home to well over a thousand IcT companies and the University of Edinburgh’s acclaimed School of Informatics, Edinburgh’s track record in IcT innovation is the focus of our cover feature (p10-13).

In 10 Questions (p8-9), we talk to Glenmorangie’s chief Executive, paul Neep, on what attracted one of the world’s premium whisky brands to Scotland’s capital. In our analysis, we examine the results of the latest Edinburgh Visitor Survey (p14-15), while in making it Happen (p18) we take a closer look at the exciting development projects underway in South East Edinburgh.

The city of Edinburgh council has recently identified six cities offering the greatest potential for future inward investment flows: london, Tianjin, mumbai, munich, Toronto and Doha. over the coming years, the council will strengthen its civic relationships with these cities to bring additional investment to Edinburgh.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Invest Edinburgh. If you have any comments or queries, please do contact the editorial team at [email protected]

Tom BUcHaNaN,convenor of the Economic Development committee

SNapSHoTS

a round-up of news from across the city

10 QUESTIoNS foR...

The Glenmorangie company’s chief Executive, paul Neep, explains Edinburgh’s appeal

(cover story)

INfoRmING THE fUTURE

Edinburgh’s world-class IcT community

aNalySIS

The findings of the 2009/10 Edinburgh Visitor Survey

THE STaTISTIcS

The latest key indicators for the Edinburgh economy

makING IT HappEN

South East Edinburgh has attracted close to £1 billion of investment

aDDED ExTRaS

Discover why Edinburgh is Europe’s adventure sports capital

4

8

10

14

16

18

19

i NVEST IN EDINBURGHaRE yoU:• a retailer looking to expand into a dynamic new market?• a hotel developer or operator interested in opening a hotel

in a global tourism hotspot?• a business looking to establish an office or contact centre

in Scotland?• a property developer interested in development opportunities?

If So, THE cITy of EDINBURGH coUNcIl aND ITS paRTNERS caN pRoVIDE yoU wITH:• free, confidential, impartial advice on your commercial

property and land requirements;• Introductions to key business and civic leaders;• assistance with recruiting and training staff with the skills

you need;• advice on accessing grants and other funding;• Guidance on doing business in Scotland;• High-quality market intelligence.

To find out more about how we can help you, please contact the Investor Support team at [email protected] or on +44 (0)131 529 6600.

<capITalfocUS

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 3

designed by rmJm architects and built by balfour beatty construction, the new 24,345m2 building formally opened its doors to 5,000 students in January.

The new state-of-the-art campus offers a purpose-built building with modern teaching and learning facilities for the university’s faculty of Health, life & Social Sciences. The building includes three modern lecture theatres, a five-storey library, a four-storey atrium (with a dedicated Starbucks café), a state-of-the-art sports facility, two computing laboratories and 25 specialised teaching rooms, including life sciences laboratories.

The Sighthill campus also sets a new benchmark in terms of sustainability, with low carbon emissions and effective overall energy performance both key parts of the design. The sustainable methods used during construction included the incorporation of more than 8,000m3 of recycled building materials. Some 170

bicycle storage spaces will be provided on site, while a regular bus service will connect the campus to the city centre. The Sighthill campus is also very near Edinburgh park railway station.

Dame professor Joan Stringer, principal and Vice chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University said: “It is vital that we keep investing in education facilities to ensure students go out into the workplace with the skills that the modern business environment demands.

“The new campus will be a landmark building fit for 21st century learning, which will enhance the experience of our students and staff and ultimately benefit the whole community.”

laNDmaRk campUS wElcomES fIRST STUDENTS

Edinburgh Napier University’s new Sighthill campus building

has been completed on time and within budget, paving the

way for students to commence studies in Edinburgh’s

newest knowledge hub.

project: Sighthill campus Redevelopmentlocation: Sighthill court, Edinburghclient: Edinburgh Napier Universityarchitect: RmJm ltdmain contractor: Balfour Beatty plccost: £55 millionstart date: January 2009completion date: october 2010

“THE NEw campUS wIll BE a laNDmaRk BUIlDING fIT foR 21ST cENTURy lEaRNING.”

furtHer information

www.napier.ac.uk/aboutus/estatestrategy/sighthill

Edinburgh has 98,000 students in further and higher education of whom more than 16,000 are from overseas. for further information on studying in the city see Invest Edinburgh issue 34 or visit www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com

fact box:

4 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

Network Rail has revealed plans for a major expansion of Haymarket Station costing between £50 million and £100 million.

fact:

DEVElopING EDINBURGH’S waTERfRoNT

many of edinburgh’s prime sites for residential and commercial use have been developed over the last 20 years. However, the capital’s waterfront between leith and granton remained economically challenging for developers and, hence, the 202

hectares of land are currently only partially utilised. the property market down-turn impacted directly on investor uptake which limited infrastructure development. also, the fall in land values forced developers to hold land in an undeveloped state.

In September 2010, finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed that the Scottish Government had provisionally approved a business case designed to help support future development.

The business case, proposed by the city of Edinburgh council, includes an £84 million investment in Edinburgh’s waterfront using Tax Incremental financing (TIf).

TIf is an innovative method of public financing adapted from the United States by the Scottish futures Trust (SfT). TIf funding is to be used to finance four major projects to unlock the waterfront development. These include: a new road link between Seafield Road and constitution Street; a public esplanade to the exterior of ocean Terminal shopping

centre; a new finger pier for the Royal yacht Britannia and visiting cruise liners; and new lock gates at the entrance to leith Docks to facilitate cross-forth ferry traffic interlinking with the tramline and a small-boat marina.

councillor Tom Buchanan, convenor of Economic Development stated: “I am delighted that Edinburgh has been given the first opportunity in Scotland to pilot tax increment financing. This will be an excellent way to de-risk infrastructure projects, and should help allow development opportunities to come through more quickly than previously anticipated.”

> further information on tax incremental financing (tif) see Invest Edinburgh # 30

edinburgh’s global reputation for clinical excellence has been boosted by the opening of the £20 million clinical research imaging centre in the edinburgh bioQuarter. a collaboration between nHs lothian and the university of edinburgh, the new centre features four of the world’s most advanced medical imaging technologies:

a Siemens • MAGNETOM Verio 3T magnetic resonance imaging (mRI) scanner that can capture whole-body 3D images in six minutes;a 320-slice Toshiba • Aquilion ONE computed tomography (cT) scanner that can scan internal organs in under one second;a 128-slice Siemens • Biograph mCT positron emission tomography/computed tomography (pET/cT) scanner that can undertake whole-body scans in 10 seconds;a General Electric • PETtrace cyclotron that can manufacture unique tracer compounds for use in positron emission tomography, enabling better monitoring of the spread of conditions such as cancer and alzheimer’s disease.

The advanced imaging technologies located in the centre will make possible improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of illnesses, as well as enabling more accurate assessment of the effects of pharmaceuticals and reducing the need for invasive procedures such as biopsies.

> further information: www.wtcrf.ed.ac.uk

NEw £20m RESEaRcH cENTRE BooSTS GloBal REpUTaTIoN

<SNapSHoTS

bite size

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 5

wHaT Do THEy Do?Speirs + major are lighting designers par excellence, employing light to enhance the experience of the visual environment. The business has a worldwide reach and has enjoyed very significant international success. Its prestigious lighting projects include the Gateshead’s millennium Bridge, london’s Gherkin (Swiss Re) building, the copenhagen opera House and the Sheikh Zayed mosque in abu Dhabi.

wHy aRE THEy woRTH waTcHING?Described as the leading lighting company in the world in terms of influence and peer recognition, Speirs + major is used to accolades. It is the only company to have won the prestigious International association of lighting Designer’s Radiance award more than once: 2010 saw Speirs + major scoop the award for a third consecutive year. light magazine voted the company lighting Designer of the decade in 2005.

1 To waTcH SpEIRS + maJoR

wHERE HaVE THEy comE fRom?The company was founded in Edinburgh in 1992 before setting up its london studio a year later. for nearly two decades the company has worked alongside many of the best known architectural and brand names across the world.

wHaT DoES IT mEaN foR THE aREa?The company employs eight people at its Edinburgh studio in Dean Village. This year, Jonathan Speirs received the lifetime achievement award from the Royal Incorporation of architects in Scotland. at the presentation ceremony it was said that the achievement of Speirs + major in changing the world of architectural lighting is remarkable and something of which all of Scotland should be proud.

> further information: www.speirsandmajor.com

researchers from the university of edinburgh and the biotechnology company unhwa have successfully grown stem cells from the yew tree Taxus brevifolia, the bark of which contains paclitaxel, a compound used in the treatment of cancer. the breakthrough could enable paclitaxel to be produced cheaply and in large quantities, reducing the costs of treatment.

Edinburgh will be attending the world’s premier real estate trade fair, mIpIm, in march as part of the Place Live Uk regeneration stand. for further information, please contact [email protected]

american fashion and jewellery chain anthropologie is to open an outlet on george street this summer.

The Scottish Government has launched the National Renewable Infrastructure fund, a £70 million investment fund for the development of wind turbine manufacturing infrastructure in key Scottish ports.

noodle bar chains tokyou and Wagamama are to open restaurants in edinburgh city centre in 2011, while the cantonese restaurant chain Hakkasan aims to open a yauatcha outlet in edinburgh by the end of 2012.

a new £300 million railway line will see the number of hourly trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow double to ten, making travel between the two cities even easier.

liqueur manufacturer drambuie has relocated its headquarters to the connect business park in West edinburgh, citing the park’s proximity to glasgow and edinburgh park as key factors behind the move.

The Intercontinental Hotels Group has announced plans to open a 59-bedroom Hotel Indigo in Shrubhill in autumn 2011 and a 121-bedroom Staybridge Suites in york place in autumn 2012, creating 125 new jobs.

the university of edinburgh has claimed the record for the highest number of spin-out companies ever generated by a scottish university in a single academic year, after 40 new firms were formed in 2009/10 to bring new products and technologies developed within the university to market.

In the last five years, the University has formed 131 companies through its commercialisation arm – Edinburgh Research & Innovation (ERI). more than 85% of these are still in operation, currently employing more than 300 people.

The 40 firms formed recently have together secured more than £3 million in funding. Derek waddell, chief Executive of ERI said: “Several of the new firms present real potential not only to

contribute positively to the Scottish economy, but also to become globally significant – potentially helping to generate further economic growth and new jobs.”

New firms include NGenTec, which creates lightweight generators for wind turbines and recently won an £800,000 contract from the Uk Department of Energy and climate change.

“as well as the unprecedented increase in the number of companies, the quality of the companies created is at a higher level than ever and this is testament to the entrepreneurship and creativity of the university’s staff and students,” added Derek.

> further information: www.research-innovation.ed.ac.uk

UNIVERSITy SETS STaRT-Up REcoRD

made in edinburgH

photographs courtesy of cyberhawk.

6 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

cyBERHawk: a BIRD’S EyE VIEw

since early 2008, when co-founders douglas Walker and malcolm connolly first came up with the concept of deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs, or drones) to assist with the inspection of offshore installations, cyberhawk innovations has taken off in every sense.

years spent working within the oil

and gas sector gave both Douglas and malcolm a clear understanding of the demands and dangers of working at height. planned and corrective maintenance of rigs requires regular inspections of inaccessible structures, such as jacket legs and flare tips. By developing a stable, versatile UaV platform with high definition video, stills and even thermal imaging capability, cyberhawk has been able to reduce costs, save time and improve safety.

what was a fledgling technology in late 2008 has since morphed into an innovation with a seemingly limitless number of applications. with a client list

including Shell, Exxonmobil, associated British ports, Ineos Refining and Scottish and Southern Electricity, cyberhawk’s UaV system is redefining what can be achieved during inspections utilising this technology.

combining cSwIp-qualified plant inspectors and chartered engineers with civil aviation authority-approved UaV pilots, cyberhawk is today recognised as a world leader in remote inspection and surveying.

The small, lightweight UaV drones can be deployed from cyberhawk’s support vehicle, providing live telemetry from the site, with subsequent detailed inspection reports available if required.

The drones have even been used to support Scotland’s Rugby Union team, providing a tactically invaluable bird’s eye view of the team training, as well as assisting the University of aberdeen with its surveys of seal colonies in the cromarty firth.

The livingston-based operator has recently secured financial backing to expand their operations with the acquisition of new UaV systems, while work progresses on enhancing the capabilities of the drone.

> further information: www.cyberhawkinnovations.co.uk

The five-star Hotel missoni Edinburgh on George IV Bridge has been named “Europe’s leading New Hotel” in the annual world Travel awards.

fact:

EDINBURGH cHamBER REcEIVES NaTIoNal plaUDITSedinburgh chamber of commerce didn’t disappoint its members at this year’s prestigious british chambers of commerce awards ceremony in london, when it received two top national accolades.

chief Executive Ron Hewitt said: “It’s great to see some of our key services being acknowledged. The award for ‘Excellence in International Trade’ recognises the ground-breaking work we have undertaken in launching Scottish chambers International (ScI), a grouping of the leading chambers of commerce in Scotland that deliver international trade services. It also recognises our innovative

private-public sector partnership with Scottish Development International in Smart Exporter, a national programme to help more Scottish businesses to export

and aid Scotland’s economic recovery.”The award for ‘meeting the Skills

Development agenda’ recognised the work undertaken by the chamber’s economic development arm, Edinburgh Business Development (EBD) in creating innovative solutions to help build the skills of businesses and to support people into employment. combined with a comprehensive range of leading edge business and management skills development programmes, EBD’s support was recognised as being best in the Uk.

> further information: www.edinburghchamber.co.uk

NEw arrivals

<SNapSHoTS

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 7

wHo’S oN THE moVE?mitsubishi power Systems Europe (mpSE), part of the Japanese conglomerate mitsubishi, has announced plans to invest up to £100 million in Edinburgh over the next five years, creating and safeguarding as many as 200 jobs. mpSE is to establish a centre for advanced Technology in Edinburgh that will work to develop the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbines.

wHy THE moVE? mpSE signed a memorandum of understanding with the Uk Government early last year, setting out its plans to establish an offshore wind turbine research and development hub in the Uk. The Government has pledged up to £30 million of grant support from the Strategic Investment fund.

continuing our regular feature about tHe latest companies investing in tHe capital

Top awaRD foR THE kITcHIN

readers of observer food monthly (ofm) have voted tom Kitchin’s eponymous michelin-starred restaurant, on the edinburgh Waterfront, uK restaurant of the year.

It’s the latest in a string of awards that have followed the receipt of his michelin star within six months of opening, in 2006. Since then the restaurant has also been named Scottish Restaurant of the year, in 2009, and was awarded four rosettes by the aa awards in September 2010 and their ‘wine-list’ of the year.

Now in its seventh year, the ofm awards combine votes from the newspaper’s readers with those from a panel of judges, including Jay Rayner, Nigel Slater, Thomasina miers and mariella frostrup.

The kitchin was voted by readers to be the best in the country for its “consistency and quality in customer service” and local, seasonal menu.

Tom kitchin said: “our greatest achievement is happy diners so this award, as voted by the public, is really special. our team work incredibly hard to make sure each and every diner at our restaurant has the best possible experience and I’m proud to be taking this award back to Scotland in recognition of what the team has achieved.”

cITy cEmENTS poSITIoN IN EURo ElITEthe 21st annual european city monitor, which ranks europe’s top cities in terms of business perceptions as to their attractiveness, has included edinburgh for the first time. the 2010 survey, published by cushman and Wakefield, ranks edinburgh 27 out of an index of 36 as a city in which to do business.

Edinburgh was also ranked the eighth best city in Europe in terms of quality of life for employees and the third most free of pollution.

as the business community continues its steady recovery from recession, companies continue to focus on being located in cities that can provide them with a cost effective, yet efficient base. The European cities monitor examines a number of key issues that businesses

consider when choosing new locations and indicates how effectively each European city is perceived to perform.

The underlying data is researched independently for cushman & wakefield by TNS BmRB and senior executives from 500 European companies give their views on Europe’s leading business cities.

The top four factors for location remain some way ahead in terms of their importance. first, for the second year running, is ease of access to markets, customers or clients. availability of quality staff is the second most valued factor, closely followed by the quality of telecommunications and transport links.

> further information: www.europeancitiesmonitor.eu

wHy EDINBURGH? Edinburgh possesses considerable strengths in offshore wind energy. The University of Edinburgh is at the forefront of applied research into marine energy, leading the national SuperGen marine Energy Research consortium, while leith Harbour has been identified as the best site in Scotland for offshore wind turbine manufacturing.

The investment includes the acquisition of artemis Intelligent power, a spin-out from the University of Edinburgh named “Innovator of the year” by the carbon Trust in 2009. artemis has developed one of the world’s most efficient hydraulic transmission systems, which mpSE plans to incorporate into the design of new offshore wind turbines.

> further information: www.mhips.com

Tom kitchin.

8 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

IE> The Glenmorangie company has recently relocated its headquarters to the capital. what attracted you to Edinburgh? pN> as an international company we are highly focused on growing our world-renowned premium single malt Scotch whisky brands – Glenmorangie and ardbeg. Edinburgh is an inspiring city. we are very excited to now be in the centre of Edinburgh and we believe it will help reinforce the direction of our company and to retain and recruit the best people.

IE> what was it about The cube office development that attracted you? pN > a modern, centrally located office development, with excellent transport links and amenities, within a contemporary, environmentally friendly design meant The cube was a strong choice for the company. The cube has been designed and built to the highest environmental standards, achieving an excellent BREEam (BRE Environmental assessment method) rating.

IE> what advantages will the new purpose-built bottling facility in livingston provide? pN> our new, state-of-the-art, bottling facility in livingston, just outside Edinburgh, helps support our objective of growing our premium single malt whisky brands. The new site provides increased operational efficiencies and the production capacity to meet the growing demands for both brands in markets such as asia, continental Europe and the USa.

IE> Glenmorangie is distilled in the Highlands, but bottled in central Scotland. what advantages does this distribution model bring?pN> Glenmorangie can only be made at the Glenmorangie distillery in Tain. after maturation at the distillery it is brought down for bottling and then shipped to international markets. In terms of having a skilled labour force available and logistic links to key ports this is an efficient model.

IE> How has being part of the global moët Hennessy louis Vuitton (lVmH) Group helped support sales of Glenmorangie during the recent recession? pN> Being part of lVmH has propelled our brands onto the international stage. moët Hennessy (the wine and spirits division of lVmH) has a strong distribution network, which has helped us grow faster in international markets and attract new drinkers – most especially in asia.

like producing Scotch whisky, building brands is a long term pursuit and lVmH, as the world’s leading luxury brands group, always take a long term view.

IE> In a highly competitive marketplace, how does Glenmorangie strive to maintain its position as a premium, quality brand?pN> we do this through our pursuit of excellence and continual innovation, both inside and outside the bottle.

Glenmorangie has an acknowledged reputation as the industry’s leading pioneer in wood management. our research into

paul Neep

Glenmorangie continues to be the tipple of choice formany discerning whisky drinkers, but why has one of theworld’s leading whisky brands chosen Edinburgh as itsnew corporate home? paul Neep, chief Executive ofThe Glenmorangie company, explains the appeal...

“EDINBURGH IS aN INSpIRING cITy. wE aRE VERy ExcITED To Now BE IN THE cENTRE of EDINBURGH aND wE BElIEVE IT wIll HElp REINfoRcE THE DIREcTIoN of oUR compaNy aND To RETaIN aND REcRUIT THE BEST pEoplE.”

<10QUESTIoNS

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 9

the effects of maturation spans more than a quarter of a century and we pride ourselves in being the leader of the Scotch whisky industry in this regard.

Unlike the majority of the Scotch whisky industry, we only use our casks twice to mature Glenmorangie which helps us to achieve smooth and rich flavours. we pioneered ‘Extra maturation’ and we hand select port, sherry or wine casks from the leading vineyards and chateaux of Europe for the Glenmorangie Extra matured range.

we believe we must be highly creative and innovative ‘outside the bottle’ as well, whether it be our advertising, gift packs, website – everything that we do on our brands – and each year we support our brands in their focus markets with increasing levels of marketing investment.

IE> over the last 30 years, production has had to increase dramatically to match demand. How does Glenmorangie balance commercial success with a sense of artisan exclusivity? pN> Single malts are a growing part of the total Scotch whisky market and both Glenmorangie and ardbeg are fast growing brands. as we increase production to meet future demand, so we insist that there is no compromise, whatsoever, on the highest quality of distillation and maturation of our whiskies.

we believe that our single malts should be handcrafted and we pride ourselves on having employees who have passed down this craft from generation to generation. we

have an industry-leading whisky creation Team, led by Dr Bill lumsden, and we use this ‘know-how’ and skills to develop new expressions, which appeal to a wide range of premium brand drinkers across the world.

IE> Glenmorangie has prided itself on continual innovation. where do you see the next innovations being? pN> Glenmorangie Signet epitomises the ground breaking attitude to whisky creation at The Glenmorangie company. The essence of Glenmorangie Signet is the desire to create something completely different. This has been achieved by weaving together the unique flavours imparted from the highly roasted chocolate barley, combined with some of our oldest and rarest whiskies, and then aged in a variety of truly exceptional casks. Glenmorangie Signet therefore cannot simply be represented by a mono-dimensional age statement – it is an expression of Glenmorangie’s whisky craftsmanship.

IE> How does the business see its key markets evolving over the next five years? pN> we sell our brands in nearly 120 countries but we are very focused on how we develop and significantly invest behind our brands in a select number of countries in Europe, North america and asia. we have, over the last five years, seen very significant growth from asia.

an increasing number of people worldwide recognise single malts as both different and the pinnacle of Scotch whisky.

cv

furtHer information

www.glenmorangieplc.com

paul Neep has been with The Glenmorangie company for 14 years and the chief Executive of the company for 13 years. He has worked in the international spirits industry for nearly 25 years. He is a member of the governing council of the Scotch whisky association and was recently awarded the prestigious title of ‘master keeper of the Quaich’ by his peers in the industry.

paul is a graduate of the Universities of manchester and london. His hobbies and interests include golf, travel and art.

The cube provides 7,500m2 of Grade a office space in Edinburgh city centre. The building was designed by allan murray architects ltd and is owned by IVG Uk limited.

IE> The most important question of all, do you add water or ice? pN> you should drink Glenmorangie and ardbeg as you, personally, prefer it. adding water will help to open up the aromas and flavours.

personally, I like to drink our brands over ice and a splash of water.

Imag

es c

ourt

esy

of p

aul Z

anre

ph

otog

rap

hy

10 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

INfoRmING THE fUTURE In business, as in our personal lives, we constantly rely on software. But did you to know that if

you use a bank aTm to withdraw some cash – no matter where you are in the world – there is a

very high likelihood that the transaction worked thanks to an Edinburgh software company?

It’s just one of the many ways in which Edinburgh’s IcT community is making a global impact...

kal is the world’s leading provider of software for aTms (automated teller machines), specialising in solutions for bank aTms, self-

service kiosks, and bank branch networks. Established in Edinburgh in 1989, the company was founded by Dr aravinda korala, who is still cEo.

“I studied for my phD at Edinburgh University and, after working abroad for a period, the quality of life in the city drew me back and I started up my own company.”

Today, with offices on four continents, Edinburgh continues to be kal’s global HQ and home to about a quarter of the company’s software development team.

“There is a critical mass here in Edinburgh, built up around home-grown companies, global operators such as amazon, IBm and microsoft and the strength in IcT (information and communication technology) of the University of Edinburgh. This means it is easy to recruit and retain top talent and access top-quality support services, suchas specialist legal and financial advice,” says Dr korala.

There is no doubt that talent abounds in the region. The city’s four universities – Heriot-watt, Edinburgh Napier, Queen margaret and University of Edinburgh – all offer related undergraduate and post-graduate courses, while the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics was rated top in its subject in the Uk in the most recent Research assessment Exercise (RaE).

“Edinburgh is 70% bigger than our nearest direct competitor in terms of research power,” says Stuart anderson, Director of Teaching at the School of Informatics. “cambridge and Imperial college match Edinburgh on grade point average but cambridge has 44 professors doing four-star research and Edinburgh has 104. In terms of impact, there is nowhere in the Uk to match us.”

Indeed, some 35% of the School’s research has been independently assessed as being “world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour.”

EDINBURGH’S IcT commUNITy IS makING a GloBal ImpacT

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 11www.investedinburgh.com

INfoRmING THE fUTURE

<fEaTURE

perhaps that strength is not surprising, as it was in Edinburgh that the discipline

of Informatics was born. “ours was the first school to formalise in

the mid 1990s,” explains Stuart. “we realised that whether

in computing, robotics, cognitive science or computer science, information is the key. we’ve since pulled in neuroscience and genomics, rational language and human

communication. our focus is on studying how we store and

process information by whatever medium. we also have a strong bio

connection now and it’s this strength and depth of research activity that helps

to attract students and teaching staff from all over the world.” (There are actually 40 nationalities represented among the School’s undergraduate programme, 85 academics and 150 post-doctorate students.)

The School’s architecturally award-winning home near the city centre currently hosts more than 500 research projects and works

through affiliations with global players such as IBm, Google and microsoft.

with entrepreneurship a fixed module of postgraduate study, and a popular option on undergraduate courses, it’s not surprising that the University nurtures many spin-out companies in IcT. mobile acuity is one of those currently supported through prospekT – an £8.3 million partnership between the University of Edinburgh and Scottish Enterprise to deliver world-class commercialisation and

“wE INITIally REcEIVED fUNDING THRoUGH THE ScoTTISH ENTERpRISE pRoof of coNcEpT pRoGRammE aND HaVE HaD GREaT SUppoRT fRom EDINBURGH RESEaRcH & INNoVaTIoN.” dr antHony asHbrooK

founder of kal, Dr aravinda korala, was initially drawn to Edinburgh by

the city’s quality of life.

knowledge transfer practice specifically for the School of Informatics.

focused on commercialising the power of their independently developed image recognition software, mobile acuity’s customers already include global brands such as Vodafone, Sony, Disney and pepsi.

“we initially received funding through the Scottish Enterprise proof of concept programme and have had great support

from Edinburgh Research & Innovation,” says Dr anthony ashbrook, co-founder of mobile acuity. “our technology was a step ahead of the market and we’ve had a lot of interest from Scottish-based venture capital companies before gaining seed investment from Imprimatur capital.”

Recent deals with 7Digital, the second biggest mp3 provider after iTunes, and SccopE, the premier mobile shopping app, will see mobile acuity transition towards a business model based more on royalty revenue generation.

“we’re here in Edinburgh because it’s a centre of excellence in informatics,” confirms Dr ashbrook. “we’ve found some extremely talented people to work with and the right support structure to help us develop.”

Business support can come in other forms too. Epcc, also part of the University of Edinburgh, has had a mission to get businesses using supercomputing for the past 15 years. “we generate around £24 million per annum from our industry partnerships,” explains Dr mark parsons, who heads Business Development at Epcc. “we look at worldwide theoretical research and apply it to industry. The benefits of modelling have been recognised in the aviation and auto industries for many years, but smaller businesses are increasingly seeing the benefit and we can package projects to be affordable.”

DEm Solutions is one Edinburgh-based software developer that has carved a global niche in discrete element modelling. “The mining industry was quick to adopt our software to model production processes and eliminate elements that might cause blockages or system downtime,” explains Elson mourão, Software Team leader. “our customer base now stretches from america to australia.”

“our knowledge of how elements behave, and the ability of our software to model that in all kinds of applications, means we can tailor the software to new sectors and there is increasing interest from agriculture and other areas.”

If the knowledge economy is at the heart of our future economic prosperity, then supercomputing is a key artery for commercial health. “Epcc is absolutely unique in Europe as a bridge between academia and industry,” adds mark parsons. “Epcc is the lead organisation on pRacE – partnership for advanced computing in Europe – and our masters in High

12 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

“THERE’S No DoUBT THaT EDINBURGH’S RESEaRcH STRENGTH, comBINED wITH THE RaNGE of compaNIES opERaTING HERE aND THE QUalITy of lIfE wITHIN THE REGIoN pRoVIDE a compEllING comBINaTIoN foR maNy TalENTED pEoplE.”dr marK parsons, epcc

Kalkal has been named the “world’s leading independent aTm software firm” and has a 21% global market share. Some of the largest financial institutions in the world are clients of kal, including citibank (USa), china constuction Bank (china) and Unicredit (Italy).

mobile acuitymobile acuity is recognised as having the world’s leading image recognition technology and bar code image recognition software. It has recently been appointed to the BlackBerry® alliance Select Tier programme as a preferred software developer and, in November, announced a key deal with SccopE, the premier mobile shopping app to provide the best shopping experience for BlackBerry® smartphone users.

dem solutionsThe world leader in “bulk material flow simulation”, DEm Solutions has developed EDEm – an invaluable computer-aided modelling tool for customers managing the flow of bulk materials and products in industries as diverse as mining, pharmaceutical manufacture and agriculture.

wHo’S wHo

mobile acuity is recognised as having the world’s leading image

recognition software.

Epcc is home to the ‘HEcToR’ supercomputer, built by cray, Inc. HEcToR is capable of 570 trillion calculations per second and is available for use by businesses.

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 13

craneware’s products help healthcare providers to accurately price and invoice patient treatments, track the purchasing of supplies, protect revenue streams and reduce administrative costs through the automation of routine financial processes.

craneware earns revenue from the sale of multi-year software licenses to more than 1,000 hospitals in the United States. over 90% of clients renew their licenses at the end of that multi year period, reflecting the strong performance of craneware’s products. High revenues have enabled craneware to pay healthy dividends since floatation, making the company popular with investors.

Based on projections from industry analysts the spend by hospitals on software and services in the United States will exceed $100 billion between now and 2013. This growth is being fuelled by pressure from the federal

government to reduce financial irregularities and administrative costs, with the Recovery and Reinvestment act of 2009 allocating $19 billion of federal funds for the digitalisation of healthcare records.

craneware was co-founded by Gordon craig and keith Nielson in Edinburgh in 1999. The childhood friends financed the fledgling enterprise using personal credit and £50,000 seed money until securing £1 million in equity investment from the venture capital firms 3i and SEp in 2000. after several years of strong growth, craneware floated on the alternative Investment market (aIm) in September 2007.

craneware employs more than 150 people, split between its head office in Edinburgh and its american sales offices in Scottsdale, arizona, and atlanta, Georgia.

<fEaTURE

craneware plc develops and licenses financial managementsoftware for the american healthcare industry, includingchargemaster Toolkit® and Supplies chargelink™.

furtHer information

www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com/invest/key_business_sectors/science_and_technology.aspx

furtHer information

www.craneware.com

• Morethan1,200ICTbusinesses,including microsoft, IBm, adobe, oracle and fujitsu

• Approximately9,600peopleemployed in IcT

• 1,600softwaredevelopers

• 2,200computerconsultants

• 4,900inservicessuchassoftwareinstallation and computer disaster recovery

• In2009,businessesinScotlandinvested £43.6 million in IcT R&D

• HometotheUK’sleadingUniversityIcT research programme

• AcknowledgedworldleaderinInformatics – Edinburgh is ranked in the top three Informatics centres in the world.

performance computing is unique in the Uk. There’s no doubt that Edinburgh’s research strength, combined with the range of companies operating here and the quality of life within the region provide a compelling combination for many talented people.”

The Edinburgh Science Triangle has also been established to promote knowledge exchange between industry and academia in the Edinburgh city Region. “Edinburgh has a number of successful indigenous and global informatics firms working across a range of applications,” says malcolm Bateman, chairman of the Edinburgh Science Triangle. “we have a wealth of talent and expertise to continue to make inroads in the IcT sector and we at Edinburgh Science Triangle, will do all we can to maintain Scotland’s position as a global leader in the field.”

as Stuart anderson says: “where else can you get exposure to so many smart people doing such interesting stuff?”

edinburgH city region’s ict facts at a glance

14 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

Edinburgh’s city Region is a major tourism centre in the

Uk, attracting 4 million visitors each year. as the Edinburgh

Visitor Survey 2009/10 reveals, Edinburgh continues

to deliver a memorable visitor experience.

EDINBURGH’S ENDURING allURE

over the last two decades, tourism activity in towns and cities has increased significantly. ‘Urban tourism’ is a global phenomenon –

and one from which Edinburgh has benefited greatly. Between 1998 and 2008, employment in Edinburgh’s tourism sector increased by some 42%: in fact, one in ten workers in the city (i.e. 30,000 people) are employed in the tourism sector. Total turnover soared 216% in the same period to £1.75 billion. Thus, understanding visitors’ profiles, their motivation to come to Edinburgh and their experiences in Scotland’s capital is vital for the continued success of the tourism sector and related businesses.

a local consortium consisting of the Destination Edinburgh marketing alliance (DEma), VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise, Edinburgh convention Bureau (EcB), and the Edinburgh Tourism action Group (ETaG) has commissioned the Edinburgh Visitor Survey – a biannual study undertaken over the past decade. lynn Jones Research (lJR), a market research firm, released its latest results in December 2010.

overall, the largest proportion of visitors to Edinburgh was aged under 35 (42%); around half of all visitors came from the Uk (50.1%); notably, the biggest group of visitors from England were those aged 16-34 coming from london (12%). In total, 21% of all visitors from England came from the Uk capital. as in previous years, visitors from aberdeen and

“87% of all VISIToRS RaTED THEIR VISIT To EDINBURGH VERy poSITIVEly. THE VaST maJoRITy (73%) of VISIToRS STaTED IT waS lIkEly, oR VERy lIkEly, THEy woUlD RETURN; lIkEwISE, THE VaST maJoRITy (89%) woUlD REcommEND EDINBURGH aS a placE To VISIT. “

<aNalySIS

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 15

www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com/visitwww.visitscotland.comwww.edinburghfestivals.co.ukwww.conventionedinburgh.comwww.ljresearch.co.uk

furtHer information

In addition to the Edinburgh Visitor Survey, the above mentioned consortia of local partners also commissioned a conference Visitor Survey with the objective of gaining further information and insight on the discretionary business tourist. In the main the delegate feedback was similar to the leisure visitor survey findings – where there were differences it was due to the different expectations between a business and a leisure visit to Edinburgh.

Successful business tourism is a vital element of Edinburgh’s economy, contributing over £300 million annually – with business tourists spending twice as much as leisure visitors. Edinburgh currently ranks 36th in the International conference and congress association’s (Icca) world conference destination rankings. Business tourism offers significant economic growth potential and has proven to be resilient during the recent global economic downturn.

according to the survey, a typical Edinburgh conference attendee is male

(65%), either 25-34 or 45-54 years old (each 29%), and from overseas (78%). The vast majority of business tourist visitors (81%) stay for at least three nights, generally in hotels (61%) or university/college accommodation (30%).

most visitors were positive about Edinburgh as a conference destination: many highlighted the city’s compactness: “all the hotels are not far from each other or from the attractions – also transport links are good with the option of train or plane!” overall, Edinburgh was rated highly at 8.29 out of 10 as a conference destination. The respondents were also likely to recommend someone to visit for a conference (8.17 with 10 being “very likely”).

Some 47% of all conference visitors stated it was likely or very likely that they would return as a leisure visitor within one or two years. The vast majority of visitors (81%) indicated that they were likely, or very likely, to recommend the city as a holiday location.

aberdeenshire accounted for the largest share of visitors from Scotland (20%). most overseas visitors arrived from the US (18%), followed by Germany (9%), and australia (7%). around 55% of all visitors had never been to Edinburgh before.

Edinburgh undoubtedly has much to offer tourists. But what influenced visitors’ decisions to come to Scotland’s capital? The vast majority of respondents (71%) stated they visited Edinburgh because of its status as a historic city. Some 52% said that Edinburgh castle was the main reason for them to come. another 27% replied they came because of the positive experiences from previous visits.

Edinburgh’s festivals are a global and cultural phenomenon; a fact reflected by the 13% of all respondents who stated they wanted to visit the capital because of its reputation as a festival city. The Royal Edinburgh military Tattoo registered the highest combined awareness and attendance rates (71%), before Edinburgh festival fringe (55%).

Edinburgh airport remains the most popular gateway for visitors to Scotland’s capital with 43% of all visitors and 76% of conference visitors (see box) stating they arrived by plane. Some 70% of all EU visitors

arrived via the airport. Edinburgh’s railway stations, most notably waverley, were the second most popular entry point.

Some 87% of all visitors rated their visit to Edinburgh very positively. The vast majority (73%) of visitors stated it was likely, or very likely, they would return; likewise, the vast majority (89%) would recommend Edinburgh as a place to visit.

as one participant in the study put it: “I just wish we had more than three days. There is so much to see. It is such a clean and friendly city. Thank you for having us, we will come back some time.

” Destination Edinburgh marketing alliance, the city promotion body working with city partners and VisitScotland, will

continue to use these and similar customer insights to develop effective marketing campaigns to capitalise upon the positive perceptions towards the city.

The Edinburgh Visitor Survey can be seen as a ‘health check’ on the city’s tourist appeal. The 2010 report concludes that “by and large, Edinburgh has passed with ‘flying colours’ as visitors regularly attributed scores indicating high levels of satisfaction in many aspects of their trip.” The vast majority of visitors stated they are likely to return; there are a stable number of first-time visitors; ratings for Edinburgh’s major tourist sites, its historic district, special landmarks, the festivals and further events remain very high.

Given that these elements are the key drivers of successful urban tourism there are reasonable grounds for thinking that Edinburgh is well prepared for further growth in the global tourism market.

RESUlTS fRom THE coNfERENcE VISIToR SURVEy

“all THE HoTElS aRE NoT faR fRom EacH oTHER oR fRom THE aTTRacTIoNS – alSo TRaNSpoRT lINkS aRE GooD wITH THE opTIoN of TRaIN oR plaNE!”

16 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

edinburgH: Key indicators

1) population & HouseHolds

2004 latest source

population 453,670 477,660 1Households 209,094 218,774 1average household size 2.12 2.18 1population density (persons /km2) 1,730 1,811 1Natural change (births less deaths) 111 1,236 1Net in-migration 5,138 5,066 1% of population aged 16 to 64 69.6% 70.6% 1

2) labour marKet

3) WealtH & productivity

median gross annual earnings (resident population) £19,075 £23,754 5Gross Value added (GVa) (million) £12,686 £15,304 3GVa per capita (resident population) £28,019 £32,697 3annual births of new enterprises 1,710 1,865 3annual gross disposable household income £6,690 £7,899 3

4) travel & tourism

annual airport passenger volume (million) 7.99 9.04 6 annual rail station passenger volume (million) 17.05 21.07 7 annual tourist bednights (million) 13.2 (05) 12.8 8annual tourist expenditure (£million) £1,069 (05) £1,043 8annual hotel room occupancy (lothians) 77% 73% 8world ranking for conferences 24 36 9

5) Housing & commercial property

owner-occupation (% of households) 70% 64% 10annual housing completions 2,668 918 11average annual house price £166,207 £203,226 12annual house sales 14,893 6,933 12prime city centre office rentals (£/sqm/year) £285 £310 13Industrial warehouse rentals (£/sqm/year) £60 £65 13Zone a retail rentals (£/sqm/year) £3,150 £1,950 13Retail potential Uk ranking 25 15 14

population aged 16+ in employment 228,800 240,200 2Economic activity rate (ages 16-64) 79.7% 75.4% 2Ilo unemployment rate (ages 16-64) 5.2% 6.8% 2 Jobseeker’s allowance claimant rate 2.4% 2.9% 3Total employee jobs 312,773 304,518 3 long-term (>1 yr) as % of all claimants 13.9% 16.8% 3

% pop. educated to NVQ4+ (ages 16-64) 45.1% 44.3% 2Students enrolled in universities 51,740 53,645 4

1 General Register office for Scotland2 annual population Survey3 office for National Statistics4 Higher Education Statistics agency5 annual Survey of Hours and Earnings6 civil aviation authority7 office of Rail Regulation

source notes

annual tourist expenditure (£million)

Natural change (births minus deaths)

annual births of new enterprises

owner occupation (% of households)

Students enrolled in universities

8 VisitBritain9 International congress and convention association 10 Scottish Household Survey11 Housing Statistics for Scotland 12 Registers of Scotland13 Valuation office agency14 cacI Retail footprint

1,5001,6001,7001,8001,9002,000

48,00049,00050,00051,00052,00053,00054,00055,00056,000

-2000

200400600800

1,0001,200

900

950

1,000

1,050

1,100

60.0%

65.0%

70.0%

75.0%

80.0%

<THE STaTISTIcS

| JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 17

year-on-year cHange in airport passenger numbers

% In

crea

se/d

ecre

ase

in p

asse

ng

er n

um

ber

s source: civil aviation authority. The comparator cities figure is an average of year-on-year changes in passenger numbers at Birmingham, Bristol, cardiff, Gatwick, Heathrow, leeds, london city, luton, manchester, Newcastle and Stansted airports.

JobseeKer’s alloWance claimant count (%)

% w

ork

ing

ag

e p

op

ula

tio

n c

laim

ing

source: NomIS. The comparator cities figure is an average of Jobseeker’s allowance claimant counts in Birmingham, Bristol, cardiff, Glasgow, leeds, liverpool, manchester, Newcastle and Nottingham.

Edinburgh Scotland comparator cities

KnoWn large-scale foreign investments in edinburgH

Nu

mb

er o

f kn

ow

n f

DI p

roje

cts

Nu

mb

er o

f jo

bs

crea

ted

source: fDI markets. projects may be retrospectively added to the project database.

Uk

Investments

Jobs created

Edinburgh

comparator cities

<makING IT HappEN 17

18 invest edinburgH | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 |

paRc has recently secured a £2 million grant from the Scottish Government to support the regeneration of craigmillar town centre. £580,000 has been set aside for the restoration of the white House, a Grade “B” listed art Deco building, while the remaining £1.42 million will be invested in infrastructure and public realm works.

The council is planning a 4,000m2 neighbourhood office and public library for craigmillar town centre, catalysing further new inward investment. The building is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2012, with 350 staff to work out of the building.www.parccraigmillar.co.uk

EDINBURGH BIoQUaRTERSouth East Edinburgh is crowned by the Edinburgh BioQuarter, a £600 million research park development in little france providing significant commercial space for life sciences companies. part of the Edinburgh Science Triangle, the BioQuarter co-locates the Royal Infirmary

of Edinburgh – a modern, 950-bed acute teaching hospital – with the chancellor’s Building and Queen’s medical Research Institute of the University of Edinburgh, giving companies unrivalled access to more than 1,200 life sciences researchers. other developments planned for the BioQuarter include the Scottish centre for Regenerative medicine, the new Royal Hospital for Sick children and a bioincubator. www.bioquarter.com

SHawfaIR paRkShawfair park is a 35 acre business park being developed adjacent to the Edinburgh city Bypass that is planned to become the new commercial hub of South East Edinburgh. The park has already attracted a major tenant, with the Scottish Qualification authority pre-letting a 5,600m2 purpose-built office building.

other notable successes at Shawfair park include the £25 million Spire Shawfair park Hospital, a state-of-the-art private hospital offering clinical services including fertility treatment, paediatric surgery and physiotherapy. future developments planned for Shawfair park include a 120-bedroom Hampton by Hilton hotel. www.shawfairpark.co.uk

SoUTH EaST EDINBURGH ambitious projects in this development zone

have attracted close to £1 billion of public

and private investment, creating major

opportunities for both property developers

and occupiers.

Royal commoNwEalTH poolThe £37 million renovation of the Grade “a” listed Royal commonwealth pool on Dalkeith Road is now well underway, with the pool scheduled to re-open to the public early in 2012. Upon completion, the pool will feature a 50m, eight-lane swimming pool and a 25m diving pool with a moveable floor. other elements of the refit include improvements to the gym, fitness studio and changing areas and new conference rooms. The diving events of the 2014 commonwealth Games will be held in the pool, while British swimmers competing in the 2012 Summer olympic Games will use the pool as a training ground.www.rcprefurb.co.uk

camERoN Tollwarren private clients has submitted plans for a £25 million extension of the cameron Toll shopping centre. The Irish wealth manager is proposing to add new stores and a pedestrian footbridge to Inch park, as well as modernising the exterior of the centre and providing additional parking. The expansion could support up to 500 new jobs.www.camerontoll.co.uk

cRaIGmIllaRThe joint venture company paRc was formed by the city of Edinburgh council and the EDI Group in 2003 to deliver a 15 year, £200 million regeneration programme for the craigmillar neighbourhood of Edinburgh. paRc has made substantial progress to date, delivering two new primary schools, 177 new homes, business units, infrastructure works, allotments and a floodlit all-weather sports pitch.

furtHer information

contact: Stuart Seatone: [email protected]: +44 (0) 131 529 2410www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com/invest/edinburgh_developments/south_edinburgh.aspx

Key projects underway in south east edinburgh include:

•The£37millionrenovationoftheRoyal commonwealth pool

•The£25millionexpansionofcameron Toll shopping centre

•The£200millionregeneration of craigmillar

•The£600millionBioQuarterdevelopment

•ShawfairPark,anew35acrebusiness park

<aDDEDExTRaS

furtHer information

www.edinburghleisure.co.ukwww.thehubintheforest.co.ukwww.eica-ratho.com

www.investedinburgh.com | JaNUaRy To maRcH 2011 | invest edinburgH 19

EURopE’S aDVENTURE SpoRTS capITalThe world’s top cross country athletes are a familiar sight in

Edinburgh as they power their way around the gruelling Holyrood

park course in events such as the Iaaf world cross country

championships or the ITU world Duathlon championships.

but then again, edinburgh is blessed with a landscape and geographical location that make scotland’s capital a natural home to challenging and often extreme sports.

after all, there is no other city in Europe that can claim to compete in terms of climbing facilities. The Edinburgh International climbing arena (EIca) in west Edinburgh is the world’s largest indoor climbing facility. It’s one of the many reasons why the venue, which is operated by Edinburgh leisure, hosted more than 430 elite young climbers at this year’s highly successful world youth climbing championships.

for those with a head for heights, it’s not only climbing that the city offers. Rising just to the south of the city, the imposing pentland Hills offer an ideal terrain for intrepid hill walkers and fell runners. The slopes are also home to the midlothian Snowsports centre – the longest dry ski slope in Europe – while during the summer months, the skies above the pentlands become a playground for hang gliders and paragliders.

further south, the downhill theme gathers momentum, for those brave enough on a bike. Glentress mountain Bike centre – otherwise known as the Hub in the forest – is one of Scotland’s leading venues for two wheeled mountainside adventures, catering for all tastes and abilities. from blue runs,

aimed at the novice rider, to black runs for the adrenalin-fuelled, armour-plated expert, Glentress has it all.

The shores of the firth of forth provide an ideal venue for sailing from port Edgar, while the wide open beaches of East lothian, to

the east of the city, remain popular with power kite enthusiasts and windsurfers.

“Edinburgh’s iconic skyline, superb built environment and its unique natural setting – built on seven hills, including the extinct volcano of arthur’s Seat, which dominates the city skyline – creates a natural

stage for extreme sports,” said kenneth wardrop from Destination Edinburgh marketing alliance.

from the legendary experience of a Six Nations rugby match, to the buzz of the Emirates airline Edinburgh Sevens festival in

may, Edinburgh’s residents love a big sporting occasion.

yet it is a taste for extreme sports and Edinburgh’s unique ability to deliver them, which continues to attract the adventurous-minded to Scotland.

and the pace of adventure sports looks set to accelerate even further in 2011 and beyond with the opening of a brand new five-star indoor karting centre in west Edinburgh, operated by xtreme karting. The 3,900m2 facility will include an extensive and flexible track layout, viewing area and café. meanwhile, xStream Scotland is considering building the world’s first indoor white water rafting centre on the Edinburgh waterfront.

and the biggest surprise of all? all this and more is available within an hour’s drive of Edinburgh city centre. Talk about spoilt for choice.

you can get this document on tape, in Braille, large print and various computer formats if you ask us. please contact Interpretation and Translation Service (ITS) on 44 (0)131 242 8181 and quote reference number 00041/03. ITS can also give information on community language translations. you can get more copies of this document by emailing [email protected]

1 …is the capital of Scotland, home to the Scottish parliament, Scottish Government and more than 50 foreign consulates.

2 …is home to six higher education institutes, including the University of Edinburgh, ranked the 15th best university in the world by The Sunday Times in 2010.

3 …has a skilled, productive population, with more than 140,000 working age graduates – more than 44 per cent of the working age population.

4 …is regularly voted as offering the best quality of life of any city in the Uk.

5 …acts as a gateway to Scotland, receiving more than two million domestic visitors and one million overseas visitors per annum spending close to £1 billion.

6 …is home to the corporate headquarters of more fTSE 100 businesses than any other Uk city bar london.

7 …has a rich cultural history, with numerous attractions (including Edinburgh castle and the National Galleries of Scotland) and UNESco world Heritage Site and city of literature status.

8 …is the world’s pre-eminent “festival city”, hosting a year-round programme of festivals with more than four million attendees annually.

9 …has a resilient, diversified economy, with the lowest unemployment rate of any major Uk city.

10 …is well-connected, with Edinburgh airport handling over nine million passengers travelling to more than 125 destinations.

EDINBURGH...

all RIGHTS RESERVED. maTERIal coNTaINED IN THIS pUBlIcaTIoN may NoT BE REpRoDUcED, IN wHolE oR IN paRT, wITHoUT pRIoR pERmISSIoN of THE cITy of EDINBURGH coUNcIl (oR oTHER copyRIGHT owNERS). wHIlST EVERy EffoRT IS maDE To ENSURE THaT THE INfoRmaTIoN GIVEN HEREIN IS accURaTE, No lEGal RESpoNSIBIlITy IS accEpTED foR aNy ERRoRS, omISSIoNS oR mISlEaDING STaTEmENTS.

THIS maGaZINE IS pRINTED oN ENVIRoNmENTally RESpoNSIBlE papER maNUfacTURED USING 50% REcyclED waSTE aND 50% fIBRE fRom wEll maNaGED foRESTS, coNTRollED SoURcES aND REcyclED wooD.