South Ayrshire Council leader Brian Connolly has praised the team behind the International Ayr Show after thousands of people travelled to Ayr’s Low Green for two days of aerial displays, stalls and family entertainment.
The aviation festival took place on September 4 and 5. Councillor Connolly said the event’s success reflected the work of the local authority’s events team, which began planning the next show immediately after the previous year’s event.
‘A huge impact’ on Ayrshire
Mr Connolly said the show demonstrated that South Ayrshire could take on and deliver a major event. He also linked the festival to wider efforts to encourage children into science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known as STEM subjects.
“It's a fantastic event, it shows what this team can do. They can take on a really large event.”
He said the event had a “huge impact” on the economy and referred to work involving the Ayr Show, STEM initiatives and the Prestwick cluster. He added that “exciting announcements” were due in relation to the cluster, although no further details were given in the report.
The council leader said the show’s economic benefits were being felt beyond the festival site. He described speaking to a local hostelry owner who had reported an impact from the event, and said the council wanted benefits to reach businesses across Ayrshire.
Plans to build a year-round events profile
Mr Connolly said the International Ayr Show was the area’s major event, but formed part of a wider programme staged throughout the year. He said greater visibility with VisitScotland could help the region attract visitors to other events after they had seen how the show was organised.
“People come and see that it's well organised, so that will bring them back.”
He also pointed to other partners and activities at the Low Green, including a circus and a fair held earlier in the summer. In his view, those events contributed to a broader programme capable of supporting Ayr’s visitor economy beyond the aviation festival.
The comments were made in an Ayr Advertiser report by Adam Lyon. The article did not provide attendance figures, details of the show’s financial value or dates for the next International Ayr Show.
