MTV awards 'will bring' £10m boost to Glasgow economy

Nicki Minaj and Calvin Harris will perform at MTV EMA the SSE Hydro in Glasgow

The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) in Glasgow later this week will boost the city's economy by up to £10m, it has been claimed.

Glasgow City Council said a forecast of 11 major hotels had forecast occupancy rates of more than 80% compared to 55% for the same period last year.

The awards, hosted by rapper Nicki Minaj, will take place on 9 November at the SSE Hydro.

Other performers include Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran and DJ Calvin Harris.

Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson said: "Hosting the MTV EMA will have a substantial, direct and positive impact on Glasgow.

'Significant boost'

"In addition to delivering a significant boost to our economy - which we believe will be in the region of £10m - and providing a base on which local businesses, creative industries and the wider tourism sector can capitalise, it will also position Glasgow alongside its key competitors, and previous EMA host cities, including Paris, London, Milan, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin and Madrid."

Bob Bakish, president and chief executive of MTV's international parent company, Viacom International Media Networks, said the awards provided "a noticeable economic boost for the host city every year".

He said: "MTV will have a production crew of more than 1,000 people on the ground in Glasgow and an even larger number of guests from all over the world will be coming to the city at our invitation - including performers, press, advertisers, distributors and other business partners - alongside many visitors from other parts of the UK and overseas.

"The event will be broadcast live on MTV channels reaching more than half a billion households worldwide and will engage tens of millions of viewers on TV and online.

"The MTV EMA offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase Glasgow as a visitor destination and its capacity to host events with global reach and profile."

Glasgow last hosted MTV in 2010, when US rapper P-Diddy and Diddy Dirty Money headlined "MTV Crashes" at the city's Old Fruitmarket.

The MTV EMA was held in Edinburgh in 2003.