EVENTSBASE

WTM London, the world’s most influential travel and tourism event, powered by RX, has reappointed TTG Media as its official trade media partner for 2026, continuing a partnership that has been in place for more than ten years. As part of the collaboration, TTG Media is launching its TTG Discovery Sessions at WTM London, a brand-new high-energy learning and networking event designed exclusively to address the needs of retail travel agents from the UK and Ireland.

The First Minister, John Swinney MSP, welcomed some of the world’s leading festival directors and cultural leaders to Bute House this evening (17 August) as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Global Ink 2026 programme. The reception brought together 20 international delegates from 15 countries who travelled to Edinburgh from across Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania for Global Ink, the Book Festival’s flagship forum for festival directors.

The 2026 Edinburgh International Book Festival opened on Saturday evening with a special Opening Gala exploring this year’s theme, Changing Your Mind, which explores how ideas, beliefs and identities shift, and what it takes to change them. Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, Màiri McAllan, opened the Book Festival, welcoming guests to more than two weeks of public events, conversations and cultural exchange in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh got a little extra dose of magic on Friday as the Cast of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo marched through the city centre ahead of their evening performance. With pipes playing, drums beating and hundreds of performers bringing plenty of colour and character to the capital, the Cast turned heads as they made their way through the city giving tourists, locals and unsuspecting Friday shoppers a taste of the spectacle before showtime.

After the 23rd Commonwealth Games drew to a close on the 2 August Glasgow, the SEC celebrated its role as the single largest competition hub of the Games, having reconfigured its campus to host six of the 10 sports across 360 hours of competition. The iconic buildings that comprise the SEC welcomed 200,000 people onto campus over the course of the Games, including an average of 5,500 athletes and staff each day.

IBTM World 2026 has unveiled the first major announcements for its conference programme, taking place from 17–19 November at Fira Barcelona, where storytelling, AI, creativity, resilience and leadership will take centre stage. Introducing brand-new feature, the Skills Exchange, as well as bestselling author and leading global thinker Will Storr, this year’s programme has been built around a simple question: How do event professionals thrive in an industry that’s changing faster than ever?

The call has gone out. And it has been answered. This August, more than 800 performers from across the globe will gather at Edinburgh Castle Esplanade for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s 2026 show, A Call To Gather a spectacular celebration of music, military precision, culture and connection.

WTM London, part of RX Global, has reported strong early demand from exhibitors, with businesses from across the global travel industry already signing up for the world’s most influential travel and tourism event – and interest continuing to build as available space on the show floor becomes increasingly limited.

Live event technology provider Citizen Group has confirmed four new contract wins, marking its busiest year to date across its staff accreditation software, Eventree, and ticketing engine, Citizen Ticket. Driven by increasing regulatory and safety demands across multi-venue operations, alongside a growing event management software market worth $18.6bn in 2026, event organisers worldwide are increasingly consolidating fragmented crew management workflows onto single-platform solutions.

A special song celebrating the spirit of Glasgow has been reimagined in Scottish Gaelic ahead of the Royal National Mòd’s return to the city this autumn. The rousing Ar n-Òran do Ghlaschu (Our Song for Glasgow) brings together the voices of acclaimed singer Norrie ‘Tago’ MacIver and Còisir Sgoiltean Gàidhlig Ghlaschu (the Glasgow Gaelic School Choirs), which comprises young singers from all four of Glasgow’s Gaelic primary schools.