GLASGOW has beaten off stiff competition from Beijing, Singapore and Cancun to land one of the world's top conferences.

Nearly 3000 delegates from around the world will travel to the city in 2020 for the Congress of the International Academy of Pathology at the SECC.

It will be the first time the event has been held in the UK with former host cities including Cape Town in South Africa, Montreal in Canada and Brisbane, Australia.

The conference will inject around £5million into the local economy and secure around 15,000 hotel room nights. It will also provide a boost to restaurants, shops, bars and other businesses.

The announcement was made at the 30th annual Congress of the International Academy at Bangkok Convention Centre in Thailand.

City council leader Gordon Matheson, chairman of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: Conference busi-ness forms an integral part of the city's economic strategy.

"Securing such an established and world renowned meeting as the Congress of the Inter-national Academy of Pathology, at a time when global competition in the market is incredibly fierce, is fantastic news.

"With an enviable portfolio of medical research and develop-ment credentials supp-orted by a distinguished history of healthcare innovation, Glasgow is the perfect fit to host a world leading medical conference."

Professor Ray McMahon is honorary consultant pathologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary and secretary general designate of the International Academy of Pathology.

He said: "This was a huge team effort and the pathologists involved were tremendously impressed by the enthusiasm and professionalism of the Glasgow team at the Marketing Bureau and the SECC for their expertise throughout."

Neil Brownlee, head of business tourism at VisitScotland, said: "Business events are worth nearly £2billion to Scotland's economy and securing prestigious gatherings is vital in ensuring this country continues to build on its reputation as an events destination."

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk