Scotland’s Towns Conference Exhibitors
Our partners and exhibitors are looking forward to welcoming you to the STC26 Exhibition. If you’d like to find out about opportunities to be part of Scotland’s Towns Conference next year contact rebecca@scotlandstowns.org
Our goal is to produce unique lighting experiences that are sympathetic to their environment.
Their key strength lies within their tailored design service ensuring each project is personal with unique qualities. They have complete control and the autonomy to work with a whole host of manufacturers in Europe to build and shape projects around site specifics, budgets and to ensure the final execution is sympathetic to the environment.
From their collaboration with The Beano Studios London to design, manufacture and deliver iconic comic character bespoke motifs for Dundee City Council’s Christmas lighting campaign to their design approach on the iconic ceiling of light in Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow that reaches out beyond Christmas, they have over 20 years’ experience delivering high-end, visually stunning lighting projects.
Happier, healthier and greener lives through cycling.
Cycling UK is the UK’s cycling charity, enabling and inspiring more people to cycle more often since 1878. We promote all forms of cycling, protect the interests of existing and would-be cyclists, and inspire people across the UK to discover the joys of cycling.
As an independent, democratic and expert organisation, our activities reflect the commitment of our members, volunteers and partners to make cycling mainstream and to create a lasting difference to the lives of individuals and communities.
Come and have a chat with Suzanne to find out how Cycling UK can help your town become happier, healthier and greener through cycling
Visit Cycling UK.
At Collective Architecture we have been working for over 25 years within various sectors including housing, civic and culture projects, community facilities, learning and enterprise buildings, conservation/retrofit work and strategic planning. Working with both public and private sector clients, we encompass a wide range of views and approaches to the practice of architecture and foster friendly and collaborative working environments. In addition to delivering a vast array of architectural projects, we have three specialist divisions – Energy, Strategy and Conservation.
Collective Architecture is a 100% employee-owned architectural practice, currently over 40-strong, working across studios in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee. We shape buildings and spaces for, and with, everyone in society. We do this through our specialist skills, agility, and a participatory approach fused with empathy. We occupy, and enjoy, the creative space between idealism and pragmatism.
Our approach and service aim to deliver socially responsible architecture by means of collegiate and collaborative practice, where the voices of communities and society are listened to and ideas shared. We value and foster people-centred design to create spaces and places that really work, bring meaning and pride, and that are loved and cared for by those who occupy them. We promote an emphasis on nurture and joy, prioritising people and their comfort, health, and social well-being. We think holistically of ways to best evolve to our new realities. To minimise our carbon creation, we believe in conservation, re-use and retrofit as first principals while ensuring the creation of new buildings are low-energy and low-carbon to tackle both the climate crisis and fuel poverty.
Come and see the work we have been developing with Fife Council to regenerate Kirkcaldy Town Centre and Waterfront.
Visit Collective Architecture.
EKOS specialises in providing independent and evidence-based research services and creative solutions.
Established in 1993, EKOS is a leading independent consultancy practice specialising in economic and social research. With decades of experience, we have established a strong reputation for insightful analysis, strategic guidance, and evidence-based solutions that support meaningful change.
Over the past 30 years, we have developed significant expertise in place-based research, working across a range of development and regeneration projects.
Come and speak with EKOS to find out more about the Your Town Audit as part of Understanding Scottish Places. The common and consistent pan-Scotland framework is used as an evidence base to build a profile of a place, measure town centre performance, and inform funding applications (e.g., public realm or shopfront improvement).
Fife Council works with communities, businesses and partners to make Fife a great place to live, work, visit and invest. Through collaboration, investment and a strong focus on place, we are supporting local businesses, strengthening our economy and helping our towns and communities to thrive.
Visit the Fife Showcase area and discover the work taking place across the region to support businesses, strengthen the local economy and help our towns and communities thrive. From regeneration and investment to tourism, sustainability and placemaking, find out how Fife Council and our partners are working together to create vibrant, resilient places and new opportunities.
Hammond Associates Scotland, making empty space matter
Hammond Associates is the UK’s leading charity property provider using empty commercial
premises. We are a small team of industry professionals based in Leeds and Perth. We offer a simple solution to the problem associated with the cost of maintaining empty commercial property for Landlords and the decline of the high street This is totally legal, does not exploit any loopholes or stretch any regulations, and offers unprecedented opportunities for emerging artistic talent.
Arts and culture will always be a fundamental part of the fabric of UK plc. We operate throughout the UK utilising the massive arts charity network, fully supported by Creative Scotland. We provide low-cost work and exhibition space to arts groups and individual artists in the towns or cities from where they originate. By working with local authorities, universities, art colleges and individuals,
we help preserve the diversity of the arts scene in the local regions throughout the UK and help to re-energise the high street scene.
Come and chat to Kelda and Jayne to see how we could tranform your town or city by using empty commerical space for charitable creative occupation.
Check out how we have revitalised high streets across Scotland.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment.
As well as being responsible for more than 300 properties of national importance and national collections we provide advice and support to help people understand, celebrate and protect heritage in their place. We invest about £14 million a year in national and local organisations through our grant programme, supporting building repairs, ancient monuments, archaeological work, place improvement schemes and strategic partnerships which deliver support to the sector.
Come our meet our team and share with us the stories of your place and the opportunities and challenges you face to protect, care for and celebrate your heritage. Let’s see if we can help.
Visit Historic Environment Scotland.
Loqiva creates Digital Town Hubs that bring everything local together in one place.
Loqiva creates Digital Town Hubs that bring everything local together in one place.
Every pound spent through a national platform is a pound that leaves your town or city. Loqiva’s Digital Town Hubs help keep that money, and the value it creates, working locally.
Each Digital Town Hub is co-created with you, the Place Manager, and shaped around your place’s identity. Local shops and businesses, events, offers, news and services are shared across your app, website, newsletters and digital screens.
• Local spend stays local. Built-in e-commerce and offers help independent businesses sell direct to residents and visitors, without handing margin to mainstream delivery apps and marketplaces..
• Your place owns its digital infrastructure. You control the platform, the content and the data, rather than renting an audience from global tech companies..
• Residents and visitors stay connected. A personalised app, newsletters and digital screens show everything happening locally..
Across Scotland, we’re already working with Arbroath, Carnoustie, Dumfries, Galashiels, Inverness, Oban, Possil, St Andrews and Stirling.
Chat with Marcus and Sam about how a Digital Town Hub can support your community wealth building ambitions.
Miconex works with business communities in towns and cities to help drive local spend.
Miconex is a fintech business that designs, delivers and operates local gift card programmes. These programmes let people buy a prepaid card that can only be spent at local businesses in a specific town, city or district, helping keep money circulating within the local economy.
Miconex’s mission is to provide communities with a tangible means to retain spend in their local area and to divert money back into local businesses of all types and sizes.
Come and find out how to use the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card locally in your town or city to secure spend in a way that can be entirely customised to you – including your own card design.
Supporting Scotland’s Museums
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is the National Development Body for Scotland’s museum sector. We support museums and galleries through strategic investment, advice, workforce development and advocacy.
Come and chat with Heather to hear about the work of museums and how your organisation could connect with them.
Scotland’s Railway
ScotRail is Scotland’s national rail operator, providing safe, reliable, accessible, and sustainable rail services across the country. The company connects communities, supports tourism and economic growth, and helps make rail the greener choice for travel throughout Scotland.
Key Facts
.Operates Scotland’s passenger rail network.
.Runs more than 2,200 train services daily.
.Publicly owned since April 2022.
.Focuses on safe, reliable, inclusive, and sustainable transport.
.Supports tourism, business travel, and local communities across Scotland.
Visit Scotrail.
The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) is funded by the Scottish Government and hosted by Shelter Scotland.
We support owners, local authorities and third sector organisations to bring Scotland’s 44,000+ privately-owned empty homes back into use.
At a time of a housing emergency, the contribution empty homes can make to delivering the housing Scotland needs cannot be underestimated. Since, the partnership was established, in 2010 the network of empty homes officers we support have helped turn more than 15,000 long term empty houses into lived in homes.
Come and have a chat with us to find out more about the innovative work taking place across Scotland to help to bring more privately owned empty homes back to use as social and affordable housing, where possible.
The Scottish National Investment Bank is Scotland’s development bank and exists to provide patient (long-term) debt or equity investments to businesses and projects that support the development of a fairer, more sustainable Scottish economy.
The Bank is a public limited company (plc) which was established in November 2020. It is wholly owned by Scottish Government ministers, on behalf of the people of Scotland, but operates independently from government.
As an impact investor, the Bank is focused on delivering both commercial returns and tangible benefits that align with at least one of its three missions:
• Net zero: Addressing the climate crisis through growing a fair and sustainable economy
• Innovation: Scaling up innovation and technology for a more competitive and productive economy
• Place: Transforming communities to make them places where everyone thrives.
The Scottish Government has committed to capitalising the Bank with £2bn in its first 10 years. Over time, as the Bank’s initial investments are repaid, it will reinvest those funds in more businesses and projects, creating a perpetual investment fund to support the Scottish economy in the long term.
Visit the Scottish National Investment Bank.
Threesixty Architecture is a Scottish architectural practice leading the regeneration of our High Street and Urban Centres.
We are dedicated to shaping thriving, sustainable places and spaces. Working across urban design, master planning, residential, retail, leisure, health, civic and workplace sectors, we bring wide-ranging insight to every project and a clear focus on town centre renewal and community-led transformation.
Our recognition as Scotland’s Architecture Practice of the Year 24/25 has been earned through an unwavering commitment to design quality, creativity and meaningful collaboration. We are driven by a single purpose: to make places better. From re-activating high streets and repurposing under-used assets to supporting long-term regeneration strategies, we create vibrant, mixed-use environments that serve communities today and support their growth tomorrow.
We thrive on complex challenges – projects that demand strategic thinking, imagination and an understanding of local identity. Our work aims to honour a place’s history while shaping its future, inspiring communities, stakeholders and partners to embrace positive change. In partnership with organisations including Revo, the Scottish Government, Renfrewshire Council and Scotland’s Towns Partnership, we developed A Vision for High Street Regeneration – a manifesto and practical framework for whole-town renewal. This collaborative, outcome-focused approach guides our work and reflects our belief that successful regeneration is built on shared ambition, community purpose and lasting value.
Come and chat with us about town centre visions.
Visit Threesixty Architecture.
Making local knowledge a national superpower – place technology and AI for BIDs, councils and destinations.
Vicinity works with over 130 places across the UK, Ireland and North America – BIDs, councils and destination organisations. We provide place-branded apps, a purpose-built CRM for place management teams, and Vicinity Trails, a platform for publishing interactive GPS-based walking trails. Our tools help places reach residents and visitors, promote the local economy and heritage, and evidence the impact of both.
Come and see three things on the Vicinity stand. Vicinity Trails – build an interactive, gamified GPS walking trail for your town and have it live the same day, with no app for people to download. Vicinity CRM – one place for your business data, levy records, activity and reporting, built for place teams rather than sales teams. And branded place apps – how a town, city or BID launches its own app for residents, visitors and workers, with offers, events and trails inside it. We will have live examples from the 130+ places we work with, and we are always glad to talk through what the data actually shows once a place is up and running.
International Art Trails & Public Events.
We are creative producers of spectacular, meaningful and innovative public art trails.
We work with destinations, charities, brand owners, artists, businesses, learning providers and communities across the UK and worldwide to create memorable events which make a difference.
With over eighteen years of expertise, insights and networks, we work closely with our partners to ensure they achieve their goals.
As a commercial organisation, we employ a core team in the north and south of England, and a pool of specialist freelancers across the UK and overseas.
Come and get a selfie with a couple of our new sculptures, have a blether about our Ready to Go Trails and hear about our most recent Scottish campaigns, Scottie’s in the City and Bear’s Big Adventure Trail.
Scotland’s circular economy public body.
As Scotland’s circular economy public body, Zero Waste Scotland works with government, business and communities to accelerate Scotland’s transition to a circular economy. By helping organisations make better use of materials and resources, it supports the development of a more resilient, prosperous and equitable society.
Through evidence-led action, partnership working and tackling barriers to change, Zero Waste Scotland creates the conditions for stronger local economies, thriving communities and a healthier environment. Its work demonstrates how circular economy principles can drive sustainable growth while contributing to Scotland’s response to the climate emergency.
Come and meet Donna and Matt from Zero Waste Scotland’s Place and Partnerships Team. They’ll be delighted to share insights into their place-based work and explore how the circular economy is helping to create more resilient, prosperous places and thriving communities.