Buoyed by the plaudits received after the ceremony, the biggest urban music event in Europe, event chiefs said there was nothing to stop Glasgow hosting the Brits, the Mercury Prize or even the prestigious MTV Europe Awards.
The organisers of the Mobos (Music of Black Origin Awards) praised Glasgow as “a world-class name”, and the event’s founder, Kanya King, promised to return to the city in years to come.
Event Scotland chief executive Paul Bush said last night that Europe’s top music events were now “all on the radar” for Glasgow, and that the next decade could be a “pretty exciting time” thanks to the city’s still-growing reputation as a venue.
A host of senior music executives were in town to witness stars such as La Toya and Jermaine Jackson, Beverley Knight and X Factor winner Alexandra Burke attend the ceremony, and many were said to be surprised at the quality Glasgow had to offer.
“There were people up from London, and they were shocked,” Mr Bush said. “I don’t know if some of them maybe had cynical views before, but they all thought it was pretty special, even in their eyes.
“The standards of production were great -- as good as it gets, really -- and we’re going to have this world-class arena from 2012 next to the SECC. Put that alongside the Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup and you see that, while the UK has talked about a decade of sport, this could potentially be a decade of events for Scotland, which has huge benefits for everyone.”
Wednesday night’s awards bolstered the Glasgow economy by an estimated £3.6m through hotel bills and extra spending by visitors from around the UK and beyond, and coverage is expected to put the Glasgow brand out to around 350 million people worldwide.
A spokeswoman for the Mobo awards said the success of the event, held at the SECC, proved Glasgow’s credentials in the top flight of European venues.
“People in Glasgow just have a thirst for music -- you can see that from the fact that there are more than 100 music events in the city every week,” she said.
“You also need a good venue and lots of logistical help, and Glasgow has all that, too. Everyone bent over backwards to help us make it a fantastic night.”
The event was marred only slightly by technical problems during Kelly Rowland’s duet with David Guetta, which made it hard to hear her during the opening lines.
The former Destiny’s Child star yesterday demanded an apology from Mobo organisers, posting a note on her Twitter feed saying she was “livid” at the “struggle” she faced while singing her single When Love Takes Over.
Scott Taylor, chief executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said music fans could be sure that his colleagues would do all they could to attract more prestigious events to the west of Scotland in future.
He said: “I was talking with [Mobo organiser] Kanya King backstage, and La Toya Jackson came up and said what a brilliant night it had been, and that she hoped to come back to Glasgow again. And Beverley Knight said it was the best Mobos so far.
“That all bodes very well for Glasgow, and we’re extremely interested in progressing discussions with Mobo about a return to the city. We see absolutely no reason why Glasgow shouldn’t also be considered for hosting the Brits, or the Mercury Prize.”
The Brits have so far been held only in London, but the Mobos were in the same position when they announced plans to take the show on the road this year, with Glasgow their preferred destination.
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