Scots in Boston will be familiar with the idea of Burns Night, which celebrates poet and legendary Scotsman Robert Burns.
The British consulate in Boston is bringing an inaugural Burns Night event to Boston on Jan. 25 that will feature Scottish whisky, food, music and dancing at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville. But it’s not all fun and games, though: Some serious business conversations are planned.
This week, ahead of the celebratory cultural event, a delegation from Scotland is coming to Boston for a series of roundtable events to promote Scottish-university-launched startups to New England investors and entrepreneurs.
The consulate hopes the event will highlight cultural ties between Scotland and the U.S., said Tom Nickalls, deputy consul general for the British Consulate in Boston. When Americans think about Scotland, “usually you think about whiskey and salmon,” said Nickalls. “We want to go beyond that into different sectors.”
The roundtable topics include energy; venture capital; financial services such as asset management; and life sciences, Nickalls said.
“We want to connect people who know what's going on in Scotland with U.S. investors,” Nickalls said.
The commercial programming by the consulate is not open to the public, but the "Not Your Usual Burns Night" is — for people over the age of 21. Nickalls did not name which Boston businesspeople are expected to participate in the roundtables, but did encourage Bostonians to join the festivity on the 25th.
“If you're a good American who appreciates Scottish whisky and dancing, you should go to a Burns night,” Nickalls said.
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