NewcastleGateshead’s award-winning Convention Bureau hails ‘Super September’ as city welcomes more than 3,000 conference delegates

September proved to be the busiest month of the year to-date for conferencing in Newcastle and Gateshead as 16 events took place with an estimated economic impact of over £3.3 million.

The Faraday Institution held their annual conference in Newcastle for the first time bringing 500 delegates from as far as Fiji to the city. Newcastle and the wider region’s growing strengths in green energy and battery storage, and research strengths at Newcastle University played a key role in attracting the conference.

Both Newcastle University and Northumbria University continue to attract a high volume of conferences thanks to their world-leading research and teaching excellence including the Royal College of Nursing’s International Nursing Research Conference.

Caroline Reed, Senior Manager – Business Events, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said:

“It’s been an absolute delight to work with so many brilliant conference organisers and bring more than three thousand delegates to Newcastle and Gateshead. There’s been a real mix of events, from large-scale international conferences to national associations, and it demonstrates the variety and diversity of our offer. We have two research-intensive universities that offer world-class conferencing facilities as well as fantastic cultural venues that are unique and alternative.

“There was a real buzz about the city throughout the month with delegates experiencing our world-famous, warm Geordie welcome and it’s fantastic to be able to support the whole supply chain, from the hotels delegates stay in, to the venues and caterers who look after them whilst they’re here.”

NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau assisted with filling more than 1,600 bed nights for the city’s hotels thanks to an uptick in overnight delegate stays, an increase of 188% compared to the same month last year.

Increasing the number of business events and conferences is a key part of England’s first Destination Development Partnership Pilot, Destination North East England – a multi-million pound visitor economy development project which is led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative alongside Visit County Durham, Visit Northumberland and all seven local authorities. With business events delegates often spending more than the average visitor and conferences boosting mid-week hotel occupancy, the industry is of huge importance to the region’s visitor economy growth.

Sarah Green, Chief Executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative said:

“Developing the area’s business events offer is at the core of our ambitious goal of doubling the value of the visitor economy over the next 10 years as part of our regional Destination Development Partnership - Destination North East England.”

“It’s fantastic to see such a bumper September of conferences, conventions and meetings bringing so many people to NewcastleGateshead and I’m confident that our award-winning Convention Bureau will continue to break records and attract even more of these fascinating and exciting events and delegates to our city and the wider region,”

Hosting a conference in Newcastle or Gateshead? Visit meetnewcastlegateshead.com to find out what support you can get.