Hundreds of meetings and events organisers will gather at London’s Royal Horticultural Halls today (16.11.10) to discover what the future holds for conferences and events in NewcastleGateshead.
Organised by NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, Discover NewcastleGateshead will showcase over 25 of the destination’s best conference and events industry venues and services, now collectively generating an estimated £240m for the area.
NewcastleGateshead has over the last ten years, developed into a vibrant and varied destination for meetings and events thanks to a number of major openings including the international music centre The Sage Gateshead, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead and the £26m redevelopment of Great North Museum.
Attendees the event will gain an exclusive insight into the next phase of the destinations exciting development with proposals for an International Conference and Exhibition Centre (ICEC) for the North East, featuring 4,000m2 flat floor exhibition space.
On the proposals, Jessica Roberts, head of business tourism at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, commented; “NewcastleGateshead already proves highly effective at attracting major international association-based conventions, but we know that there is more demand, and an ICEC with significant flat-floored exhibition space will mean the destination can welcome a range of much larger conferences.”
“By building on our world-class research at the regional academic institutions in fields such as stem cells, ageing and health, marine science and technology, new and renewable energies, NewcastleGateshead is in an excellent position to win meetings business from overseas for Britain, and this can only be strengthened by the development of an ICEC. NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau fully supports the proposals that will be showcased by 1NG today.”
Mark Robinson, 1NG project director for NewcastleGateshead’s proposed International Conference and Exhibition Centre (ICEC), added: “The exciting plans for an ICEC for NewcastleGateshead highlights the ambitious vision for the future and underline the destination’s success in attracting high-profile major medical and science conferences in particular.
“1NG has overseen the preparation of a series of plans and imagery which together convey the vision for the centre and its iconic position on the river front, closely aligned with The Sage Gateshead. The benefits this project would bring locally are significant, but the economic benefit for Britain cannot be underestimated with the potential to generate more than 200,000 additional business visitors per annum.”
