NewcastleGateshead
Convention Bureau has recorded its best monthly result in six years amid increasing signs of recovery for the meetings and events
industry in the North East.
From
April 2019 to April 2022, the convention bureau has facilitated a 73 per cent increase
in confirmed enquiries for meetings, events and conferences, with figures from
May this year almost at full recovery from 2019. This is the highest performing
month for value of confirmed business in six years.
May
figures reflect a steady path to full recovery, coming in at 87 per cent of pre-Covid levels. An
influx in event bookings for June 2022 resulted in a total of almost 1,000 city
centre beds being filled by direct booking through the convention bureau over
a two week period.
NewcastleGateshead
Convention Bureau, part of NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), works with
established partnerships and local academia to help bring meetings, events and conferences
to the region.
Paul Szomoru, director of business events at NGI, said: “The figures we have received are very
encouraging for the steady recovery of the meetings and event sector, and are
also testament to the resilience, collaboration and innovation of our team and
each and every venue, ambassador and supplier across the region.
“Having
a healthy pipeline of events is crucial to the sustainability of the sector and
the recovery and growth of the local visitor economy, by filling our hotels,
venues, restaurants and attractions, increasing visitor numbers and spend and
supporting jobs across the industry.
“It’s a
very exciting time for meetings and events in Newcastle, with the opening of
the brand new Sage ICC in 2024. The development is already proving to be a
game changer in the industry, by enabling us to target and attract bigger
international events, more national and international delegates and ultimately
working towards positioning NewcastleGateshead as the world’s meeting place.
“We’re
continuing to build on this momentum after attending a very successful Meetings
Show last week, where we exhibited alongside regional partners to showcase the
region to the industry, and have returned with a wealth of new business
enquiries.”
The
events that have taken place in the last month span a wealth of sectors and
include international conferences such as the International Lewy Body Dementia
Conference, British International Studies Association, UK Council for
International Student Affairs and SunnyCon Anime Expo.
Venues
across Newcastle and Gateshead were used for the events such as Newcastle United
Football Club, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Blackfriars, Newcastle
Helix, Wylam Brewery, Discovery Museum and Crowne Plaza.
Luke Balcombe, director of sales and marketing, Crowne Plaza said: “This has been a trying time for the
industry, and it is very encouraging to see the signs of steady recovery. The
commitment and hard work from NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau has been
admirable, and we have seen the direct result of their collaborative efforts to
drive enquiries and to confirm new business.
“We’re
looking forward to the continuation of success, and to welcoming more events
and delegates to our venues and to the region.”
