Stunning silver for NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau at national awards

22 September 2025

The organisation dedicated to attracting conference and business events to Newcastle and Gateshead took home a national award for Best UK Convention Bureau.

NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, part of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, has been recognised by industry professionals for its work in attracting national and international conferences and events to the region being awarded Silver for Best UK Convention Bureau at the M&IT Awards in London last week.

The M&IT Awards, dubbed as the ‘Oscars of the Events Industry’ is one of the leading award celebrations for the meetings and events industry in the UK.

In 2024/2025 business events contributed £2.4 million to Newcastle and Gateshead’s visitor economy, supporting jobs and securing more than 5000 bed nights for hotels in the city.

The convention bureau also saw the number of event enquiries fielded go up by 7.3% compared to the previous year with the value of the conferences converted going up by 17%. This reflects the city’s growing reputation as a top destination for business events, but also the growing scale of the conferences that are choosing Newcastle and Gateshead.

Laura Freer, Assistant Director of Visitor Economy, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said:

“Newcastle continues to attract a strong pipeline of events with international events such as GPR 2026 and national conferences like Media Getaway choosing the city. This award is testament to the hard work of the team at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau who work closely with city partners, stakeholders and event organisers to make the city a seamless destination for meetings and conferences.

“It is particularly special that this award was voted for by the industry, we have a great, collaborative relationship with our partners and ambassadors to ensure that event organisers whether regional or from overseas, all have a brilliant experience when they choose Newcastle and Gateshead as their host city. We’re always striving to punch above our weight and will continue to support the growth of the events industry in North East England.”

Newcastle was up against Glasgow Convention Bureau, Liverpool Convention Bureau, London Convention Bureau, Meet in Cardiff and Visit Belfast in the Best UK Convention Bureau category with Glasgow taking home Gold and Liverpool taking home Bronze.

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