National conference organisers explore Newcastle and Gateshead as event destination

14 March 2025

Event organisers from across the UK visited Newcastle and Gateshead this week as part of a familiarisation visit which could see more conferences and events land in the region.

NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, part of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, convened a diverse group of in-house event planners, agencies, and professional conference organisers who were visiting the city for the first time.

Hot off the heels of hosting the 2025 MOBO Awards, the event organisers explored the breadth of opportunity in the city to host a vast array of events from association meetings and conferences, through to large-scale music festivals.

The visit saw a three-day itinerary which showcased unique delegate experiences, such as Stottie Making at Big River Bakery, venue show-arounds at the Frederick Douglass Centre, The Biscuit Factory and The Glasshouse, and experiencing the city’s diverse culinary offer at Grainger Market, Blackfriars and ABOVE.

As well as experiencing the stunning views from Hilton Newcastle Gateshead and the railway heritage quarter at Crowne Plaza Newcastle, the conference organisers found out more about the excellent wraparound events offer the two hotels provide.

Caroline Reed, Senior Manager for Business Events, NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau (part of NewcastleGateshead Initiative), said:

“Being able to showcase our region to conference organisers first-hand is crucial. Newcastle and Gateshead is really a destination to be experienced and this allows us to cut through the noise of other cities and showcase the best of the best of business events here.

“It was fantastic to welcome new event organisers to the city and provide a taster of what the city can offer organisers and delegates. Our business events sector is compact and collaborative, making it really navigate and to create seamless and memorable experiences for delegates.”

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