NewcastleGateshead attracts record number of events in September

4 October 2018

A record number of conferences and events took place in NewcastleGateshead in September as the destination continues to attract high-profile events with sector-leading content.

NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, which provides a free service including venue sourcing and accommodation booking, was involved in a total of 52 events that brought over 3,500 delegates to the region in September and led to an economic impact of over £4.3 million.

Of the delegates that booked their accommodation through NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, 50 per cent were international and came from 43 different countries.

Major events included the UK’s largest educational research conference, The British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2018, which saw over 700 delegates come to the region from across the world. Thanks to its historic ties, the North East was also a fitting host for the 5^th International Landscape Archaeology Conference (LAC) which was held at various venues across Newcastle and Durham.

September also saw NewcastleGateshead’s busiest month in 2018 for medical conferences, with over 1,500 delegates arriving in the city for major medical events.

The European Thyroid Association (ETA), NuGO (an association of universities and research institutes focusing on the research areas of nutrition), The European Network of Teratology Information Service and the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists all hosted significant events at venues across NewcastleGateshead.

Over 200 of the UK’s leading obesity researchers, clinicians, healthcare professionals and academics from around the country were in NewcastleGateshead in September to attend the Association for the Study of Obesity’s 5th UK Congress on Obesity (UKCO).

Dr Nicola Heslehurst, Lecturer in Public Health at Newcastle University and lead of the UKCO Local Organising Committee, said: “NewcastleGateshead is an impressive city with fantastic facilities renowned for its warm welcome. It is a compact and commutable city with great transport links for those wishing to travel to the area from across the UK and abroad.

“By bringing this conference to NewcastleGateshead we were able to offer delegates a fantastic and hospitable venue with a strong background in obesity related research. Hosting the UKCO conference in this vibrant and easily accessible city resulted in us welcoming our greatest number of delegates and abstract submissions to date.

“The NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau were able to offer help and information on a range of issues such as advertising the conference, accommodation for delegates, transport to and within the city and activities that delegates could get involved in. They also had a ‘meet and greet’ stand in Central Station to welcome the delegates when they arrived.”

Other major events in September included the 18th Biennial Conference of the Challenger Society for Marine Science, a fitting event for the destination thanks to its strengths in the offshore and marine industry, and The International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology’s 4th European Meeting (EU-ISMET 2018) which saw organisers return to the roots of the bioelectrochemical systems.

Paul Szomoru, Director of Business Events at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, added: “September was an extremely busy month for us with a record number of high-profile events coming to the region. These events presented us with a brilliant opportunity to showcase our sector strengths, such as medical science and offshore and marine, and introduce delegates to our great city.

“Importantly, these events and conferences included some amazing, industry-leading content that is making a real difference in the sectors that delegates are representing.”