NewcastleGateshead hosts Meetings Industry Association meeting during Great Exhibition of the North

10 July 2018

The Meetings Industry Association (mia) held its July Council Meeting in NewcastleGateshead yesterday (9 July), after being attracted to the destination thanks to its position as the host of England’s biggest event of 2018 – Great Exhibition of the North – which is taking place at venues across Newcastle and Gateshead for 80 days this summer.

Members of the mia council meet four times annually at locations across the country in order to build on the skills and expertise of its members to help the association to grow, develop and best support its members.

Paul Szomoru, Chair of the mia Destinations Group and Director of Business Events at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, said: “It was a pleasure to host the mia’s Council Meeting during this summer’s Exhibition here in NewcastleGateshead. Council members had the chance to enjoy the city’s buzz and were wowed by the spectacular sights and events on offer here. We have the largest water sculpture in the UK, immersive music experiences using geo-tagging and Stephenson’s iconic Rocket has made its journey home – that’s just for a start.

“We hope that the Great Exhibition of the North will boost the city’s reputation as a place of cutting edge art, culture and innovation, and this was a fantastic opportunity to show the mia everything that’s on offer here for business events.”

Kay England, Chair of the mia, said: “NewcastleGateshead was the perfect choice for this Council Meeting thanks to the opportunity to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event. We are confident that our Board members had a memorable experience, taking in some of the Exhibition’s exciting programme of events while here, as well as experiencing all that the city has to offer.”

The Great Exhibition of the North is the biggest event in England this year. It is free to attend and tells the inspiring story of the North of England and how its innovators, businesses, artists and designers have shaped its present and are inspiring the future. Hosted in NewcastleGateshead, on behalf of Northern England, the event is expected to reach an audience of three million people, including more than one million visitors from across the UK and overseas.

The Meetings Industry Association (mia) is the principal association supporting and growing the meetings and events industry in the UK, and the keeper of AIM, the UK’s only recognised quality standard for the meetings industry. It supports members with research and training and helps to grow and strengthen businesses through a multitude of networking opportunities.