World’s largest complement conference will return to UK after 30 years

18 September 2019

The world’s largest and oldest complement conference will take place in NewcastleGateshead in 2022, it has been confirmed.

Hosted at Sage Gateshead, an international music, conference and event venue designed by renowned architect Norman Foster on the banks of the River Tyne, the International Complement Workshop will attract over 500 experts, physicians and industry representatives from around the world.

The event will be held September 2022 and promises an attractive programme of activity as well as several international guest speakers sharing best practice and pioneering research about the complement system, which is part of the immune system and important for health and disease.

Paul Szomoru, director of business events at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, said: “The International Complement Society hasn’t held an event in the UK for over 30 years. The conference returning and taking place in NewcastleGateshead is testament to the world-leading status of complement research at Newcastle University, Newcastle Hospital Trust and our National Renal Complement Therapeutics Centre.”

The local organising committee comprises of several researchers and experts from Newcastle University, and was key to attracting the conference to the city. Dr. Kevin Marchbank, reader in Complement Therapeutics, Newcastle University, is from the committee and will chair the conference. He said: We’re delighted to be able to bring the premier complement meeting in the world to NewcastleGateshead. We look forward to putting together amazing scientific sessions with our clinical, academic and industry colleagues.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to showcase the North of England to our delegates and give them insight into why many of us choose to live and work in NewcastleGateshead, as well as just how key the research we carry out here is to the complement society.”

NewcastleGateshead based event management company, BeaconHouse Events, have been appointed as the event organiser. Catherine Coulter of BeaconHouse Events said: “We love hosting events on our home turf, always confident that the venues we use are testament to the fantastic offerings that NewcastleGateshead has for the events industry. We look forward to working with the International Complement Society to ensure they have their best conference yet.”

Anna Eyres, head of conferences and events at Sage Gateshead said: “We are delighted to welcome the International Complement Workshop Conference in 2022. The previous conference is to be held in Berlin, Germany and so we’re very proud that Sage Gateshead has been chosen to host the following conference in 2022.

“As an international event venue, Sage Gateshead has an unrivalled location, world-class acoustics, expert events team and state-of-the-art technical and production facilities, and we’re sure that everyone who comes here will appreciate everything that the North East region has to offer.”