Conferences are great for the region
Jan 20 2010 By Gill Pilkington, The Journal
HOSTING major conferences in NewcastleGateshead provides a significant boost to the regional economy as well as providing the perfect platform for North East businesses to forge important new networks and showcase their expertise.
NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau – the specialist business- tourism team which attracts conferences to the destination – runs a successful Conference Ambassador Programme driving business to the region through the dedication and efforts of local academics and business people bidding for major conferences.
Let me explain why conferences and our local conference ambassadors are key to the region’s tourism fortunes and how the bureau can support the efforts of ambassadors wishing to bring conferences here.
Conferences are big business! On the eve of the Unison Black Members’ Conference at The Sage Gateshead – which will boost the local economy by an estimated half a million pounds – there’s never been a better time to demonstrate this.
Unison, Britain’s biggest public-sector trade union, will hold one of their key annual conferences later this week, attracting 600 delegates to the destination over the three-day meeting. Unison National Women’s Conference is just a month later at the same venue.
Five years ago, the former conference was the first major conference ever to come to The Sage Gateshead. Delegate feedback indicating a desire to base their meeting in the ‘twin cities’ again was a factor in the organisation’s decision to return.
Conferences attract influential movers and shakers. A high proportion are frequently first-time visitors and high spenders. Research by VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, estimates that one delegate attending a major conference can generate roughly £450 per day in economic impact for the destination through a combination of spend on venue hire, catering, accommodation, local transport and other incidentals. This is ‘new’ revenue which simply wouldn’t be spent in the local economy if the event wasn’t here.
Although the impact of the global economic downturn hit the corporate meetings sector hard, it is the sector least affected by the vagaries of the downturn that helps underpin the success of the Ambassador programme.
The ‘association’ meetings sector, such as professional societies and academic associations, gather on a regular basis with their conferences often planned two, three or even four years in advance.
With the support of the Convention Bureau, bidding for a conference couldn’t be easier.
The team will carefully consider the requirements and objectives of the business to gain an in-depth understanding of the event and work collaboratively to produce a first-class proposal, ensuring the most suitable venues, accommodation and support services are identified.
All Convention Bureau services are free of charge.
If you want to be part of this success story and bring a major conference to the destination, then get in touch. The Convention Bureau will provide ongoing support from beginning to end. To find out more contact:
:: Gill Pilkington, conference development manager, NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau; tel: 0191 243 8831; email: gill.pilkington@ngi.org.uk www.NewcastleGateshead.com/meet
