The team tasked with attracting major conferences and business visitors to NewcastleGateshead, has this week been awarded for their innovative approach to marketing the region to conference buyers, at the most prestigious national marketing awards for the meetings industry.
NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau picked up gold in the Best Brochure – Destinations category at the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards (MIMA), held at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London last night.
Beating off stiff competition from some of the world’s best known conference destinations, the Bureau’s 2010/2011 Conference Guide was described by judges as “an excellent business tool” and took gold ahead of Copenhagen (silver) and Birmingham (bronze), with Vienna also making the shortlist.
Presenting the award to head of business tourism, Jessica Roberts, judge David Hackett, chairman of BI, said; “The award goes to NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau for their practical and well presented meeting planner.
“Producing a brochure that attracts is a positive, but producing one that works – and can be proven to have done so – is the real measure of success. Notably 96% of recipients found it easy to use and 98% found it attractive. Our judging panel concur with these opinions. The guide incorporates evocative images, consistent format, detailed content and contact information to cover all aspects of event planning, clever FAQ’s and the helpful ‘five steps to making your job easier’.
“The NewcastleGateshead guide is an excellent business tool and was unanimously selected as this year’s winner by the judges”
The publication is distributed to conference buyers and event planners nationally and internationally and showcases the destination as a cosmopolitan and vibrant place to do business with a diverse range of world-class conferencing facilities.
Jessica Roberts, Head of Business Tourism at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau said; “For the meetings industry to celebrate the effort that goes into marketing destinations to national and international audiences is fantastic, and we are thrilled to receive this award.
“There were many dynamic organisations recognised at the event and winning gold for our Conference Guide cements NewcastleGateshead’s place amongst them, and acknowledges the hard work and dedication of both the Convention Bureau and our members in developing the conference industry in NewcastleGateshead and North East England.”
The award comes in advance of this year’s Discover NewcastleGateshead event due to be held at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London. The showcase takes place on Tuesday 16 November and sees more than 25 of North East England’s best venues, hotels and service providers descend on the capital taking their event delivery expertise direct to conference buyers and event planners in the south.
Organised by NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, Discover NewcastleGateshead 2010 also gives delegates the opportunity to find out more about proposals for a new International Conference and Exhibition Centre in NewcastleGateshead.
The Meetings Industry Marketing Awards (MIMA) was launched in 2002 to raise the standards of marketing in the meetings and events industry and to recognise the marketers; it is organised by Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine.
For more information on Discover NewcastleGateshead or to register go to www.DiscoverNewcastleGateshead.com
For further information on NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau or to order a copy of the award winning NewcastleGateshead Conference Guide visit www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Meet
Ends
Media Enquiries
Shelley Staines, Media and PR Manager – Destination & Business, NewcastleGateshead Initiative
shelley.staines@ngi.org.uk 0191 440 5739/07717 631 109
For images from the MIMA Awards 2010 please contact Liz Coleridge, Event Manager, CAT publications LColeridge@cat-publications.com 01342 306723
Notes to Editors
• NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) is the destination marketing agency for NewcastleGateshead. Its mission is to position and promote NewcastleGateshead as a leading European destination for leisure and business visitors through cultural programming, event bidding and high-profile, targeted destination marketing and PR activity. Created in 2000 by Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council as a publicly and privately funded business, NGI has developed a strong brand for the area – promoting it nationally and internationally as a place at the forefront of innovative culture-led regeneration and a world-class place to live, learn, work and visit.
• NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau uses local knowledge and expertise to help organise conferences, meetings or events in NewcastleGateshead and the surrounding area. It provides a free service including arranging everything from venue sourcing and booking, to accommodation, transport and entertainment for delegates. With a huge choice of state-of-the-art venues NewcastleGateshead is fast becoming one of the UK’s most popular destinations whether it’s for a meeting of 10 people or a conference for thousands.
• It is estimated that visitors to NewcastleGateshead from around the UK and overseas contribute £1.23bn to the local economy.
• Press releases and copyright-free hi-res images on NewcastleGateshead are available from our website www.newcastlegateshead.com