An exclusive dinner to promote NewcastleGateshead to business event organisers will be held in the London home of The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland later this month.
NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau are hosting the networking dinner, which takes place on Wednesday 26 September at Syon House. Adrian Evans, Senior Business Tourism Manager at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Duke and Duchess for agreeing to open their home at Syon House up to us, and for joining us for the evening.
“The purpose of the event is to showcase the North East to 90 London-based conference and event organisers where we’ll be joined by colleagues from some of the destination’s top venues. We recognise that buyers can’t always get out of London so we wanted to bring a flavour of the place directly to them.”
Also in attendance at the dinner will be be some members of staff and Trustees from The Alnwick Garden and Alnwick Castle – where The Duke & Duchess reside in the North East of England. The destination’s newest property, Hotel Indigo, where Marco Pierre White has a steakhouse; Sunderland Football Club and the University of Sunderland, and The Sage Gateshead are amongst the other venues in attendance.
Adrian added: “NewcastleGateshead is a destination where the personality and vibrancy of the place is evident in everything we do and this is why it’s such a great place for conferences and business events. The dinner gives us the opportunity to demonstrate this to potential clients and, we hope, encourage them to come and see for themselves what a place can deliver when it works together in the way we do.”
Speaking about the event, The Duke of Northumberland, said: “Alnwick Castle has been the northern home to my family for many generations. It is a spectacular property set within one of the country’s most varied regions, from coast, castles and countryside to culturally vibrant cities. I’m delighted to be part of an event that showcases the best this region has to offer.”
The event will open with a drinks reception set within the spectacular Syon Park, the garden’s of which were originally designed and landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown; dinner will follow in The Great Conservatory.
Home to the Percy family since 1594, and redesigned in the 18th century by renowned architect and interior designer Robert Adam, the venue promises to be a spectacular backdrop to an important event for North East business tourism. The dinner is the first in a series of planned events delivered by NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau and will be followed by a familiarisation visit to the destination for interested conference organisers in November.
Ends.
For media enquiries contact:
Shelley Armstrong
Media & PR Manager
T. +44 (0)191 440 5739
M. +44 (0)771 763 1109
E. shelley.armstrong@ngi.org.uk
Notes to editors:
• NewcastleGateshead Initiative is a destination marketing and management agency; a public-private partnership supported by Gateshead and Newcastle City Councils, working with around 165 private sector member organisations across NewcastleGateshead and the wider region.
All of our activity aims to promote and position NewcastleGateshead as a world-class vibrant tourism destination, through targeted marketing and PR campaigns nationally and internationally and through the work of our cultural programming team and convention bureau.
NewcastleGateshead Initiative is supported by a board offering expertise from a range of sectors and professions. We also work with a wide range of partners, stakeholders and businesses, who share our ambition to promote NewcastleGateshead as a world-class place in which to live, learn, work, and visit.
• NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau’s mission is to position and promote NewcastleGateshead as a leading European destination for leisure and business visitors through event bidding and high-profile, targeted destination marketing and PR activity.
Our 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.
• United by seven bridges across a spectacular riverscape, Newcastle (a city on the north bank of the River Tyne) and Gateshead (a town on the south bank) form a single, diverse and extremely vibrant visitor destination. World-class culture, vibrant nightlife, award-winning dining, inspiring heritage, fantastic shopping and acclaimed architecture are combined here like nowhere else, by the famous Geordie spirit which is symbolised by Antony Gormley’s iconic Angel of the North as it welcomes travellers to the area.
Imagery / Photography opportunities:
• www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Images – NewcastleGateshead’s Initiative’s extensive royalty free image library
Useful links:
• www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Media – NewcastleGateshead Initiative’s media website
• www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Meet – business meeting and event specific website for NewcastleGateshead