Venues across NewcastleGateshead and North East England have their heads in the cloud as the destination comes together to support the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers’ (ABPCO) campaign to make Wi-Fi freely available to delegates across the UK.
NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau is working with its partners to support the ‘Conference Cloud’ campaign, which recognises the vital importance of business travellers and conference delegates interacting with colleagues and speakers during events and staying in touch with the office while they are on the move.
Jessica Roberts, head of business tourism at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, said: “As a destination we attract a significant number of national and international congresses and as such compete with some of the world’s top conference cities.
“One of the ways in which we can maintain our competitive edge is by ensuring our top venues and hotels offer delegates what they need, easy and free access to the internet via a secure Wi-Fi connection.”
A total of 17 NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau partners from across North East England have signed up to the campaign pledging free Wi-Fi for delegates and business travellers, including the destination’s flagship conference venue, The Sage Gateshead.
Commenting on the initiative, Anna Stacy, head of conferences and events, said: “Here at The Sage Gateshead we have been providing free Wi-Fi for delegates for some time. As one of England’s leading centres for conferences and major meetings, we welcome thousands of national and international delegates every year and for us, providing free Wi-Fi is a simple service but one that can make a big difference to the delegate experience”.
Participating venues from NewcastleGateshead include Britannia Hotel Newcastle Airport, Life Conference and Banqueting at Centre for Life, Gateshead College
Jurys Inn Newcastle and Jurys Inn NewcastleGateshead Quays, Northumbria University, The Assembly Rooms, Vermont Hotel, Newcastle United and Tyneside Cinema.
Also signed up to the campaign are Beamish Hall Country House Hotel,
Radisson BLU Hotel Durham, Rockliffe Hall, De Vere Deluxe Slaley Hall, Matfen Hall Hotel Golf Spa, MPH Training & Conference Centre and University of Sunderland.
ABPCO Chair Michael Foreman added: “The support from NewcastleGateshead and the North East has been tremendous. We are delighted that so many venues have signed up to the campaign, making the North East a real ‘hot spot’ in terms of free wi-fi for conference delegates. We look forward to signing up even more venues and petition supporters to keep up the momentum.”
For more information on the Conference Cloud campaign visit www.conferencecloud.co.uk
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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