Now I shouldn’t need to explain why the North East is quite so special, from the majestic, turreted castle and grand cathedral in Durham, you get the perfect vantage point from the LNER train (only 2h 50mins from London) to the criss-cross illuminated footbridges connecting the cosmopolitan and historic Newcastle and Gateshead, and vast landscapes and picture-perfect castle-lined Northumberland coastline. I think I once saw Hogwarts Castle through the mist, I’m sure of it.

Location and Transport

We’ll start with an obvious one. There are lots of reasons why the North East is an attractive proposition for anyone looking to host an event, product launch, conference or meeting – but one that gives event planners less of a headache in organising them is the mass of transport links across the region.

Need to fly there? Newcastle International Airport is only six miles northwest of Newcastle city centre, meaning that overseas guests have very little trouble traversing to the venues held within. With 80 direct destinations serviced, it’s not hard to believe that a lot of the passengers are there to attend one of the many events going on in the region.

It’s not just overseas guests that are helping fund the burgeoning Newcastle events scene. The city heavily benefits through Central Station connecting Newcastle to the rest of the country. The Metro service allows travel within the airport, Newcastle, coast and Sunderland.

Variety of Venues

Historically rich venues such as Newcastle Castle and the Boiler Shop have grandiose spaces to create a rich experience for guests. And as well as more traditional venues, NewcastleGateshead also plays host to quirky unusual venues such By The River Brew and Tyneside Cinema – not to mention the beautiful views from Sage Gateshead and the top floor at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

The range of venues doesn’t stop there; we’ve hosted events in breweries, theatres, football stadiums, forests and pop-up events on carparks. The scene certainly isn’t ‘grim nor boring up North.

But really, why?

Of course, lots of cities have great public transport links and diverse venues, so surely that can’t be the only reason it’s so great for holding events? You’re right it’s not. But I raise you the famous warm Geordie Welcome. It may sound cliché, but it is true, Newcastle is the friendliest place on earth. We have museums, we have culture, we have restaurants of stellar quality (that won’t cost the earth), and the urban panorama of the bridges silhouetted against a rosy sunset is unrivaled.

If that hasn’t convinced you – we are certainly on a roll in the city, with Greggs opening the first Newcastle drive-thru. We know easily accessible sausage rolls (and vegan rolls) would tempt anyone to host their event in the land overseen by the Angel of the North.