Plans

NewcastleGateshead Initiative’s future work will:

  • Maintain and grow NewcastleGateshead as a leisure and business destination
  • Play a central role in promoting North East England as a key gateway to the region
  • Harness the pride and passion of our people
  • Position NewcastleGateshead as one of the UK’s best places to live, learn, work and visit   
  • Help to promote everything that is world-class about NewcastleGateshead
  • Celebrate and promote the success of our members’ businesses
  • Make NewcastleGateshead and North East England a venue for world events
  • Develop and learn from partnerships with other cities nationally and internationally
  • Support the broader development of tourism in Tyne and Wear and North East England

Core Areas

There are four core areas of work and a number of other roles which will inform our Corporate Plan and work programme.

1. Destination Marketing:

  • Research into visitors
  • Marketing of NewcastleGateshead nationally and internationally working with other partners
  • The production of city guides for targeted audiences in English, German, Spanish, Norwegian and Dutch
  • Tourism packages with hotels
  • Events marketing 
  • E-commerce activity via our website

2. Convention Bureau Business: 

  • Sales and development of conference business 
  • Competitive bidding for conferences
  • Conference venue fulfilment
  • Conference services including online hotel booking services via our website
  • Promotion at national and international trade shows
  • A conference ambassadors programme
  • Advocacy and support for the development of new hotels and conference facilities in NewcastleGateshead

3. Cultural Events:

  • The coordination and development of an annual programme of world-class events in partnership with other cultural agencies across North East England
  • The direct management and production of major events and festivals
  • Capacity building for event promoters
  • The brokerage of sponsorship
  • Evaluation of the social and economic benefits of cultural events
  • The development of national and international partnerships

4. Press and PR:

  • Daily press activity promoting positive messages
  • 'Feel good’ campaigns
  • National and international press visits
  • Targeted media partnerships
  • PR activity around conferences and events
  • Thought leadership projects which support our brand values
  • Press activity on cultural events

 
Other Roles:

  • Private and public sector networking via our membership
  • Information and training to staff at the airport, taxi drivers and hotels
  • A role as an independent spokesperson and champion for projects
  • A ‘critical friend’ role on customer service feedback to venues, hotels, transport providers and the Local Authorities
  • An ambassador for the region at conferences and events nationally and internationally
  • Input to various regional policy developments