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Newcastle's growing profile as a host destination is helping to attract the attention of corporate event organisers, according to Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter, as a wider regional renaissance sees planners increasingly looking beyond London and traditional conference destinations.Last year, Newcastle and Gateshead welcomed 17.5 million visitors to the city – a 2.8% increase from 2024, with major events and conferences playing a leading role in the year-on-year growth.Newcastle continues to strengthen its position as a destination for major events, with the city preparing to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches and welcoming the return of the Mercury Prize in October 2026, following its historic debut as the first host city outside London. Newcastle also welcomed the MOBO Awards for the first time last year, with Crowne Plaza Newcastle serving as a key event hub during the accompanying MOBO Fringe Festival.Crowne Plaza Newcastle has experienced this growing interest first-hand, reporting a 36.1% increase in new enquiries, a 10.6% increase in confirmed business, and an overall 9.1% increase in its total sales pipeline over the past year.Together, these developments are helping to raise Newcastle's profile among event organisers and reinforcing its credentials as a destination capable of delivering major events on a national and international scale.Regionally, the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority has recognised the strategic importance of major events and the visitor economy as a key driver for economic growth.North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has backed ambitions to double the value of the visitor economy with £7 million of new investment for Experience North East England. The new regional marketing lead for the visitor economy will inspire and attract even more visitors to North East England by promoting the region’s offer in domestic and global markets.This includes a new regional remit for NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, which works with local businesses, such as Crowne Plaza, to attract conferences, meetings, and events to the region.For many in the meetings and events sector, the trend reflects a broader shift in how destinations are being evaluated. Rising costs, changing delegate expectations, and a growing focus on destination experience are prompting organisers to look beyond traditional conference hubs. As a result, regional cities with strong infrastructure, distinctive identities, and compelling delegate experiences are increasingly competing for events that may once have defaulted to more established destinations.Luke Balcombe, Director of Commercial at Crowne Plaza Newcastle, believes Newcastle is benefiting from this shift."What's particularly striking is the variety of events choosing Newcastle," said Balcombe. "These events are introducing new audiences to the city and demonstrating its ability to deliver events on a major scale."For the business events sector, visibility matters. When organisers see high-profile events choosing Newcastle and then returning, it builds confidence in the destination. We're also seeing growing interest from organisers who may not previously have considered Newcastle for meetings and conferences. Major events help raise awareness, but they also encourage people to take a fresh look at what the city can offer.""The question is no longer whether Newcastle can host major events," he added. "Recent years have answered that. The opportunity now is to build on that momentum and ensure Newcastle is part of the conversation whenever organisers are considering where to host their next event."

2nd July 26, UK: Lime Venue Portfolio (LVP) has continued the momentum generated at The Meetings Show, following a landmark week that saw the UK's largest collection of event venues welcome Martin Rhodes MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events, to its stand. During the visit, the brand showcased the impact meetings and events have on businesses, communities and destinations, alongside the innovation, sustainability and industry partnerships helping shape the future of the sector.The visit formed part of a wider programme of activity that demonstrates the breadth of Lime Venue Portfolio's role within the UK events sector, from supporting local economies at venue level and championing social impact through its supply chain, to launching new AI-powered tools designed to make venue finding easier for event organisers.Having officially opened The Meetings Show, Martin Rhodes MP joined the Lime Venue Portfolio team following an invitation from Sales Director Jo Austin, who first met the MP through the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events. During his visit, Martin met venue partners and social impact partners including Change Please coffee and Flawsome! Drinks, learning how LVP is embedding social value into its events through initiatives that tackle homelessness, reduce food waste and promote more sustainable, plant-forward catering.The visit also highlighted the wider contribution business events make to communities across the UK. Representing venues in cities, towns and destinations nationwide, many of which are iconic sporting venues and visitor attractions rooted in their local communities, Lime Venue Portfolio helps attract conferences and events to places that benefit from increased visitor spend, employment and wider economic growth.Alongside these conversations, Martin also saw Lime Venue Portfolio's latest investment in innovation. During the show, the business launched The AI Conversation, an open-source industry initiative exploring the practical use of artificial intelligence in events, before launching the new LVP AI Hub, an AI-powered venue sourcing tooldesigned to help organisers find the right venue more quickly and intuitively while complementing the expertise of the brand's award-winning Hub team.Jo Austin, Sales Director, Lime Venue Portfolio, commented, "It was a pleasure to welcome Martin to our stand and share the breadth of what our industry delivers and how our own brand is at the forefront of these trends. Business events create economic value in communities across the UK, but they also have the opportunity to create meaningful social impact through the choices we make every day, whether that's the suppliers we champion, the food we serve or the innovation we're investing in to better support organisers."The Meetings Show gave us the perfect opportunity to bring all of those conversations together, showing how our industry can create commercial success while delivering lasting value for people and places across the UK."For Lime Venue Portfolio, who are proud to be part of The Business of Events, the week reinforced the value of investing in industry events as a place to launch new ideas, strengthen customer relationships and engage with the conversations shaping the future of meetings and events.

1st July 2026, UK: Lime Venue Portfolio (LVP) has launched the LVP AI Hub, a new AI-powered venue sourcing tool, found on the brand’s website and designed to help event organisers find the right venue quickly, confidently and effectively.The launch follows on from the brand’s rollout of The AI Conversation, an industry-wide initiative, which brought together leading voices from across events, technology and artificial intelligence to explore how AI can support event professionals in practical and responsible ways.The launch of the LVP AI Hub see’s the group take this learning forward. The technology is built directly into the Lime Venue Portfolio website, allowing organisers to describe their event requirements in natural language, helping them identify suitable venues based on intent, objectives and event needs rather than relying solely on traditional search filters.The development reflects a broader ambition at LVP to continually improve the experience of venue finding and event planning, combining technology with the expertise of its award-winning people-powered central sales team, called the Hub..While venue sourcing has traditionally relied on planners translating complex briefs into a series of categories and search criteria, the AI Hub has been developed to support a more intuitive process. Organisers can describe their event in their own words, allowing the platform to surface venue recommendations that more closely align with the outcomes they are trying to achieve.The launch represents the latest investment in LVP's mission to help event organisers deliver better events through better venue finding. Jenner Carter, Head of Marketing at Lime Venue Portfolio, commented, "This isn't really about AI for AI's sake. It's about creating the very best experience for event organisers. It's about strengthening the reach, speed and value of our Hub and combining our outstanding people with powerful technology."Our central sales Hub team remains at the heart of everything we do. They are the experts who understand the nuances of an event brief, build relationships and helporganisers make the right decisions. The AI Hub simply helps us support those conversations with even more intelligence and insight."As the UK's largest collection of event venues, Lime Venue Portfolio continues to explore how technology can remove friction from the planning process while maintaining the personal service and expertise that organisers value most. The AI Hub is now live and available to event organisers via the Lime Venue Portfolio website.