Member Article

Creating the right space

I’ve spent a lot of time away from home over the last 10 days. I’ve travelled by plane, train and automobile and produced events in some of this country’s well known venues. And next week will be more of the same no doubt.

Yet there is a theme emerging; Manchester!

It can be no coincidence that there is a noticeable increase in events in the North-West. The BBC are moving into the city at a pace, the football clubs are never out of the news, they have some great facilities, and there is definitely more spent on events just 130 miles across the Pennines.

NewcastleGateshead, and the North-East in general have made great strides in the right direction in the last 10 years, but we have a very long way to go. We desperately need a flexible event, exhibition, conference and gala dinner facility. I know this won’t be news to anyone connected to events in the region yet frustratingly we seem to be unable to make progress. The ill-fated 1NG were leading the way with the latest attempt, which failed to secure the RGF funding required to make much real progress. And even if it had we were looking at 2015 before anything could have been built. Meanwhile, down the A1 in Leeds, the football club managed to knock down a venue capable of seating 800 for dinner and rebuild it with one double the size… in just 5 months! The specification isn’t amazing, but it is a really flexible and functional space which is well used by local organisations. And it’s not Leeds’ only facility like this.

So why can’t we achieve something like this in Newcastle or Gateshead? Are we aiming too high? Have we lost sight of reality? Is there another agenda? I wouldn’t like to say…

What I do know is that I am off back to Manchester Central next week, and again at the end of the month. With more and more events are transferring from Harrogate to Manchester because accessibility, hotel availability and venue facilities, NewcastleGateshead has a real opportunity. Road, rail and air links to the North-East are actually relatively good, we have had an explosion of hotel bedrooms but we have no decent convention centre facilities. Surely something must be done about this before it’s too late!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by R&B Group .