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Sunderland is an international hub for events

Sunderland has played host to a number of high-profile events across the city recently, thanks in particular to efforts from the Business Improvement District, Vibe Magazine and Sunderland Business Partnership. The Tall Ships was a huge draw for the city in summer 2018, attracting over a million visitors to the city’s riverside including HRH Princess Anne.

As of the week commencing 3rd December, Sunderland City Council’s Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee reported an estimated £25 million boost to the local economy from ‘Signature Events’ in Sunderland in 2018.

The work of many dedicated people across the city has also seen new developments such as The Engine Room, The Beacon of Light and Hope Street Xchange, a Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, appear within the last two years.

Hope Street Xchange itself has drawn an international crowd for its events. Opening in February 2017 and boasting state-of-the-art events space, the building has seen delegations from places such as Norway, Denmark and the USA host conferences within its walls. The centre has also become a hub for local, regional and national businesses to run training sessions, meetings and large-scale events.

Based on the University of Sunderland’s City Campus, the venue is ideally located for national and international transport links and access to the city centre. Fantastic accommodation is provided by the Premier Inn which is situated just next door to Hope Street Xchange.

Emily Bentley, Marketing and Business Development Manager at Communicate Technology PLC, said “Hope Street Xchange is a wonderful venue. Centrally located and easily accessible, we couldn’t fault the venue, hospitality, reception team and customer service we received. We wouldn’t hesitate in recommending others to hire their meeting space.”

Hope Street Xchange isn’t the only University of Sunderland venue attracting a range of clients. The National Glass Centre, based across the river at The Sir Tom Cowie Campus, is a unique cultural venue with stunning views of the Wear. With daily glass blowing demonstrations, options to create your own designs, and home to The National Gallery for Contemporary Art, the centre really is a venue with a difference. Broadcasters such as Channel 4 and the BBC have been recent high-profile visitors to take advantage of this offering.

These two dedicated conferencing and event venues add something different to the University’s already many and varied academic spaces. With hundreds of classrooms, meeting rooms, lecture theatres and specialised labs the possibility for events in Sunderland is endless.

These fantastic spaces, combined with the University’s dedicated events team are sure to provide a platform for future events in Sunderland.

UniSpace offer bespoke event planning for venues across both University of Sunderland campuses, including dedicated conferencing and event venues Hope Street Xchange and The National Glass Centre.

Get in touch with the events team at unispace@sunderland.ac.uk or call on 0191 3371 555 to find out more.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by University of Sunderland .