Traverse Events have today announced that they will be bringing their Travel Bloggers Conference to Sage Gateshead on the banks of the River Tyne in NewcastleGateshead, 21-23 February 2014.
Michael Ball from Traverse said: “Sage Gateshead is the ideal venue for Traverse 14 because it provides a unique, creative and vibrant space, perfect for delivering an inspiring conference. Our attendees are used to travelling the world and seeing amazing sights so we wanted to make sure that we had a stunning venue with a great backdrop, with the Sage Gateshead and the River Tyne we have both of those elements, while NewcastleGateshead gives us the vibrant, energy filled, fun destination we were looking for.”
Brighton hosted the inaugural event in 2013 and has benefited from a series of blog posts and social media buzz following the conference, and already Traverse 14 in NewcastleGateshead is attracting interest from some of the industry’s biggest travel bloggers.
On the bill is Kash Bhattacharya, a VisitBritain Superblogger, better known as the ‘Budget Traveller’, as well as Portuguese Anna Silva O’Reilly creator of the award-winning luxury travel blog ‘Mrs O’ Around the World’. Both bloggers will be sharing their expertise with delegates throughout the conference program.
Sarah Stewart, chief executive of destination management and marketing organisation NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “The opportunity to host Traverse 14 is truly exciting. Not only is it testament to our credentials as a conference and events destination, but evidence that NewcastleGateshead is a dynamic place with a vibrant and famously friendly personality that is a constant draw for city-breakers. We can’t wait to welcome traverse and the many travel bloggers set to descend in February.”
The conference will be centred around the destination’s famous quayside. A welcome reception will take place on Friday 21 February on the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art’s river terrace, affording spectacular views across the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and River Tyne.
Sage Gateshead will host the main conference programme throughout the day on Saturday 22 February, Anna Stacy head of conference and events at Sage Gateshead, commented: “Sage Gateshead is delighted to have been selected to host this prestigious conference. We’re excited to welcome the delegates and are confident that we will provide the perfect creative home for the UK’s leading bloggers, PRs, tourist boards and travel companies in attendance.
“We’ll be listening closely to the top tips being shared and you can be sure we’ll also be tweeting about what is set to be a fantastic three day event!”
The event programme will wrap up with a working breakfast on Sunday morning.
Ends.
For media enquiries contact:
Shelley Armstrong
Media & PR Manager
T. +44 (0)191 440 5739
M. +44 (0)7717 631 109
E. shelley.armstrong@ngi.org.uk
Notes to editors:
• NewcastleGateshead Initiative is a destination management and marketing agency; a public-private partnership supported by Gateshead and Newcastle City Councils, working with around 170 private sector partner organisations across NewcastleGateshead and the wider region
• NewcastleGateshead Initiative is supported by a board offering expertise from a range of sectors and professions. We also work with a wide range of partners, stakeholders and businesses, who share our ambition to inspire people to visit and to live, learn, work and invest in NewcastleGateshead.
o Our marketing & communications team works to promote and position NewcastleGateshead as a vibrant tourism destination, through targeted campaigns nationally and internationally. Our visitor information team helps ensure visitors have the best possible experience when they’re here, providing information and support.
o Our cultural programming team work with partners across the destination to bring together NewcastleGateshead’s cultural offer and deliver some of our most popular festival & events, including EAT! NewcastleGateshead, Juice Festival and the NewcastleGateshead Winter Festival.
o Our Convention Bureau uses local knowledge and expertise to help organise conferences, meetings or events in NewcastleGateshead and the surrounding area. It provides a free service including, venue sourcing and accommodation booking, to arranging transport and entertainment for delegates
o Our inward investment team helps businesses locate, expand and flourish in NewcastleGateshead, providing a range of services to make it easy to realise their ambitions for growth
• United by seven bridges across a spectacular riverscape, Newcastle (a city on the north bank of the River Tyne) and Gateshead (a town on the south bank) form a single, diverse and extremely vibrant visitor destination. World-class culture, vibrant nightlife, award-winning dining, inspiring heritage, fantastic shopping and acclaimed architecture are combined here like nowhere else, by the famous Geordie spirit which is symbolised by Antony Gormley’s iconic Angel of the North as it welcomes travellers to the area.
• The Supporting Business Growth and Attracting Investment to NewcastleGateshead and the North East project is part financed by the North East England Competitiveness European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf.
Imagery / Photography opportunities:
• www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Images – NewcastleGateshead’s Initiative’s extensive royalty free image library
Useful links:
• www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Media – NewcastleGateshead Initiative’s media website
• www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Meet – conference and events website for NewcastleGateshead