North East hosting Big Cities Conference
National delegates from across the place management industry have arrived in the North East for the first time, to experience the ambition, growth and initiative the region has to offer.
The Big Cities Conference 2026 will bring together people from across the country for a two day event which began yesterday (Wed 7 Oct)) hosted by NE1 and Sunderland’s BIDs.
Organised by the Association of Town and City Management, the prestigious event will see the guests visit a number of locations across both cities and be part of a number of panel discussions covering everything from waterfront cities to the importance of the hospitality sector.
On day one the delegates visited Newcastle’s The Boiler Shop and hear dabout the £9m transformation of the Grainger Market, along with being addressed by Philip Kolvin KC who will make the case for why hospitality should be seen as a civic asset rather than a liability and provide an overview of the latest thinking on licensing policy and legislation.
This was followed by a panel discussion on the challenges faced by the hospitality industry led by Mr Kolvin along with Michael Kill, CEO, Night Time Industries Association, Michael Stewart, Belfast Night Czar and Ollie Vaulkhard, Director of North East leisure organisation, Vaulkhard Group.
The first day agenda will include a talk by Tim Watts, regeneration and design leader of international urban strategy and design company, Gehl, who will be highlighting the design principles to make the best use of waterfront space.
On day two around 100 attendees will head to Sunderland and enjoy breakfast sessions by the sea, hearing from Frankie Francis, music officer at Sunderland Music City and Nick Malyan, CEO of Sunderland Culture, who has been involved in a range of high profile events in the region include Durham’s Lumiere Festival and the Lindisfarne Gospels exhibitions.
Attendees will walk across the new bridge and then head to the recently opened Culture House, where they will be welcomed by Sunderland’s BID’s CEO, Sharon Appleby which will be followed by a panel discussion on the role of culture in shaping cities.
On the panel is Marty Longstaff, Music Officer at Sunderland Music City, Leanne Littlewood, Director of Culture House and Head of Cultural Services at Sunderland City Council, Alison Gwynn, CEO of North East Screen and Tania Love, Associate Partner Architect at FaulknerBrowns which has been involved in a range of innovative projects in both Newcastle and Sunderland.
Stephen Patterson, Chief Executive of NE1 Ltd, said: “We are proud to host the ACTM conference jointly with our BID partners in Sunderland. It is an honour to welcome such eminent, world-leading experts in placemaking and city centre transformation to the region and to provide a forum to discuss the important issues facing the future of our cities.
“Innovation has been the golden thread running through Newcastle’s history. This event will help fuel our aspirations and shape a vision for the region’s future that continues this trailblazing tradition.”
Sharon Appleby, Chief Executive of Sunderland’s BIDs echoed his words. “Bringing the ATCM conference to the North East is a huge honour and an incredible opportunity for us to collaborate with Newcastle to showcase how we are actively and proactively dealing with the challenges facing modern cities,” she said.
“We have been able to highlight the extent of our ambition and the real progress that has been made in bringing those ambitions to fruition.”
Featured image: Stephen Patterson, Chief Executive of NE1 Ltd
