North East Chamber of Commerce

26/10/2026

Want to connect with your local business network while helping make a difference across our region this festive season?

Join us for a special Christmas edition of Chamber Connect as we team up with Feeding Families for coffee and informal networking at their HQ.

We’ll also be joined by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness as Feeding Families officially launches their Christmas Campaign.

Across the North East, we face a hidden crisis. 31% of children are living in poverty. This Christmas, the Feeding Families appeal will deliver thousands of festive boxes to families in crisis, without homes and those who are isolated or struggling. Every box provides real relief and hope when it is needed most.

We would love it if you could join us on the day and support the appeal 👉 https://www.necc.co.uk/events-awards/event-calendar/chamber-connect-gatesheadchristmas.html

🥫 To help support Feeding Families this Christmas, we encourage you to bring along non-perishable food items to the event.

22/10/2026

“Is the North East the UK’s best-kept secret?” 👀

Our third and final Conference Mini-Series event, Place to Prosperity: Culture, Investment and Growth, sponsored by Esh Group, brought business leaders together at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music to explore how culture and identity can help our region prosper.

The message? Think bigger and shout louder about what makes the North East special, while making sure growth and investment create opportunities for the people who call it home.

Read all the highlights of our event here 👉 https://www.necc.co.uk/resource/north-east-must-think-bigger-and-shout-louder-to-unlock-its-potential.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=conference_mini_series_autumn_2026&utm_content=video_recap

15/10/2026

What a place to close our Conference Mini-Series! 🙌

This morning at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, we brought business leaders and regional voices together for the final event of our Conference Mini-Series - Place to Prosperity: Culture, Investment and Growth, kindly sponsored by Esh Group.

At the heart of today's event was a question that matters to all of us here in the region: how do we make the North East a place where businesses want to invest and a place where people want to build their futures?

We heard from:

🗣️ Brad Miller - chief operating officer at United

🗣️ Vicky Pryce - chief economic adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research & chair of the British Chambers of Commerce Economic Advisory Council

🗣️ An engaging cross-sector panel chaired by Lucy Dixon of Karbon Homes: George Clarke, Marie Nixon (Sunderland Empire Theatre), Chris Kelsey, Darush Dodds (Esh Group) and Dr Catherine Glover (Northumbria University).

Today’s discussion brought us back to why investment in our places matters: the difference it can make to people’s lives. Alongside new buildings and infrastructure, we need opportunities for local businesses, good jobs and apprenticeships and communities that have a say in shaping their future.

That ambition sits at the heart of our Unlocking the North East Economy policy plan.

A huge thank you to Esh Group for sponsoring today’s event, to our speakers and to the team at The Glasshouse for hosting us.

The mini-series may be finished, but there’s plenty more for us to take forward together and continue to put the North East ambition into action! 👏

14/10/2026

What a night for our North East business! 👏

Two award wins and three brilliant businesses representing our region at the British Chambers of Commerce Chamber Business Awards 2026 tonight!

It's fantastic to see North East businesses making their mark nationally, with recognition across three categories:

🏆 Osbit - Future of Work Award
🏆 William Hackett - Global Britain Award
🏆 Care Messenger Holdings - Digital Revolution Award

A special cheer for Osbit and Care Messenger Holdings, who are bringing their awards back home to our region!

We know how much hard work goes into building a business, so seeing our Chamber members recognised on the national stage is a genuinely proud moment. To all three businesses, congratulations! You’ve done yourselves and our region proud!

14/10/2026

The North East has arrived in London! 🌟

Our very own Josh Maratty is up for the Rising Star Award at tonight’s British Chamber of Commerce Awards, with Jessie by his side to cheer him on!

Best of luck Josh! Enjoy every moment!

We're also sending lots of luck to our Chamber Business Awards winners who have been shortlisted for tonight's Final. We’re rooting for you all, let’s hear it for the North East! 🤞🏆

07/10/2026

Our North East’s economy is shaped by the businesses that trade, invest, employ and grow here. Their voices should shape policy too.

On Tuesday 20 October, we'll be joined by Andy Haldane CBE, British Chambers of Commerce President and former Chief Economist at the Bank of England, at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music for The Growth Roadshow - a pre‑Budget briefing built around data collected from the Quarterly Economic Survey (QES).

The QES is more than a survey. It’s one of the most established measures of business confidence in the UK, capturing real experiences across all sectors and sizes. The responses we gather from our Chamber members feed directly into our campaigns to policymakers, for things such as better support, better infrastructure and better conditions for business growth.

At this event, you’ll hear what the latest QES tells us about the region’s strengths and pressures, what government and regional leaders need to do to deliver “good growth”, and what these results mean for your business here in the North East.

If you want your business reality reflected in the national conversation, this is the event to be at.

Come and join us 👉 https://www.necc.co.uk/events-awards/event-calendar/the-growth-roadshow-a-pre-budget-economic-briefing-for-north-east-business.html

02/10/2026

02/10/2026

We are delighted to reveal... 🥁

Our Chamber Inspiring Women in Business Awards 2026 shortlist! 🤩

This year’s entries have been nothing short of awe-inspiring; a true celebration of those from our North East business community who are making a difference in their field, to their businesses and colleagues, their communities and our region.

This year’s finalists represent organisations of all sizes and sectors, recognising outstanding leadership, innovation, ambition and positive impact across the North East.

Thank you to our award category sponsors and our headline sponsor, Newcastle International Airport, for supporting a programme that shines a light on the talent of the businesswomen in our region. Congratulations to all who entered, and see you all at our Awards Final on 27 November at Newcastle Civic Centre! 🙌

02/10/2026

We've got a little surprise to later today… 💫

24/09/2026

This is what 'Unlocking the North East Economy' looks like in action. 👇

Real stories from businesses already using AI and honest conversations about regional challenges. Our first Conference Mini-Series event, sponsored by SES Technology (a division of SES Engineering Services), was a room full of energy, turning our policy plan from ambition into action.

And there was a clear message: the people, skills and opportunity are already here. We just need to harness them to our region's full potential.

If you weren’t there, you missed some brilliant conversations... but you don’t have to miss the next two.

Spaces are limited... grab yours before they’re gone.

Come be part of the conversation 👉 https://www.necc.co.uk/events-awards/conference-mini-series.html