BeaconHouse joined forces with Beyond Curious to plan and deliver the first in a series of employee engagement events for CF Fertilisers, to celebrate 100 years of operation at their Billingham site. The kick-off event in August 2023 was a Summer Social in partnership with Billingham Synthonia Cricket Club, which saw 200 CF staff members, family and friends join the local community to enjoy a glorious day of sunshine, live music, family activities, food and socialising.
BeaconHouse took care of everything from site planning to onsite management of the CF zone which featured a marquee, 100 Year branded deckchairs, beanbags, parasols, lawn games and giveaway merchandise. Food and drinks were provided by local vendors, who we worked with on a token system, and those who stopped by were welcomed in to enjoy the hospitality and learn about the history of the plant by way of our internal displays and AV presentation.
“BeaconHouse created and curated a fun, friendly space and atmosphere at our Summer Social, and never stopped making sure that everyone had everything they needed throughout the whole day! The feedback from my team was fantastic.”
Martin Liddle, Maintenance Manager, CF Fertilisers
June 2023 saw the launch of TechNExt, a five day festival celebrating the North East’s thriving technology sector. Organised by BeaconHouse in partnership with Dynamo North East and Sunderland Software City, the festival welcomed over 3,000 attendees at its 57 events across the region, throwing a spotlight on the best tech businesses and talent the North East has to offer.
Curated showcase events included an Industry Dinner at Radisson Blu in Durham, No Code Arcade at Northumbria University, Tech Talent Live Careers Fair at Baltic Gateshead and Festival Wrap Party at Revolucion de Cuba. The Main Stage Conference at Sunderland City Hall formed the centrepiece of the festival, and featured six keynote speakers from the UK, Europe and US on topics such as AI, Tech for Good and technology for human enablement as well as panel discussions from the region’s most exciting start-ups and global businesses.
The festival also offered a comprehensive programme of over 50 community-designed and led fringe events, providing a unique opportunity for the local business community to actively participate, share knowledge and learn from one another.
From the outset, TechNExt was planned as a Good Festival, with ‘for good’ being a core value that ran throughout in its approach to quality, inclusivity, diversity, accessibility and sustainability.
With something for everyone, the festival successfully brought together tech enthusiasts from all walks of life and showcased the North East’s dynamic and vibrant technology sector to the region and beyond.
“High quality events like these, where we can learn more about advancements in technology from the best in the business, is massively valuable to us”
Roland Glancy, attendee and panellist at Main Stage, founder of Peek Home.
“Thanks so much for helping make TechNExt the week it was. I’ve received nothing but positive feedback and I’m still in awe of how you all make this work seamlessly!”
David Dunn, Sunderland Software City and CEO, Dynamo North East
Since 2019 BeaconHouse have worked with
Opencast to deliver their internal staff engagement events, and as the team grows, these are getting bigger and better! In June 2023, we had almost 300 of the
Opencast team attend the Q2 Conference, followed by the hugely anticipated ‘Castonbury’ summer festival celebration.
This edition of the quarterly conference was focused on people, with business updates, people-focused future plans and shared recent internal, client and social impact projects.
From sourcing dressing, entertainment and festival merch, to running the main stage, and managing registration, the Beaconhouse Events team had the transition from business update to festival fun in hand.
Another huge success of a conference and memorable Castonbury, with amazing performers from the in-house team band ‘The Castanets’, some local performers, along with Afrobeats band direct from London. We are always keen to roll out the learnings onto the next event in Q3.
‘It was absolutely incredible, loved it so much. Well done to everyone involved, it must have taken so much hard work from lots of people’
Opencast Team
Bring It On, The North East Exhibition for Future Engineers, is targeted at young people aged 9-14. It aims to raise the aspirations of North East youngsters and contribute to closing the engineering skills gap in the region. The 6th edition of the regional event, delivered for the first time by the BeaconHouse Events team in 2022, saw more than 110 school groups (primary and secondary) registered to attend bringing over 2,000 children across the 2-day event. More than 50 regional engineering companies joined us, bringing their interactive exhibits to the show to inspire and educate children of the North East.
“I’d like to congratulate you on delivering an absolutely fantastic event for us last week at the Beacon of Light. We haven’t ever experienced such a smooth running event management experience since launching the event in 2017. Huge thanks to you and the rest of your team. You’re an exceptional team to work with”
Moira Shaftoe, EngineeringUK | Founder of Bring It On
We worked with Opencast to curate online themed gift boxes including festival swag, food and refreshments for 100+ of the team, delivered on the day of the online conference and festival.
The online festival featured live host, and a quiz and later some themed ‘tent’ breakout rooms. Members of the team were involved in filming in advance, so entertaining clips could be premiered at the event. The breakout rooms featured a live band, a comedian and rave room! The quiz was enhanced by using the live band to partake in the music round.
“the boxes are quality by the way – the kids are circling around some of the gifts like vultures….”
Festival Attendee
Go Smarter Go Active, delivered for Transport North East was a seven week, cycling outdoor roadshow delivered across nine sites in seven North East Local Authority areas.
The aims of the event were to demonstrate that it is enjoyable to travel around the region by bike, to promote more sustainable transport options for leisure and commuting, and to encourage individuals and families to cycle more and improve their own biking skills.
The event was open for 238 hours across 49 consecutive event days and saw 1,693 engaged participants across the seven week programme.
The BeaconHouse Events team delivered all the logistics and supplies, event and site infrastructure, project management, crew and volunteer management, health and safety and customer service for all events. We worked alongside other contracted supplier, Sunderland Young People’s Bike Project, who delivered the cycling training and skills sessions.
Customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive with a 91% increase in people’s plans to cycle more, and 95% increase in cycling confidence from event participants.
Thank you ever so much for being superstars! We honestly couldn’t have procured a better set of suppliers. You guys have been amazing. We hoped that whoever came in appreciated that we were new to this and that we needed guidance and advice. And you guys certainly did that. You went over and above. Nothing is a bother attitude. Went from a good event to a really amazing event.
Kim Farrage
Specialist Transport Planner, Transport North East
(Go Smarter Go Active Roadshow Project Lead)
We were delighted to work with Akzo Nobel’s team coordinating a high profile launch for their Lab Opening. Organising audio visual solutions, bespoke delegate badges and working to deliver the event onsite. Our trusted supplier Belly of the Beast ensured the catering was local, fresh and delicious, the perfect fit for this special occasion.
“Thanks to BeaconHouse for all your hard work in helping put this together. We couldn’t have done it without you!”
Chris Hoy, AkzoNobel
BeaconHouse Events are a key part of the event delivery team on the production of Wild at Kielder, a wildlife festival taking place across Kielder Water and Forest Park annually. The festival allows visitors to see the wilder side of Kielder with a weekend of wildlife themed activities. From meeting feathered friends, trekking with alpacas, watching Osprey’s, learning the science behind red squirrels, learning more about foraging in our forests and wildlife cruises, this event opens up a world of exploration and excitement for young and old. BeaconHouse Events deliver event management, logistical consultation and on-site delivery.
They worked tirelessly to create a varied programme and resolve unique challenges due to the remoteness of the site but they overcame any issues we faced. I can’t emphasise enough how helpful they were, I really felt that we were all just part of the same team working together.
Katy Cook, Living Wild at Kielder Project Coordinator, Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust
BeaconHouse Events are delighted to be the event management team behind the Great North Pasta Party, an integral part of the Simply Health Great North Run weekend. The latest instalment of the event brought a record number of over 24,000 people to the Gateshead Quayside to enjoy great international food, sporting activities and live entertainment as well as front row views of the action packed Great CityGames. The family friendly Pasta Party gives visitors the opportunity to celebrate all things Great North Run, with a huge indoor and outdoor exhibition space featuring retail stands and a range of free samples. Crowds are entertained with dance, live music and interviews with elite athletes and celebrity runners. The Pasta Party is perfect place to grab some complimentary pre-run Barilla pasta with sauce, and share excitement and well wishes with fellow runners.
