Space to Think, Space to Create, Space to Collaborate

When it comes to making history, Durham has some incredible stories to tell. In 1825 the first steam-powered passenger train, Locomotion No.1, rolled onto the Stockton & Darlington Railway, a feat of innovation which earned Durham the title ‘Cradle of the Railways'. Nearly 200 years later, the county is now home to Hitachi Rail Europe’s £82m HQ in Newton Aycliffe, where its workforce builds high speed trains that can reach up to 225mph (360 km/h), slashing journey times for passengers.

Both Charles Dickens and J.M.W. Turner, the English Romantic painter, visited the Durham Dales and used it as inspiration for novels and paintings. Today, the historic streets of Durham City provide inspiration for artists who transform it into a nocturnal art trail during Lumiere, the UKs light art biennial.

Durham is a place of big thinkers too. Durham University, a world top 100, has an international reputation for research and teaching. And at NETPark, a premier UK science park, companies at the forefront of their industries are reshaping the world as we know it.

So as you can see, choosing Durham for your conference or meeting is about more than event planning, lanyards and delegate packs. It’s about having the space to think, create and collaborate, in surroundings that inspire.