News

Integrated communications group DRPG has been named Global Agency of the Year at the 2025 C&IT Awards, marking a milestone 45th anniversary and its 45th industry win of the year. The recognition celebrates DRPG’s growth from a UK-based film agency into a global operation spanning Europe and North America, with clients including Lenovo, BT, and GSK. With continued expansion through DRPG Germany and the acquisition of The Special Event Company, the group has cemented its position as a world leader in creativity, collaboration, and integrated communications.

Creative communications group DRPG has announced two key leadership updates within its Live Division, reinforcing its commitment to creative excellence and world-class experiences. James Khan joins as Head of Creative for Environments from Smyle, bringing over 25 years of experience in exhibitions, museums, and immersive brand storytelling. Meanwhile, Brad Harris has been promoted to Head of Creative for Events, building on a 15-year career at DRPG. Together, their appointments mark a bold step in DRPG’s continued investment in talent, innovation, and sustainable growth across its global operations.

Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, has unveiled a bold new vision for its meetings and events business, coinciding with the arrival of the Radisson RED London Twickenham hotel. The launch marks a major step in the stadium’s evolution into a complete meetings and events destination, combining world-class hospitality, flexible spaces, and advanced technology. With the addition of 150 stylish bedrooms, a new restaurant, and upgraded AV and digital infrastructure, Allianz Stadium is positioning itself as one of the UK’s most dynamic and design-led venues for corporate and experiential events.

Convene Hospitality Group launches The Mallory — a new, independently branded venue in NYC’s West Chelsea, offering 50,000+ sq. ft. of space for experiential and social events.

Liverpool has been confirmed as the host city for the 2026 Labour Party Conference — the fifth consecutive year the event will take place at ACC Liverpool. The decision follows the success of this year’s gathering, which brought thousands of delegates and visitors to the city and generated more than £30 million in economic impact. The milestone reinforces Liverpool’s reputation as a world-class destination for major national events.

Exhibition Centre Liverpool is celebrating its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of major events, millions of visitors, and significant economic impact for the city region. Since opening in 2015, the venue has hosted more than 500 events, welcomed over 2.2 million visitors, and generated an estimated £320 million for the local economy. From Comic Con Liverpool and the Labour Party Conference to acting as Eurovision’s media hub, the venue has become a cornerstone of Liverpool’s world-class waterfront events campus.

The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow will host the IEEE CleanTech Summit 2025 this week, bringing together global leaders in engineering, science, and technology to address urgent sustainability challenges. The event marks the start of a landmark series of IEEE conferences at the SEC through 2027, reinforcing the venue’s reputation as a world-class hub for international meetings.

The formation of Convene Hospitality Group (CHG) is a strategic move leveraging the brands’ combined strengths, expertise, and market reach to better serve clients and partners in more places and exciting new ways. It unites an existing portfolio of brands while providing a vision and structure to scale the platform through the addition of new brands in the future. Ryan Simonetti will serve as President & CEO of CHG.

Crowne Plaza Newcastle is celebrating 10 years as one of the city’s leading meetings and events hotels. Since opening in 2015, it has welcomed over a million guests, hosted global brands and local charities alike, and played a key role in Newcastle’s growth as a business events destination.