Europa Nostra, Europe's most prestigious cultural heritage organisation, staged its annual congress in NewcastleGateshead recently.

The five-day event took place from 11-15 June and has been held in a European capital city for the past two decades. The appeal of the North East England location has led organisers to break with tradition and invite more than 300 delegates to enjoy the region's hospitality.

"I'm delighted that Europa Nostra chose NewcastleGateshead to host its 2008 Congress,” said Andrew Dixon, chief executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI). “The event attracted high numbers of influential delegates from across Europe and is estimated to have generated around £500,000 for to the local economy".

As well as the European Heritage Awards, this year's congress included a meeting focused on 'A Celebration of the Contribution of Heritage to Intercultural Dialogue', and the yearly Europa Nostra Forum, this year about 'Securing the Future of Europe's Engineering Heritage'.

Speakers attended the forum from countries across Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands.