THE Tees Valley Business Show, organised by the Darlington Business Venture, produced an impressive audience of key figures last week.

It was an opportunity for building relationships - a process which is vital to the future prosperity of the area.

But despite being an initiative born in Darlington, the event was staged at The Tall Trees Hotel, near Yarm.

The Northern Echo's Local Heroes Awards, which will be attended by hundreds of people on November 22, will also be held at the same hotel.

The reason is that there is a very limited choice when it comes to venues big enough to cater for events of this kind. Darlington does not have anywhere capable of competing.

The recent annual ball in aid of St Teresa's Hospice was held at the old Beehive Ballroom, at Lingfield Point, off McMullen Road, which is potentially an answer. But without investment, it is a part of the town's heritage which is doomed.

Darlington needs to be able to compete when it comes to events and, hopefully, an answer can be found soon.

GARY Bennett is, by all accounts, a nice man. His decision to quit as manager of Darlington Football Club surprised many, given the public support he had been given by chairman George Reynolds.

But the Quakers need something extra if they are going to be promoted in time for their move to the new stadium in Neasham Road.

Like Kevin Keegan with the England job, Bennett felt he could not quite live up to the task and deserves much credit for saying so relatively early in the season.

It is a year since work began on the stadium and, despite continuing controversy over its location, it is certainly a spectacular creation.

Whether replacement boss Tommy Taylor is the man to lead the Quakers into a new chapter in the club's history remains to be seen.

But one thing above all is certain - you can have the best stadium in the world, but only success on the pitch will ensure the crowds fill it.

We wish Tommy Taylor luck.