TODAY marks exactly a year since the NATO Summit.

Helicopters hovered overhead, blue-capped policemen were stationed on every corner and Newport welcomed the president of the USA.

Many people felt like they were living through a moment of history, rather than just another weekday morning.

That feeling can only have been magnified for Celtic Manor chief executive Ian Edwards and director Simon Gibson who were responsible for hosting 60 world leaders as well as 70 foreign ministers, 70 defence ministers and thousands more who arrived at the hotel to discuss issues including the Ukraine crisis and the rise of Islamic State.

Chief executive Mr Edwards said: “It was a great feeling of pride for everyone involved looking after all the prime ministers, presidents and world leaders. We did breakfast, lunch and dinner for close to 7,500 people. We were catering not only in the hotel but from marquees. A prime minister would want something over there, then a president would want something over there. It was hugely intense but a lot of fun - it was a great privilege.”

Director Mr Gibson called the summit unforgettable, and had a few particular instances even more so. “[Canadian-based Celtic Manor owner Terry Matthews] wasn’t able to come,” he said. “But he wanted me to give a special welcome to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. There were around 2,000 people in the foyer of the hotel. It was packed – someone was even flying a little drone overhead.

“I heard the Canadian delegation was coming and I was ready to give Stephen Harper a special welcome saying I’d lived in Canada as well. In he comes, but I realise I can’t get to him because there’s so many people in the crowd. He’s actually four rows away and I’m trying to get through the crowd. I have to shout out, ‘Prime minister! Whereupon 45 people turned around.”

Mr Edwards said since NATO the company has taken on around 10 per cent more full time staff. “We have been able to grow our business," he said, adding, people seeing the Celtic Manor successfully host one of the high profile and high security events in the world gives them confidence their own conference will go smoothly.

The company has 835 full time staff, with a bank of 400 casual and part-time staff for large events including caterers and chauffeurs. Work on the Wales International Convention Centre (the largest facility of its kind in Wales and the south west of England) is due to begin at the Celtic Manor early next year. They want to attract party political conferences for the first time, which can include more than 4,000 people with lots of fringe events. When it is built, many of the temporary staff could take on full time roles as the company plans to host conferences every week.

Both Mr Edwards and Mr Gibson said they were confident new shopping centre Friar’s Walk (opening in November) would benefit the business further. “In the past there hasn’t really been much for a conference delegate or spouse to go into Newport for”, Mr Gibson said. “It hasn’t had the best ride over the past few years and many people have gone east or west to Bristol or Cardiff shopping. Now for the first time we have an opportunity in Newport. If there is high quality shopping on offer in Newport city centre we can send people down there with some confidence they will come back and talk about Newport in a positive light.

Mr Edwards added: “Credit to the leader of the council. Without the council, would it have happened?”

He also said it was difficult to put into words quite what the Nato Summit had achieved for the wider area. "It reaches much further than the Celtic Manor - it has been incredible for the whole of South Wales," he added." It has actually put us on the map and shown we can work together in partnership. If we want to attract international or even large domestic conferences we need to be able to show the community can work together.

“There were quite a few naysayers at first but by the end, everyone was proud and excited and the naysayers had sort of dissipated into the ether”, Mr Gibson said. “The traffic didn’t grind to a halt. I remember people saying they got to work faster than they ever did normally. The important thing is to keep the momentum going and not just say, ‘We did a great job’. We did, but what’s next?”

Air Force One landing in Newport was incredible to many people, who were amazed that US President Barack Obama was just a few miles away. He took time out of his schedule to visit Mount Pleasant Primary School in Rogerstone where children local children were so impressed that they voted to name a new road after him. People will soon be moving into Obama Crescent.

“Obviously there was a huge amount of buzz that went along with President Obama – and it’s not like the Americans play it down either”, Simon Gibson said. “One person who struck me as kind and compassionate was (German chancellor) Mrs Merkel. We had a child from every primary school in Newport come to Celtic Manor, and a couple of them had special needs. She went straight over to them and spent a long time talking to them. She was crouched down talking to the girl in a wheelchair. She didn’t need to do that, there was no press there. She wanted to do it. Sometimes she is portrayed as an ice maiden but clearly she’s a nice person in real life.”

Now the city has proven itself, Mr Gibson and Mr Edwards say they want to attract more high profile conferences to Newport. Already since the Summit they have hosted the InterAction council of former world leaders, including former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, former Chancellor of Austria Franz Vranitzky and former Prime Minister of Ireland Bertie Ahern.

Mr Gibson said: “The ultimate compliment I heard at the end was from NATO themselves saying they would come again. They would bring it to Newport and the Celtic Manor again. We delivered the goods in a way that was beyond their expectations.”

“I hope people see it really has helped put Newport back on the map as a city. We will continue to endeavour to bring more conferences like that to the Celtic Manor.”

Newport West MP Paul Flynn said the summit was “an overwhelmingly positive experience for the city".

“The demonstrations were good humoured in the main and the only people who were arrested were the people who were insistent on being arrested.

“The numbers of police were excessive but some of the pubs were grateful. One landlord told me he had never seen people drink like those police. Even 9,000 police officers came back with good (but hazy) memories.

“NATO Newport raised the world profile of the city and drew attention to Newport as a luxury-class venue. Even the sun shone.

“The Celtic Manor Resort is a thriving hub for future prestige functions and we should take pride in this wonderful segment of Newport life. History was made here.”

Rogerstone councillor Chris Evans said he still felt delighted to remember that President Obama had been in Newport. “There was some trepidation about the summit at first and one person told me it was just ‘for them people at the Celtic Manor’”, he said. “But we were put on the world stage. This year when people think of Newport they perhaps don’t think of all the negatives.

“Last week we had a letter from the president to Rogerstone (written by the US ambassador congratulating the community on their new playground).

“To me, it was a perfect historic moment. We won’t realise perhaps for a number of years how significant it was. The president of the USA visited a school in Rogerstone. To see our whole community there, thousands of people, reporters on a garage roof, it was absolutely amazing.”

Local traders were part of the action too, with Ebbw Vale's Sidoli’s ice cream among the local produce on sale at the Celtic Manor, and restaurants across the city launching their own take on the Summit, such as the ‘Barack Balti’, served at Popadoms, and the Turner A D & Sons butchers ‘NATO Burger'.

Newport boy Ieuan Berry, then aged 17, was accredited as an official NATO photographer and took an image of the leaders which went viral around the world (showing French president Francois Hollande looking a different way to all the other world leaders).

Leader of Newport City Council Bob Bright said: “Newport City Council made a large contribution to ensure the smooth running of the Nato summit and we proved that Newport is a city that has the infrastructure, energy and will to host major events.

“Hosting the Nato summit elevated Newport to a higher level. As a result of the global exposure the city received, we have seen increased confidence in Newport with businesses such as Admiral wanting to locate to the city."