For many people Manchester is England’s second city, and as a conference and business tourism destination it is quickly climbing the ranks. During 2009, Manchester was named in the top three best business destinations by a well-known conference title and found to offer the best value for money in a survey carried out by Oxford International.
Manchester first showcased its capacity to deliver major events with the success of the Commonwealth Games in 2002, which put Manchester firmly on the world stage. Since then, Manchester has become one of the most dynamic and exciting cities in Europe and has demonstrated time and again that it is capable of delivering large-scale high profile events – and not only in sport.
Today, the city is attracting major clients from across the UK and internationally. Behind the city’s growing success are the award-winning venue Manchester Central, the convention bureau Visit Manchester and the city’s ‘Team Manchester’ approach.
“When an organiser selects Manchester Central they get much more than just the venue,” says Manchester Central’s Sales Director, Paula Lorimer. “Manchester is a vibrant city with a lot to offer organisers and their delegates. In order to ensure that people attending events at the venue get the most out of their stay, we work closely with Visit Manchester and partners throughout the city, including hotels, transport providers, restaurants and companies such as Manchester United, to deliver a cohesive city package. It is this unique “Team Manchester” approach that really sets us apart.”
As the city’s convention complex, Manchester Central continues to play a major role in driving business tourism and attracting large events. It is vital that the venue works in line with the city’s dynamic approach and continues to evolve to meet the requirements of the changing events and conference environment.
Building for the future
Manchester Central has recently completed an impressive £30m redevelopment programme that has expanded and enhanced the venue’s facilities.
The addition of the new Charter Foyer and the new and extended Central Foyer has added cohesion and greater ease of access within the Manchester Central site. Central Foyer has also added additional event space to the venue with a flexible combination of rooms and spaces: capacities range from 40 to180 theatre style.
The third and final phase of the redevelopment, completed in September this year, included three additional conference rooms with capacities from 200 to 950 theatre style, as well as a new restaurant facility.
The new event spaces add to the venue’s existing portfolio of flexible halls and conference suites, with space for exhibitions ranging from 1,950sq m to 11,500sq m, accommodation for up to 9,000 theatre style, and state of the art meeting facilities for 40 to 4,000 – including a professional and luxurious 804 seat auditorium.
The investment at Manchester Central is clearly paying off for the venue as it is increasingly winning major events and creating significant economic benefits for Manchester. Manchester Central has secured the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) conference for five years and the new Soccerex European Forum for the next three years.
Manchester Central Convention Complex is a key part of the Greater Manchester business tourism strategy. 2009-10 saw visitor and event numbers both rising, with an overall economic impact for the city in excess of £56m.
The venue’s contribution to Manchester was recently recognised at the annual Manchester Tourism awards where Manchester Central was awarded the prestigious 2010 Excellence in Business Tourism award. The venue received further recognition at the Association Event Organisers awards where it was named Best UK Venue.
