Secondary sales, including hospitality and hotel bookings from events that took place at a major Manchester event venue in early 2023, have contributed millions to the local economy.
Events hosted at Manchester Central between January and March 2023, welcomed 123,600 visitors, an increase of over 8,440 compared to 2022. The venue says these figures are indicative of the region’s economic strength and organiser appetite to host large-scale events outside of London.
Events held at the 10,000-capacity venue between January and March 2023 included LEGO’s Bricktastic, the Northern Restaurant and Bar exhibition, and international sports event HYROX. The quarter’s events brought the total number of conferences, exhibitions and events held at the venue in the financial year to 152.
The positive news comes as the venue prepares to welcome its new CEO, Lori Hoinkes, in June.
Photo Credit: SuppliedCurrent Manchester Central CEO, Shaun Hinds, who leaves in May to take up the role of chief executive at Newbury Racecourse, said, “I’m extremely pleased with how the venue has performed through this quarter. With an incoming change in leadership, it can be easy to assume a period of instability, however these figures not only demonstrate the strength of the venue and our ability to host large events, but also the expertise of the leadership team we have in place.
“We have put the necessary plans in place to ensure a seamless transition as Lori comes on board, and together with the team, we are confident of the strong trajectory we are on.
“Over the next quarter, we look forward to welcoming the likes of Housing 2024 and DTX Manchester to the venue, and we will also focus on continuing the build of our exciting new bar, restaurant and social workspace, Junction.
“This development will transform our venue – not only will it provide an extra edge for organisers as an additional social space to connect and network, but for the first time we will actively be welcoming tourists and professionals who may not be visiting Manchester Central for a specific event, but who want to enjoy a drink or somewhere to work from during the day. It will be a fantastic addition and we cannot wait to open Junction’s doors in the summer.”
More than 78 events are already scheduled to take place at the venue for the remainder of 2024 as the Northwest continues to make gains on London in becoming the UK’s predominant events capital.
These include July’s MegaCon Live which is expected to welcome over 15,000 attendees and the international music convention WOMEX in October where it's estimated that the total value of business generated will be £28.3m.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
