Manchester Central, one of the largest conference venues in the North of England, boosted the Greater Manchester economy by more than £45 million in the second quarter of 2024.
The latest figures from the venue revealed the financial impact the venue had on the region during the quarter, in which it hosted 34 events and welcomed nearly 121,000 delegates.
The figure looks at the spend by delegates and business tourists attending events held at Manchester Central, in the venue itself and across surrounding hotels, bars and restaurants.
The quarter was the first with new CEO, Lori Hoinkes, at the helm, and who has also announced a repositioning to focus on international markets for the year ahead.
Hoinkes, who originates from Canada and joined Manchester Central in May, said the international side of the business is now ripe for reinvigorating.
She said: “By its very name and location, this venue is the heart of the city and the investment it brings into the wider region is imperative to Greater Manchester’s economic growth - for every £1 spent in our venue by visiting delegates, £6 is spent in Manchester's wider hospitality sector from eating out, tourism and accommodation stays.
“The past quarter’s results are testament to the attraction of Manchester, but we also have a clear opportunity to capitalise on international interest and organisers are now looking at us as a strategic global location to do business in. We have a prime opportunity to lead on this and create significant value in this market, particularly given the levels of new investment coming into the city.”
The venue, which succumbed to a pandemic-related drop in international visitors over the past five years, has now returned to pre-Covid levels, with Hoinkes pointing to a number of high-profile events as proof points of the international attractiveness of the city. It’s forecast that the prestigious international music convention WOMEX in October will generate a total value of business of £28.3m.
Hoinkes added: “We already facilitate conferences and global exhibitions for international organisers, and now is a perfect time to build on our position as a world-leading events centre.
“North America is obviously a traditional key market for the events sector and we have excellent relationships with organisers such as HYROX and JAMfest who are new to the venue for 2025, however we are also seeing the European markets specifically looking at the North West as a key geography in which to host conferences and exhibitions, and meet like-minded investors.”
Intrinsic to the region’s business community, Manchester Central attracts over half a million visitors to the city, bringing approximately £150m into the local economy in an average year.
