Manchester Takes on CHS and a Growing Events Portfolio

Manchester Town Hall © Marketing Manchester & Rich J Jones

 

CHS Manchester took over the AO Arena, a 23,000-capacity entertainment venue in the city centre, for a format bringing exhibition, education and networking into the same setting. Buyers could combine scheduled appointments and conversations with content across the Revolution, Discover Manchester and Industry Hub stages, where sessions addressed social value, destination development, major-event delivery and wider industry issues.

The larger format followed CHS’s decision to replace its separate Birmingham and Leeds shows with one northern event. During the closing session, Emma King, Founder and CEO of CHS, called Manchester the ‘natural solution’ for bringing the two together. Exhibition space had sold out, and King said the turnout had exceeded expectations for the first Manchester edition.

 

The knowledge programme also addressed questions extending into the work of associations and event organisers. Northern Roots: Delivering Social Value Through Urban Green Space examined a 160-acre project in Oldham that combines an urban farm and eco-park with learning, health and community activity. Destination Manchester: City-Wide Collaboration for Major Events looked at how Manchester City Council, Marketing Manchester, CityCo and partners in transport, accommodation, hospitality and culture coordinate around large events, from The Manchester Flower Festival across public spaces to hosting the BRIT Awards.

 

Laura Mason, Head of Business Tourism at Marketing Manchester, outlined new accommodation and meeting spaces around Etihad Campus, the return of Campfield Studios to event use and the renovation of Manchester Town Hall, which is due to reopen in 2027. She also highlighted Therme Manchester, a large-scale wellness resort planned for 2028, among developments taking shape across Greater Manchester, including The Loom and Northern Roots in Oldham, Stockroom in Stockport, Rochdale Town Hall and The Wellbeing Farm in Bolton.

 

The CHS programme had begun the evening before the show, with Manchester Calling bringing delegates together at Manchester Central, the former railway station now offering over 23,000 square metres of event space. Its proximity to Manchester Central and the AO Arena, just a 15-minute walk away, made The Edwardian Manchester a convenient base for hosted guests. The historic five-star hotel has 20 meeting spaces for up to 500 people, alongside Peter Street Kitchen, the Library Champagne Bar and spa facilities.

 

The day after CHS, our programme began in Gorton at The Monastery Manchester, a 19th-century former Franciscan church restored as an events and community venue. Its history remains visible in the Great Nave, now used for conferences, dinners and receptions for up to 650 people, with smaller rooms providing alternatives for private dining and breakouts. A charitable trust owns the property, while income generated by the events business is reinvested in maintaining it and supporting community work.

 

The University of Manchester builds on its research strengths to attract international conferences in areas such as the study of graphene and other advanced materials, health and cancer sciences, AI and digital technology, and sustainability and climate research. The university’s conference and hospitality team collaborates with academics, Marketing Manchester and the convention bureau to identify and pursue relevant bids. The range of physical spaces available includes nine smaller meeting rooms in Oddfellows Hall and the Nancy Rothwell Building, which has a 720-square-metre exhibition area, theatres for 450 and 550 delegates, and more than ten seminar rooms that can accommodate between 20 and 160 people. Larger teaching spaces are more available during Easter and university holidays, making the academic calendar important for conference planning.

 

The Manchester Museum is located within the same university complex, enabling organisers to combine academic meeting spaces with receptions and dinners without requiring delegates to travel to different parts of the city. The Living Worlds Gallery can host 120 guests for dinner or 200 for a reception, while the neighbouring Whitworth Hall can accommodate up to 600 people in a theatre-style layout and 300 for dinner. The museum has recently undergone a £15 million (approx. €17 million) refurbishment and extension project, which added new gallery spaces.

 

  

Aviva Studios in St John’s was designed around the production demands of Factory International, the organisation behind Manchester International Festival. Its four spaces can be hired separately or combined, with the Warehouse accommodating up to 4,500 people and The Social providing a smaller bar setting. Around 40 in-house technicians cover technical production, while two 40-tonne truck lifts give articulated lorries direct access to the Warehouse. Venue hire supports Factory International’s cultural and skills programmes.

 

Exhibition and Sexy Fish provided two contrasting options for dining and evening functions. Set in a former 1850s museum, Exhibition brings together three independent kitchens alongside a cocktail bar. Sexy Fish pairs its Asian-inspired menu with private-event facilities, including the 36-person Tropical Reef Room. Movable furniture and electronically controlled doors can create separate areas for networking or private functions, supported by audiovisual facilities and soundproofing for simultaneous music.

 

Sport provides a different backdrop at Emirates Old Trafford, home of Lancashire Cricket, where conference facilities and accommodation are integrated within the cricket ground. Its main conference and exhibition hall, The Point, offers 1,125 square metres of pillar-free space overlooking the pitch. Hospitality suites, smaller meeting rooms and outdoor areas support breakouts and social events, while the adjoining 250-room Hilton Garden Inn has 136 rooms with pitch-view balconies. Multi-day events can keep plenary sessions, accommodation, catering and hospitality within the same complex.

 

The final visit was to LOWRY at Salford Quays, a theatre and gallery complex opened in 2000 as part of the regeneration of the former docks. Home to the world’s largest public collection of works by L. S. Lowry, it combines theatre, exhibitions and community programmes with substantial event facilities, including the 1,730-seat Lyric Theatre, 440-seat Quays Theatre, 150-seat Studio and five meeting spaces for groups of 20 to 250. A recent international radiology conference showed how those spaces can accommodate specialist requirements: lounge, bar and restaurant areas became exhibition space, while another room was equipped with 20 ultrasound machines for hands-on medical training. Commercial event income supports LOWRY’s charitable work in performance, learning and community engagement, linking its business events activity directly to its wider cultural and social contribution.

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