Airport to showcase international credentials
AN international convention next month will analyse Manchester Airport’s position as a global aviation hub.
The event, on June 17, will co-incide with the offical opening of the airport’s £80m Concorde Conference Centre, will feature economic seminars on the future for the North West’s largest airport, with speakers from the region and international airlines.
Organised by Manchester Airport, Marketing Manchester and MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency, and by the North West Development Agency, the forum will be attended by international business leaders, as well as Manchester and North West civic and corporate executives.
It is aimed at positioning Manchester and the wider region as the best location for business, to showcase the existing and future international air routes and to celebrate the opening of the conference centre.
Three panel-led discussions will highlight and promote opportunities for trade and investment in the city and region over the next decade.
The breakfast session will focus on global long haul opportunities and panellists include a senior representative from Emirates airline, Geoff Muirhead, chief executive of Manchester Airport Group, and Barbara Spicer, chief executive of Salford City Council.
The lunchtime panel is focused on the USA and features Andrew Cornish, MD of Manchester Airport, Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council, Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, and Colin Sinclair, chief executive of MIDAS. A senior executive from American Airlines will also join the line-up.
The afternoon session will debate opportunities around India,and feature a senior representative of Indian international airline Jet Airways, Andrew Harrison, commercial director at Manchester Airport and Tim Newns, director of business development at MIDAS.
Andrew Cornish, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “The international theme of this key event allows us to showcase Manchester Airport’s status as a global gateway to Northern England and to promote our case for being the best airport for business.”
Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, said: “This gathering represents an outstanding opportunity to boost the regional economy by attracting more corporate and leisure business to Manchester from our key international markets.”
Colin Sinclair, chief executive of MIDAS, said: “This is a landmark event in our ongoing campaign to show the world that Manchester and indeed the North West is the right choice for businesses worldwide, in support of the development of strategic air routes into and out of Manchester Airport.”
The day will conclude with a gala dinner beneath the wings of Concorde, to be attended by business leaders from the Manchester city region, elsewhere in the UK and overseas.
