Manchester Central eyes record year for visitors as event organisers flock to city
Manchester Central, one of the UK’s largest and most versatile event venues, will welcome a record attendance of almost half a million visitors this year – a 13% uplift – which will generate up to £130m for the city region.
This growth has been attributed, in part, to the trend of organisers, including Hyrox, Accountex and the Destination and Caravan Show, choosing to add Northern editions to their event calendars to tap into the burgeoning northern market.
Clinical Pharmacy Congress, Digital Construction Week and the HETT annual event have also all added Northern editions.
Furthermore, 49% of the events which took place in 2024, are returning for 2025, including the UK’s largest insurance broking event, The BIBA Conference, MegaCon Live, and Housing, which sees the whole of the UK’s Housing sector convene in Manchester.
Manchester Central CEO, Lori Hoinkes, said: “We’re seeing a significant shift in the events landscape.
“November 2024 was our busiest month ever at Manchester Central, and it’s clear that businesses are recognising the immense value and vibrancy that Manchester offers.”
She added: “The city boasts a booming economy, a thriving cultural scene and a business community that wants to embrace new entrants, and by coming to Manchester, event organisers are finding that they are maximising their investment, reaching new audiences and capitalising on the economic growth here.
“The forecast for the year ahead isn’t just great news for us as a venue, but the wider business community and local economy – something which is hugely important to us.”
The forecast comes as UK economic forecasting group, EY ITEM Club, projected that Manchester would become the UK’s fastest growing city in 2025, with an expected GVA uptick of 1.8%, citing the region’s focus on attracting talent to value-add sectors as an example for other cities to follow.
The coming years are also projected to see the city and surrounding region continue their strong growth trajectory, with GVA in 2026 expected to be £2bn higher than it was in 2022.
Manchester Central is one of the city’s largest venues, offering 23,000 sq m of flexible event space, catering for a range events, from intimate gatherings to large-scale conferences and exhibitions with a capacity of more than 10,000.
Hoinkes was the guest speaker at the latest in TheBusinessDesk.com’s series of Business Breakfast events with Fieldfisher last week where she discussed a career spanning military service in the Royal Canadian Airforce, manufacturing, and tech start-ups.
She also revealed that one of her most exciting long term dreams is the potential creation of a homegrown exhibition that achieves for Manchester’s creative industries what SXSW has done for Austin Texas.
