Manchester Central boss hails events sector’s recovery from Covid-19

There are promising signs that the city is beginning to bounce back from the pandemic, with one venue lining up 100 events from conferences to music and comedy.
Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren RobinsonShaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren Robinson
Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren Robinson

Large cities such as Manchester have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the large numbers of visitors and workers who do business and enjoy leisure time in urban settings staying at home instead.

However, the boss of a leading events venue in the city says the green shoots of recovery are beginning to be seen.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Manchester Central has now been open a month since it started welcoming the public back - and the data shows some very promising signs.

Stellar first month since reopening

Manchester Central has handled 88 enquiries for new events in the month since it reopened.

This was a 28% rise on the number of people expressing interest in June and a massive 91% increase on enquiries in May.

These come in addition to a further 100 events already booked in for the remainder of 2021.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The international convention centre reopened its doors to large events on 19 July, following 16 months of closure as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

What has been happening and what is coming up?

In the month since reopening, the venue has already hosted several performances of this year’s successful Manchester International Festival.

It will welcome a combined 7,500 attendees to next month’s Housing2021 and FittedUK conferences.

These will be the largest capacities to date for the venue post-Covid.

Relief to see the demand for events returning so quickly

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For Manchester Central CEO Shaun Hinds the main feeling from the first month has been delight that people want to come back to large events so soon after throwing the doors open once more.

There are now a variety of events on the schedule, ranging from industry gatherings to large-scale public entertainment.

However, the venue is also having to continue to adapt to the changes Covid has wrought, providing options for those who are still not ready or able to venture back into the city centre.

This has included installing a TV-quality broadcast studio for podcasts, panels and recitals, in addition to the ‘plug and play’ technology it has installed for hybrid events in its 800-seat auditorium.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Hinds said: “After waiting so long for the green light to resume, it was difficult to know how quickly the appetite to get back to live events would return.

Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren RobinsonShaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren Robinson
Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren Robinson

“However, the significant uptick we’ve seen in the volume of enquiries over recent weeks is proof that businesses are eager to get events back on the agenda.

“We are now fielding enquiries for a varied mix of shows, ranging from large business conferences, through to intimate gatherings, and music and comedy performances such as the Peter Kay’s Dance For Life, which showcases our breadth of expertise in hosting live events.

“We have also seen strong interest in our hybrid model, where organisers have recognised the power of embracing the digital element of shows to reach wider audiences who can’t be in the immediate vicinity of the event itself, and to cater for those who may not feel ready to return to face-to-face occasions.”

A huge contributor to Manchester’s economy

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pre-Covid, the events sector contributed around £30bn to the UK’s economy.

Manchester Central alone brought around £150m into the city’s coffers in an average year before the novel coronavirus arrived.

The venue says that for every £1 spent at Manchester Central, on average a further £6 is spent in the wider city, in hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and taxis.

Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren RobinsonShaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren Robinson
Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central. Photo: Darren Robinson

Mr Hinds said: “This strong and steady growth in confidence in the events sector can only be a good thing for everyone involved in the industry, from the venues themselves to the freelancers, tech specialists and security behind the scenes.

“The sector is an ecosystem reliant on each other, and we are thrilled that we are contributing to this with a pipeline of events which now runs well into 2023 and beyond.”