Manchester: where great minds meet

Manchester is passionate about hosting association conferences and we understand their potential to drive change and leave lasting legacies. We’re proud of our reputation as a leading destination for national and international association meetings, regularly attracting the brightest minds from across the globe to discuss the latest research and inspire innovation.

Reward and motivate your team in a destination that’s built on the principles of industry, collaboration and discovery. Known as the birthplace of the industrial revolution, Manchester is one of the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities in the UK, with a unique character all its own, making it a new and exciting incentive destination.

Known as a global sporting hub, and one of the top five cities in the world globally for sport according to the BCW Top 50 Global Sport Cities for 2023, Manchester has a rich sporting heritage with a reputation for attracting national and international events.  Manchester Convention Bureau works to identify major event opportunities for Manchester, and we can connect you with key stakeholders within the city-region.  In addition, the city works closely with UK Sport to identify long-term bidding targets which can deliver the necessary economic and social impacts for Manchester.  We offer a strong partnership structure that constantly delivers and an organisational capacity that is second to none.

Manchester offers an incredible selection of locations, cityscape backdrops and countryside scenery for film & television productions. The city region has appeared in some of the world’s biggest blockbuster movies and beloved TV shows, including The Crown, Darkest Hour, Das Boot, It’s A Sin, Brassic, Peaky Blinders, and Marvel’s Captain America.

Sustainability and environmental responsibility are rightly gaining momentum in the meeting and events industry. Greater Manchester has set an ambitious target of achieving net carbon neutrality by 2038. The Manchester Convention Bureau is here to assist you in aligning your event with your own organisation’s green objectives, helping to run your meeting in a more sustainable way and leaving a positive legacy for all involved.

Complementing the city’s innovation and expertise in graphene, Manchester is home to an advanced materials cluster with research strengths in technical textiles, surfaces and coatings, composites and light alloys. Europe’s largest school of materials is based at the University of Manchester.

Manchester has come a long way since Rutherford first split the atom, Alan Turing lectured here and even since Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselo peeled their first layer of graphene. We have pioneered new treatments such as the Bionic Eye and Proton Beam Therapy at the Christie and have continued to innovate ever since. Home to a world leading research and development assets like the Manchester Cancer Research Centre and UK Biobank, the city-region continues to be at the forefront of innovative treatment to revolutionise patient care.

Since developing the first stored program computer and the world’s first commercial computer, Manchester has continued to pioneer in areas including eCommerce, cyber security, AI and data, and service design – to name a few. Innovation in these areas is complemented by the city’s five leading universities, which have a proven track record for collaborating with industry on ground-breaking research and development.

Home to Europe’s largest purpose-built digital hub, MediaCityUK, and with a heritage of broadcast and media production, marketing and advertising as well as specialist skills in service design, animation, gaming, augmented and virtual realities; Manchester is a place where creativity and technology are jointly driving the next wave of innovation in the creative and media industries.