Spotlight on Health and Life Sciences in Greater Manchester

8th March 2023

February has certainly been a month focused on health and health innovation. On 4th February we celebrated World Cancer Day, 11th February recognised International Day of Women and Girls in Science and 18th February marks Rare Diseases Day. 

In Greater Manchester, the conference and events sector also took a healthcare focus as Manchester hosted the 16th Annual Congress of the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders  earlier this month. 

The European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD) is a multi-disciplinary association of healthcare professionals who provide care for individuals with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders. Its members include haematologists, internists, paediatricians, nurses, physiotherapists, laboratory scientists and researchers from across Europe.  The congress has been held in leading global cities such as Malmo, Paris, Madrid, Prague, and The Hague. 

EAHAD 2023 offered a programme of cutting-edge topics and discoveries. The association aims to ensure the provision of the highest quality of clinical care and to educate the medical community and the general public as well as promote scientific research, which is why the annual congress is such a significant event in the calendar. 

 

Why choose Manchester for Health and Life Science Events?  
 

As a city-region with a history of health innovation, Greater Manchester seemed like the obvious choice to host the EAHAD 2023 congress. 

 Since Rutherford first split the Atom, Manchester has had science engrained within its streets. Manchester is always pioneering new scientific approaches and treatments. It’s a city synonymous with medical firsts including the first IVF baby which was born at the Oldham General Hospital in 1978 and the installation of the world’s first EMI CT scanner. 

Manchester has created new treatments such as the Bionic Eye and Proton Beam Therapy at The Christie, Europe’s largest single-site cancer hospital. It was also the first UK city to have devolved control of its £6 billion health and social care budget. 

 Manchester is home to the National HQ for the UK Biobank and the Manchester Cancer Research Centre which work to ensure the region continues to revolutionise patient care for the better. 

The region also houses leading clinical brands including TruePill, Qiagen, Lumira Dx and more. However, it’s also the UK’s largest tech-hub outside of London, and in more recent years, these tech and digital businesses have been working collaboratively with healthcare providers to accelerate innovation. For example, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust became the first fully e-enabled NHS Trust and now is a global NHS digital exemplar. 

There are over 29,000 STEM students across the city-region’s five universities which are renowned, world-leading institutions with state-of-the-art research facilities, giving the region an abundance of medical and scientific talent. Plus, Manchester is home to the largest clinical academic campus in Europe and specialises in precision medicine. The treatment of Leukemia was revolutionised in Manchester and the city-region has expertise in genomics, proteomics, imaging and biomarker discovery and development attracted over £100m of grant income for precision medicine in recent years. 

Therefore, it’s clear that the future of healthcare innovation in Greater Manchester is bright. So much so, that the city-region considers health and life sciences as one of its frontier sectors that will drive innovation across the city-region, creating jobs and fixing health inequalities to create a better place to live. With talent, resource and the ambition to create more world-firsts, there’s no surprise Manchester is a leading destination for health conferences. 

 

Where was EAHAD held? 
 

EAHAD 2023 was held at Manchester Central Convention Complex from 7 to 9 February 2023. This centrally located convention complex can host events of all sizes, with an array of spaces to suit large-scale conferences like EAHAD including an Auditorium and central hall which can accommodate a large number of delegates. However, it also has breakout spaces from meeting rooms to medium-sized suites. 

EAHAD, featured panel discussions, keynote speeches, and workshop presentations. It also held specialist sessions for Allied Health Professionals including nurses, physiotherapists and psychological professionals as well as dedicated sessions for Satellite Symposia (a forum that invites exchange on a wide range of the most current medical topics). Therefore it needed a versatile space that could host multiple sessions for a mixed number of delegates, which Manchester Central is more than capable of offering. 

As a hybrid conference, it also required a venue that had the technical capabilities to live-stream events and engage online audiences. Manchester Central offers both hybrid and virtual streaming options so that delegates can make the most of conferences and events, wherever they are. 

 

How can Manchester Convention Bureau help health and life science, event planners? 
 

If you’re looking to host a health and life sciences event in Manchester, the Manchester Convention Bureau can help you to plan all aspects from conception to completion. Offering free, impartial and expert advice, the Manchester Convention Bureau is on hand to help make your event a huge success. 

The team can help with the production of bespoke bid documentation to showcase Manchester’s strengths and ability to host your event.  through  to  The Bureau’s  complimentary venue location service can o help you reduce the time spent searching for the ideal location whether you’re hosting a meeting, conference, gala dinner, award ceremony or drinks reception. 

The Manchester Convention Bureau also offer an accommodation booking service and delegate welcome programme to ensure you can secure rooms and provide a seamless delegate experience. We want your delegates to enjoy every second of their stay in Manchester from where they sleep to where they spend their free time. Therefore, the team can also help to plan excursions and delegate activities. 

The team at The Manchester Convention Bureau can also assist with connecting you to academics and professionals within Greater Manchester’s health and life sciences sector. Helping you to fill your programmes with local experts and include the local community 

To learn more about how The Manchester Convention Bureau can assist you in the planning of your health and life sciences event, contact the team for free and impartial guidance.