Central Chat

In part two of our 'Building a Career in the Events Industry' series, we put the spotlight on two operational events specialists at the pinnacle of their careers who highlight their passion for the fast-paced industry and the ‘buzz’ of creating incredible experiences.Samantha Pike-Devlin is joined by Caroline Rogers, Major Events Specialist and Sports Director, who was most recently Head of Villages and Venues at Team England working on the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Sarah Bickerton, Director of Operations and Event Delivery at Manchester Central.Caroline and Sarah chat to Samantha about their career development, what they love about the event industry and the advice they would give to anyone wishing to pursue a career in events.  Connect with Caroline and Sarah:  Caroline | Sarah  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about the venue on our website

It’s no secret that over the last few years, the event industry has taken a hit when it comes to retaining talent due to the uncertainty that the pandemic brought to live events.So, as one of the UK’s leading event venues, we wanted to shine a light on the topic and do our bit to showcase the many different roles that are available within the industry and share some steps to building your career as an event professional! In this episode, Samantha Pike-Devlin is joined by Lucy Pittaway, Senior Events Management Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and Rebecca Levett, who completed the placement year of her events management degree at Manchester Central and is now Event Manager and Host at Routes – organiser of world-renowned airline and airport networking events.Lucy and Rebecca chat to Samantha about each step of the process - from education and training to developing and furthering skillsets.   Find out more about MMU Events: Website | Twitter   Connect with Lucy and Rebecca:  Lucy | Rebecca  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about the venue on our website

After a few months break, we’re back! We’re so excited to continue chatting to guests about getting back to business and how it feels to once again plan, attend and experience live events.This is a particularly special episode, as not only is it relaunching the series, but it features a guest that we were extremely excited to get the chance to talk to… the new leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig.Our guest host and CEO, Shaun Hinds, joined Bev to chat all things Manchester; how she feels about being the first female and openly gay council leader, the reasons why she continues to call the city home having grown up in Northern Ireland, and of course, her ambitions for the city.  Find out more about Manchester City Council and Bev: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about the venue on our website

In this new series, hear us chat to guests about how it feels to once again plan, attend and experience live events. As 2021 comes to a close, Samantha takes a look back at the year and recaps on some of the key highlights both at Manchester Central and in the events industry.The return of live events, the rise of hybrid and virtual, increased awareness of sustainability in the industry... it's been a year to remember.  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn  Find out more about the venue on our website

In this new series, hear us chat to guests about how it feels to once again plan, attend and experience live events. In this episode, Samantha Pike-Devlin is  joined by Heather Lishman – Association Director at the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, more commonly known in the industry as ABPCO.Heather chats to me about the growth of the association, how they’ve adapted to the changes in the industry with the launch of their new event ‘The Festival of Learning’ and how they are beginning to share their knowledge with non-members.  Find out more about ABPCO and the Festival of Learning: Website | Twitter  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about the venue on our website

In this new series, hear us chat to guests about how it feels to once again plan, attend and experience live events.Taking over on hosting duties once again is our CEO, Shaun Hinds, who chats to Tim Else - Founder and Managing Director of What Else Events.Tim has has launched a brand-new event – ‘Safety, Health and Wellbeing Live’ - which will be taking over our Central Hall in February 2022.He chats to Shaun about how he’s found the process of planning and launching a new event during these times, how he chose the locations and venues for his new event and his view on hybrid and virtual events.  Find out more about Safety, Health and Wellbeing Live: Website | Twitter |LinkedIn  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about the venue on our website

In this new series, hear us chat to guests about how it feels to once again plan, attend and experience live events. Hosted by Digital Communications Executive, Samantha Pike-Devlin, the first episode features Jack Thompson - Technical Director at Manchester International Festival (MIF) – the first large-scale event that we hosted at the venue after reopening in July this year. Jack chats to Manchester Central about how he and his team felt on the opening night of the festival, how they adapted their event planning process to ensure the festival went ahead and their exciting new event space opening next year.  Find out more about MIF: Website | Twitter | Instagram  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about the venue on our website

Manchester Central is back, events are back and now we’re back with a new series of Central Chat!Last year, we recorded a run of episodes for series two that focused on understanding how event professionals and local businesses continued to do business during a global pandemic.… but now that we’re getting back to business and events have returned, we want this upcoming series to focus on the unrivalled of experience of live events.Central Chat: Now We’re Talking with...’ will hear us speak to guests about how it feels to once again plan, attend and experience the buzz of an in-person event again and any learnings they have for other event professionals.

Welcome to the next of our special 'guest host' feature episodes!Our CEO Shaun takes the mic to chat to Holly Moore – CEO and Founder of local live events and brand communications agency, Make Events. The Make Events team have worked with big name clients including Puma, Vimto, Twitter, Autotrader, Booking.com, ITV, BetFred and Kellogg’s and since the start of the pandemic, they have pivoted to provide for even more clients.Holly chats to Shaun about how the pandemic led to an expansion of the business beyond just events, how they recently hosted their own ‘Make Events Show’ to showcase their virtual event offering and how they’re managing business in 2021. Find out more about Make Events: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Find out more about Holly Moore: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

 In this new series, we put the spotlight on guests as they share their personal and professional experiences of doing business during a global pandemic. Hosted by Digital Communications Executive, Samantha Pike-Devlin, episode five features Sabrina Meyers, Social Media Strategist & Consultant, MICE vlogger and global event planner. Sabrina has more than 16 years’ experience working in the events and hospitality industry having worked in hospitality sales to venue-finding to freelance event planning and management roles. In 2018, Sabrina founded her own company – Hot Hospitality Exchange – with the aim of creating online content for hotels, venues, destinations, and events worldwide across a variety of social media platforms. In this episode, Sabrina explains how the pandemic and the surge of online and digital content has affected her professionally, how she has stayed visible online and what event professionals and businesses can do to improve their own online content.  Find out more about Sabrina: Website | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn  Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

In this new series, we put the spotlight on guests as they share their personal and professional experiences of doing business during a global pandemic. Hosted by Digital Communications Executive, Samantha Pike-Devlin, episode six features Scott Brown – Cluster Director of Sales at Meliá Hotels International – Scott’s focus is on the north of the UK and he’s based just a few minutes down the road from the venue at INNSIDE Manchester.  Scott chats to Manchester Central about how he and his team at INNSIDE Manchester have adapted over the last 12-months and why Manchester is a destination of choice for his guests and such a key part of the international brand’s portfolio.   Find out more about INNSIDE: Website | Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about Scott: Twitter | LinkedIn  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram  Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

In this new series, we put the spotlight on guests as they share their personal and professional experiences of doing business during a global pandemic.Hosted by Digital Communications Executive, Samantha Pike-Devlin, episode five features Sarah Netherway - Head of Strategic Partnerships at EventWell - the event industry's charitable social enterprise, dedicated to educating, campaigning and supporting better mental health and wellbeing in events.At a time when mental health has become a major focus for people across the industry and the world, the work that EventWell do has never been more important. Sarah chats to us about the services that EventWell offer and how the pandemic has affected the ways in which they continue to support event professionals across the UK.  Find out more about EventWell: Website | Twitter | Instagram Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

Welcome to the first of our special 'guest host' feature episodes!Taking over on hosting duties is our CEO, Shaun Hinds, who chats to Sarah Payling – Group Event Director (Housing) at Ocean Media Group – a market-leading event services company.Sarah leads the multi award-winning housing event portfolio for Ocean Media including their flagship event HOUSING – the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) annual Conference and Exhibition – which has called Manchester Central home for over a decade.As event director for Europe’s largest housing festival, an event that usually attracts more than 8,000 delegates to the venue and the city, Sarah chats to Shaun about she and her team moved their 2020 event online and their big ambitions for their upcoming September 2021 event. Find out more about Ocean Media: Website | LinkedIn  Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

In this new series, we put the spotlight on guests as they share their personal and professional experiences of doing business during a global pandemic.Hosted by Digital Communications Executive, Samantha Pike-Devlin, episode three features Mark Lippmann - CEO of Scruff of the Neck - an award-winning Manchester based music group renowned for its UK live promotions, record label, publishing company and creative services businesses.As a company that manages up and coming music artists, a huge majority of the work Scruff of the Neck do is centred on live events, gigs, concerts and performances so, when the pandemic took over the world last year, Mark and his team had to put their heads together and come up with innovative ideas to ensure the business survived ‘the new normal’.The artists that Scruff of the Neck represent have appeared on stages across the world, including SXSW festival in Texas and New Colossus in New York, so the episode also highlights how Manchester is viewed by people across the world and what makes it so special.  Find out more about Scruff of the Neck: Website | Twitter | Instagram Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

 We're back with our brand new spin-off series  ‘Central Chat’ – Spotlight On! 2020 was a year of swift change as we all had to quickly learn to adapt to the ‘new normal’. In this new series, we put the spotlight on guests as they share their personal and professional experiences of doing business during a global pandemic. Join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at Manchester Central, for episode two of the series as she chats to Sam Booth - CEO of pro-manchester - a business development organisation that represents more than 280 businesses from more than 50 sectors across the north west of England.  Find out more about pro-manchester: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

 We're back with our brand new spin-off series  ‘Central Chat’ – Spotlight On! 2020 was a year of swift change as we all had to quickly learn to adapt to the ‘new normal’. In this new series, we put the spotlight on guests as they share their personal and professional experiences of doing business during a global pandemic. Join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at Manchester Central, for episode one of the series as she chats to Dan Laurence and Chris Hobson - founders of Unite and Create - about launching their new business during a global pandemic and their unique approach to the traditional agency model. Find out more about Unite and Create: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about the venue on our website If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

Central Chat is coming back… and we want to hear your stories! The last 12-months have been a rollercoaster as COVID-19 has gripped the nation… and the world. At Manchester Central, life has been very different as a result and the same goes for every single other business across the UK. 2020 was a year of swift change as we all had to quickly learn to adapt to the ‘new normal’ and the raft of health advice, restrictions, lockdowns and tiers that come with a global pandemic. Introducing ‘Central Chat’ – Spotlight On; a special spin-off series sharing your stories and giving a voice to individuals and businesses across the event industry, Manchester and beyond. We want to use this channel to share experiences and insights and provide reassurance that we’re all in this together. If you have an interesting story to tell about how you or your business have shifted focus or if you have any views on hot topics in the event industry at the moment then get in touch with podcast host, Samantha Pike-Devlin on info@manchestercentral.co.uk.

International Women's Day is celebrated on 8th March every year and is a focal point in the movement for women's rights.The theme for the 2020 campaign is 'Each for Equal' in which the movement emphasises that equality is not a women's issue, but a business issue and we must all come together and strive toward a gender equal world.To mark the occasion, Manchester Central gathered together a group of female event professionals from across the industry to discuss what it's like to not just be a woman in the events industry, but to be a woman in 2020.Join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at Manchester Central and Nicole Leida, Head of Conference and Events at the National Cancer Research Institute, Caroline Mackenzie, Director of Global Association Partners, Nicola White, Senior Project Manager at Worldspan plc and Elizabeth Conboy, Head of Venue Sales at Manchester Central as they take a closer look at gender equality in the events industry – where it’s at now and what changes can be made to move forward to greater gender balance.Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about Global Association Partners, Worldspan plc and NCRIFind out more about the venue on our website

As we settle into a new year and a new decade, one topic at the forefront of everyone’s minds is sustainability; but as concerns about climate change continue to grow around the world, businesses especially are starting to take note.Sustainability is no longer an add-on to business practices and at Manchester Central our strategic aim is to ensure that it is embedded at the heart of everything we do. Through effective training, knowledge, collaboration, and innovation with all our employees, customers, suppliers and subcontractors we aim to enhance the sustainability of the venue and the services we provide to our stakeholders.Join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at Manchester Central and members of the venue’s Sustainability Steering Group - Andy Kelly, Director of Facilities Management, Lauren Hudson, Health Safety and Environment Coordinator, Alex Robertson, Director of Hospitality, Ruth Halliday, Corporate Account Manager and Yollande Felu,  Junior HR Advisor – as they discuss Manchester Central’s sustainability plans and initiatives and the venue’s new sustainability strategy ‘Our Central Future’.Follow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram Follow our #SustainabilitySunday thread on TwitterFind out more about the venue on our website

Believe it or not, Manchester Central hasn't always been Manchester Central.The venue is steeped in history, having spent more than half its life as a railway station before becoming the city's premier concert and exhibitions venue and now functioning as a world-class conference and events venue.Join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at Manchester Central, Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central, Jonathan Schofield, local tour guide and editor of Manchester Confidential and Kate Dickson, Director of Creative Heritage, as they journey through the decades and discuss the venue's role within the city; past, present and future.Read more about the venue's history on our websiteFind out more about Creative Heritage and the services that Kate providesBook one of Jonathan's guided tours of ManchesterFollow Manchester Central: Twitter | Instagram