Manchester Convention Bureau, part of Marketing Manchester,
has announced the programme for the Discover Manchester stage at CHS
Manchester (30 September 2026), highlighting how the city region is
pushing boundaries in event delivery and visitor experience.
The Discover Manchester Stage will feature a
series of spotlight sessions designed to provide planners with
practical insight and inspiration for hosting their events in Manchester.
The partners attending alongside Manchester Convention
Bureau include Aviva Studios, Radisson Hotel Group, Northern
Roots, CityCo, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Selling
Savvy.
The draft programme
The programme will open with a session
exploring what’s new and what’s next for Manchester’s
events landscape, discussing the latest updates on major
developments like Medlock Square, Therme Manchester, the
reopening of Rochdale Town Hall and the transformation of Manchester Town
Hall.
A session led by Aviva Studios named A New Conversation
About Accessibility & Inclusion will be hosted by Jay
Millard, access manager at Aviva Studios, home of Factory
International and Stephanie Williams, head of events at Aviva
Studios, home of Factory International. The panel will provide a briefing
on the key trends in accessibility, what they mean for event organisers, and
how organisers can adapt their events to meet a new
and wholly positive new direction.
Manchester Metropolitan University will be hosting the
session Play is serious business: What events can learn from Playful
Learning. In this interactive 20-minute session hosted by
James Charnock, sales and marketing manager at Manchester Metropolitan
University, delegates will experience the principles of playful
learning firsthand and discover why some of the most effective learning
experiences feel less like training and more like exploration. Drawing on
proven approaches from education, events and experience
design, the session will unpack how curiosity,
challenge, collaboration and experimentation can transform audience
engagement.
Sustainability will be a key theme, with Radisson Hotel
Group showcasing Manchester’s first verified net zero hotel. The
session -The Future Stay: How Verified Net Zero
Hotels Are Redefining Sustainable Hospitality with Radisson Hotel Group - will be hosted by Claudia
Platt, Senior Account Manager UK & I for Radisson Hotel Group, and will explore how Verified
Net Zero Hotels are bringing the future of sustainable hospitality
forward. Attendees will discover how renewable energy,
low-carbon menus, minimal-waste operations and independent verification are transforming the guest
experience.
A session from Selling Savvy called Growing Your
Network: Building Connections, Confidence & Career Opportunities will be an opportunity to hear from Directors Louisa Ritchie and Kat Rack
on how to network with purpose, develop a personal brand that people
remember, and build the confidence to put yourself out there. Packed with
actionable advice for corporate event planners and agency professionals, this
session will help the audience create genuine connections,
increase their visibility within the industry, and unlock new
opportunities for both personal and professional growth.
Social impact will be in focus through a session featuring
Northern Roots and the Woodland Trust called Northern Roots:
Delivering Social Value Through Urban Green Space. Hosted
by Lizzie Fenton, head of income generation at Northern
Roots, the discussion will spotlight the transformation of Northern Roots
in Oldham into a major community and visitor destination and how it
will benefit the environment
while improving health, wellbeing and livelihoods in
Oldham.
The final session named Destination Manchester: City-Wide
Collaboration for Major Events, chaired by Gary James
Williams, head of Events CityCo and Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District, will
explore the unique partnership work between Manchester City
Council, Marketing Manchester, CityCo and partners across culture,
transport and accommodation, and how those partnerships and
placemaking expertise support major international events like The BRIT Awards. Delegates will discover how coordinated city-wide
activations, creative programming and strong cross-sector collaboration
transform a single event into a destination-wide celebration.
