Sarah Bickerton, director of event delivery and operations, Manchester Central, talks about the relationship between venues and organisers, as well as how concurrent events are driving innovation.
Being able to manage, shape and host a variety of major events, sometimes concurrently, is what keeps my passion for the industry alive. At Manchester Central, we have over 23,000sqm to fill, so we need to work smart to utilise that space, which brings both challenges and opportunities.
I’ve personally worked in the industry for over 20 years and throughout that I’ve seen so much change. In the past 12 months especially, I’ve noticed a real step change in the creativity being sought by event organisers, which is something we as event professionals thrive off. It is critical to us that every event looks and feels first class to create an atmosphere of engagement, encouragement and excitement for delegates to be together. These attributes are vital for seeking to attract the right footfall, audiences and ultimately ensure the commercials of every event stacks up.
We’re also finding that there is room for us, as a venue, to feed ideas in far more than ever before. This is because everybody across the events sectors has seen delegate expectations become far more experience-led. Ultimately, venue event teams are the experts in how their spaces can be transformed to give the very best impressions while the event organisers themselves are, rightly so, the experts in their audience’s expectations. This enhanced collaboration has seen some fantastic results, which means that visitors are amazed when they arrive and the objectives of the organisers are met.
I think that venues attracting a purely ‘conference’ audience or, conversely, a ‘concert’ venue is largely a thing of the past. Versatility, experience and in-house expertise at a multifaceted venue is definitely further up the priority list for events organisers in my opinion. At Manchester Central, we’ve noticed an even broader range of enquiries from event organisers; from large sporting competitions through to big brand activations, alongside the more traditional conferences and trade shows. We’re hearing that other large venues are seeing a similar trend, whereby the appetite for working with venues capable of staging a whole host of options is of interest.
How it’s made
The longevity of repeat events are reliant on constant dialogue and a deep understanding of client objectives and ambitions. Venues can and should immerse themselves in the development process to really build something which can grow together organically by venue and organiser being on the same page. Going forward, I believe such creative relationships will only be further strengthened. The pandemic, combined with the economic pressures of the last few years, have been tricky but have also presented us with unique challenges to tackle. They have refreshed my love of in-person events – there’s nothing quite like the client knowing we have exceeded their expectations, opening the doors to a flood of people thoroughly enjoying and interacting with a space.
But how can the sector keep momentum? In my opinion, top of the list is keeping close to the details to deliver excellent client and customer service levels. Experience has never been more important, and it’s the smallest of things that can sometimes make the biggest difference. I’d recommend leaving no stone unturned in the lead up to an event. My remit encompasses everything from the concierge team that welcomes everyone with a smile on arrival, to ensuring our spaces are set up to exact specifications and cleaned to the right standards.
Every venue should ensure that one nominated person on the ground has an overarching view on customer service each and every day. Feedback and evaluation is a must and should always be undertaken to continually enhance the offering; this care and attention is something both delegates and event organisers reference when they rebook.
Working in the events industry is always going to be fast-paced and can have a tendency to speed up more at particularly busy times of the year. I love this about my job – I live and breathe being able to seamlessly transform spaces between major and bespoke builds in a matter of hours. To make a success of this, meticulous forward-planning and excellent communication is really key here. Not just between venue and client, but amongst all suppliers involved in delivering the event. It can often feel like a giant jigsaw puzzle, but it’s critical that each part is in place at exactly the right moment!
