Did you know that Manchester is becoming one of the leading sustainable meeting destinations in Europe? My recent trip to Manchester was just about that and focused on sustainable event venues and city’s sustainability credentials.

Manchester Metropolitan University

The first venue to explore was Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). Academic venues are becoming more and more attractive for events and offer premium facilities for reasonable prices. If you would ask me two years ago what I think of an academic institution as an event venue I would be very sceptical but now I start changing my perceptions.

Over the past years MMU invested £350 million in its estate what increased the opportunities to attract conference and event business. In 2013 the Business School opened for external business and has already secured major international conferences such as the 8th International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations and The World Symposium on Sustainable Development. The Business School is very modern and spacious and can accommodate up to 250 delegates for dining and exhibitions and up to 60 in classrooms for workshops. There are also on-site catering facilities.

The second building I visited was the Benzie Building at Manchester School of Art. The biggest event space can accommodate up to 250 and they also have a roof terrace for up to 205 delegates. It almost felt like being in a museum. Two things particularly caught my attention. The first is the “Glockenspiel” sculpture which was designed by students and staff and measures energy consumption of the building throughout the day. The second piece was the concrete wallpaper pillars in the main event hall and the pattern on them. Isn’t it amazing?

The university has now the Silver Award for ECO campus and is working towards the Environmental Management Systems, ISO14001 for 2015.

Co-operative Group

Co-operative Group is UK’s largest mutual business and owned by nearly eight million members. It manages business in areas including food, travel, insurance etc. They are headquartered in Manchester and last year their building was declared the greenest building in the world. Though it’s not a venue I decided to have a closer look at its unique design.

The Old Trafford

Even though Manchester United is not performing well this season, they are still one of the favourite football clubs and football based tourism is one of Manchester’s main economic pillars. Unfortunately there were no matches on the day so we decided to book a tour of the legendary Old Trafford Stadium instead. The tour took us to all the main areas so I also got to see the hospitality VIP suite but unfortunately not the corporate boxes. The club is highly engaged and committed to support environmental and social issues on regional, national and international level. In 2012 they became the first football club in England to be awarded the ISO14001, The Carbon Trust Standard (for reducing carbon emissions) and the Sustainable Events Management Standards, the ISO20121.

Manchester Central

Other sustainable venue which unfortunately I didn’t visit but also has strong sustainability credentials and regarded as one of the most sustainable venues in the UK is the Manchester Central. It offers halls and conference suites for exhibitions with possibility to accommodate up to 9,000 delegates theatre style. It has been accredited for ISO 20121 in 2013. Green initiatives for this year include undertaking free event sustainability reports for clients and launching of a new smart meeting system which will give the venue real time 24/7 information on energy consumption in the building.

How important are sustainability and sustainable venues for you?

Before travelling to Manchester for the first time, I knew that the city prides itself for the two football clubs and the universities. Little I knew that Manchester is becoming one of the leading sustainable meeting destinations in Europe. So over Easter I decided to head up north and discover more about it.

I have a lot to share with you from this short but busy trip, so I will do it over two posts, firstly telling you about my fantastic stay at the Renaissance Manchester City Centre Hotel and secondly presenting you some of the sustainable venues.

What makes Manchester so attractive for business, among others, is its location- it’s very central, just between London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Newcastle. During my stay I had the pleasure to stay at the Renaissance Manchester City Centre Hotel which is part of the Marriott group. The hotel is conveniently located in the city centre, about 15 min walk from the Manchester Piccadilly train station where I arrived from London, and within a short walking distance from the shopping district, bars and restaurants. The property has 203 bedrooms and 11 meeting rooms, the largest of which caters for over 350 delegates.

After checking-in I headed to my first meeting at the Manchester Metropolitan University also just walking distance from the hotel and enjoyed seeing more from city’s architecture.

My second meeting was back at the Renaissance. It has excellent meeting and conference facilities and regularly hosts events for associations, media and press conferences, Christmas parties and other corporate and private events.

On the day there were no events (Just before Good Friday), so I had the chance to see most of the conference facilities.

Bernini Suite

Medici Ballroom (which can be also split into two rooms)

Michelangelo Suite 2

Galileo Suite

Da Vinci Lounge

All the rooms are multifunctional and can be set up in theatre style, boardroom, U-shape, classroom, cabaret style, buffet reception, dinner and dance floor. You can find the detailed floor plan capacity here.

Back in the room, it was time to relax a bit before going for dinner. My room on the 10^th floor had a very nice view over Manchester. Last year the hotel has undergone a £2.5 million bedroom and lobby refurbishment and my room was one of the fully renovated rooms. I liked the fact that the iron and ironing board were in the room. It is so convenient! Once I had a very frustrating experience staying in a (4*) business hotel where I had to pick it up from the reception.

When I travel I like to leave space for spontaneity, and therefore I asked the hotel concierge for some recommendations for dinner. He recommended me a place called the Dough Pizza Kitchen, saying it’s the best Pizza place in town. I did a reservation there and wasn’t disappointed. The pizza was very delicious and the service very friendly (what made us to return there on the second night as well). For after dinner drinks and entertainment he recommended us a Jazz bar called Matt & Phreds, where live music is played every night. The waiter at Dough noticed that we weren’t locals, so he also recommended us the same bar, which is actually just few minutes’ walk from the restaurant. So we went there and enjoyed live Jazz music and good atmosphere. That was a perfect way to finish a long and busy day.

The breakfast at the hotel on the second day was very good. It included a variety of cereals, cheese, English breakfast and hot and cold beverages but you can also ask for additional hot dishes such as porridge or omelette from the Chef.

I had a perfect stay in Manchester, combining business meetings and leisure. After all “you spend your life working. You should discover the world as you go”. Renaissance team really helped to make this trip pleasant and memorable and I hope to visit again.

Disclaimer: Marketing Manchester, the agency charged with promoting the City on a national and international stage assisted me with organising the trip. A big thank you to the Renaissance Manchester City Centre Hotel for hosting me during my trip and for the impeccable hospitality. All opinions expressed above are mine. For prices, packages and availability please contact the hotel directly.