Manchester Central CEO receives Northern Leadership Award

The CEO of Manchester Central, one of the UK’s largest event venues, has been named the Top 50 City Region Leader for Greater Manchester, in recognition of his commitment to the Greater Manchester business community and the impact the venue has had in boosting the recovery of the region.

Shaun Hinds, CEO at Manchester Central since 2017, has a successful 25-year career in travel, hospitality, property and business. He received the award at a ceremony held in Leeds on Wednesday 25 May.

Situated in the heart of Manchester, the venue attracts over half a million visitors to the city each year, bringing approximately £150m into the regional economy in an average year. Hinds has ensured the venue sits at the heart of the local business community and has implemented a raft of measures to enhance experiences for clients and visitors to the venue. This has included the introduction of new virtual and hybrid products and the development of the Conference Quarter campus with the addition of a distillery, restaurant, bar and theatre – run by both Spirit of Manchester Distillery and 53Two – to the Manchester Central estate.

Leaning on his external roles as Vice Chair of the Association of Event Venues (AEV) and Board Member of the Events Industry Alliance (EIA), Hinds is also keen to advocate for the wider events industry and the crucial part it plays in the national economy.

The Northern Leadership Awards are hosted by TheBusinessDesk.com to celebrate role models within organisations who also raise the bar for their competitors. The winners show the qualities of extraordinary leadership and the positive impact this has.

Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central, said: “I was both surprised and humbled to receive this award. It’s definitely recognition of the work that’s put in daily by the whole team at Manchester Central, who do all they can to support the success of our venue and the Greater Manchester region.

“I feel privileged to be part of the business community across Greater Manchester and North. The wealth of knowledge, talent and support from leaders across a myriad of sectors mean that we can all work together to collectively build a stronger Northern economy. It’s fantastic to proudly represent the events industry as part of this, exemplifying the significance of our sector and the value we create for our regional economies right across the UK.”

Manchester Central plays a huge part in fuelling the local economy of North West and the Greater Manchester city region and works closely with partners across the city; from the convention bureau to transport providers and local hotels and restaurants to provide an all-encompassing event experience.

Its flexibility allows it to host a unique array of events from intimate small business meetings to high profile, large-scale conferences, sporting competitions, public exhibitions and large-scale international trade shows.

Image caption: (Centre) Shaun Hinds, Chief Executive at Manchester Central, receiving the Top 50 City Region: Greater Manchester Northern Leadership Award.

 About Manchester Central

Manchester Central is one of the UK’s largest and most versatile event venues.

Situated in the heart of Manchester and intrinsic to the region’s business community, the venue attracts over half a million visitors to the city each year, bringing approximately £150m into the local economy (Greater Manchester) in an average year.

With over 23,000m² of space and a capacity of over 10,000, Manchester Central hosts a unique array of events from intimate small business meetings, to high profile, large scale conferences, sporting competitions, public exhibitions, political party conferences and large-scale international trade shows.

The venue offers high quality hybrid and virtual streaming options across all of its versatile spaces. This includes Studio at Manchester Central, a purpose-built broadcast-quality production studio, and ‘Live from the Auditorium’, a hybrid event space within its 800 seat auditorium.

For more information, visit www.manchestercentral.co.uk.