Central Chat
29 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago -Take a look at the event industry through the eyes of a world-class events venue!
Manchester Central is an award-winning venue in the heart of one of Europe's most vibrant cities.
Each month, join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at the venue, as she welcomes event professionals, colleagues and friends from across the city and beyond to discuss hot topics in the events industry.
Whether you're an event planner, event supplier, event venue or you simply have an interest in the industry or the venue, this podcast is for you!
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Building a Career in the Events Industry: Part Two
September 21, 2022 16:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBIn 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 Bick...
Building a Career in the Events Industry
July 04, 2022 15:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBIt’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, S...
Now we're talking with... Bev Craig
April 26, 2022 16:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBAfter 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...
Bonus episode: A look back at 2021
December 19, 2021 12:00 - 8 minutes - 5.58 MBIn 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 ...
Now we're talking with... Heather Lishman
December 02, 2021 16:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBIn 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...
Now we're talking with... Tim Else
November 12, 2021 14:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBIn 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...
Now we're talking with... Jack Thompson
October 22, 2021 16:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBIn 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 ...
Introducing 'Now we're talking with...'
October 13, 2021 08:00 - 55 seconds - 675 KBManchester 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 s...
#10: Spotlight On: Manchester Central
May 28, 2021 06:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBWe've put the spotlight back on Manchester Central! Having spent 12-months as an NHS Nightingale Hospital, supporting the UK’s fight against COVID-19, Manchester Central is now in the process of being transformed back to a world-class events venue. The venue’s facilities management team have been working tirelessly over the last few months to restore the iconic Manchester Central spaces to their original state; working with contractors to remove the hospital infrastructure and ensuring tha...
#10: Spotlight on: Manchester Central
May 28, 2021 06:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBWe've put the spotlight back on Manchester Central! Having spent 12-months as an NHS Nightingale Hospital, supporting the UK’s fight against COVID-19, Manchester Central is now in the process of being transformed back to a world-class events venue. The venue’s facilities management team have been working tirelessly over the last few months to restore the iconic Manchester Central spaces to their original state; working with contractors to remove the hospital infrastructure and ensuring tha...
#9: Spotlight on: Holly Moore
May 21, 2021 12:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBWelcome 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 expansio...
#8: Spotlight On: Sabrina Meyers
May 07, 2021 18:00 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBIn 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 ev...
#8: Spotlight on: Sabrina Meyers
May 07, 2021 18:00 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBIn 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 ev...
#7: Spotlight on: Liz Taylor
April 27, 2021 17:00 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MBWelcome to the next of our special 'guest host' feature episodes! Taking over on hosting duties once again is our CEO, Shaun Hinds, who chats to Liz Taylor – CEO and Creative Director of the Taylor-Lynn Corporation (TLC) - a corporate events company based in Manchester renowned for bespoke celebrity and corporate events across the world. A leader in events management for 30 years, Liz is renowned for producing bespoke events for a clientele that includes celebrities, royalty and top corpor...
#6: Spotlight on: INNSIDE Manchester
April 16, 2021 14:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MBIn 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 hi...
#5: Spotlight on: EventWell
April 09, 2021 15:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBIn 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...
#4: Spotlight on: Ocean Media Group
March 30, 2021 11:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBWelcome 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 dec...
#3: Spotlight on: Scruff of the Neck
March 17, 2021 18:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBIn 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 h...
#2: Spotlight on: pro-manchester
March 05, 2021 18:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBWe'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-manchest...
#1: Spotlight on: Unite and Create
February 18, 2021 15:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBWe'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 -...
Introducing Central Chat: Spotlight On
January 28, 2021 09:00 - 1 minute - 1.06 MBCentral 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. Introduci...
#5: International Women's Day: Gender Equality in the Events Industry and Beyond
March 07, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 41.2 MBInternational 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...
International Women's Day: Gender Equality in the Events Industry and Beyond
March 07, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 41.2 MBInternational 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...
#4: Manchester Central: A Sustainable Future
January 31, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBAs 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 employee...
#4: Manchester Central: A Sustainable Future
January 31, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBAs 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 employee...
#4: Manchester Central - A Sustainable Future
January 31, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBAs 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 employee...
#3: Manchester Central: Past, Present and Future
November 13, 2019 17:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBBelieve 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 Confi...
#2: The Value of Events to Manchester
October 14, 2019 13:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBManchester Central recently commissioned The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to conduct a piece of research to reveal the venue's economic impact to the city. Join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at Manchester Central, Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central, Nick Richardson, CEO of The Insights People (now known as Kids Insights) and Emma Orsolic, Lead Analyst at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, as they discuss the findings of the research and ...
#1: The Changing World of Event Technology
September 16, 2019 14:00 - 38 minutes - 26.5 MBEvent professionals are no strangers to technology and in this increasingly digital age, there are new technologies appearing for every aspect of an event. Join host Samantha Pike-Devlin, Digital Communications Executive at Manchester Central, Adam Parry, Editor of Event Industry News, John Steele, Technical Director at Blitz | GES and Shaun Hinds, CEO of Manchester Central, as they discuss current and emerging trends in the world of event technology and what you as an event planner, suppli...