Legends Global showcases Manchester’s multi venue offer with festive Love Actually experience

Legends Global hosted ten senior buyers in Manchester last week for a festive showcase of the city’s live event and conference offer, bringing together AO Arena, New Century and The Bridgewater Hall under one unified, buyer ready proposition.

The day began at AO Arena, where guests arrived for a welcome brunch and venue tour.  Buyers saw how one of the UK’s best-connected arenas can pivot from world class live entertainment to large scale conferences for up to 10,000, product launches and exhibitions on the 3,000m2 arena floor, supported by integrated production and guest hospitality.  Events of this scale are juxtaposed by smaller spaces available on DDRs for meetings as well as options for diners and parties.

From there, the group walked to New Century for lunch and a venue tour.  The renovated, historic venue showcased its flexible main hall with vintage wood wall panelling, sprung dance floor and psychedelic illuminated ceiling, perfect for corporate conferences, awards, and brand experiences for up to 700 delegates.

The afternoon continued at The Bridgewater Hall, and highlighted opportunities for conferences, plenaries, receptions and private hospitality, around the performance schedule, utilising the breakout spaces for up to 250 delegates and the wonderful open concourse spaces perfect for wrap around exhibitions.

Evening hospitality began with dinner and drinks in the city centre before guests returned to The Bridgewater Hall for a festive performance of Love Actually in Concert. The programme showed how Legends Global can build complete delegate journeys that combine meetings, networking, culture and entertainment across multiple venues with seamless transitions and consistent standards.

Amy King, Head of Exhibitions & Live Events, UK Venues, Legends Global, commented:  “Manchester is one of the UK’s most dynamic event destinations. By bringing AO Arena, New Century and The Bridgewater Hall together under one Legends Global team, we give planners a simple, joined-up way to tap into that energy. Whether they are placing a leadership meeting for 50 or an arena scale conference and exhibition, we have a space to fit all briefs.

Joining the programme was Sandra Sagar, who has joined the team to cover Amy King’s maternity leave for the next twelve months. Sandra brings extensive experience across venues, live events and client account management, adding further strength and continuity to the Legends Global team supporting planners in Manchester and beyond.

“It was great to attend the Manchester showcase event last week hosted by Amy King from Legends Global. The agenda provided a real mix of venue showcases including the AO Arena, New Century Hall and the beautiful Bridgewater Hall. Even as a Manchester agency I gained new insights into what these venues have to offer for events. The day was topped off with the Love Actually Concert at the Bridgewater Hall which was a fantastic and very Christmassy end to a great experience," added Katie Clark, director of client relationships, Fresh.

For buyers, the showcase underlined the practical benefits of a one stop approach in Manchester. A single brief, contract and contact covers diverse venue types and programme elements, while integrated operations across technology, production, catering, accommodation and hospitality support delivery that scales from corporate meetings and association congresses to arena shows and large-scale public events.

Beyond Manchester, Legends Global provides the same customer driven model across venues around the UK, as well as in key European cities, giving planners national and international reach through one joined up team.