The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) has confirmed the 2016 Excellence Awards will be hosted at Manchester Central on Friday 9th December.
The Excellence Awards, which has run since 2014, were first hosted at OXO2 in London before moving south to The Brighton Centre in 2015. Now the event will be held in the north for the first time making use of Manchester Central’s flexible event spaces.
“We are very excited to be bringing the Excellence Awards to Manchester – a fantastic city for conferences and events,” comments Caroline Windsor, joint-chair of ABPCO. “Manchester Central is a strong member of the association and the venue itself is one of the best options for association conferences in the country. Many of our members come from the North of England so it’s an exciting chance to showcase the event spaces on offer whilst celebrating some of the best our industry has to offer.”
Manchester Central sits at the heart of one of the UK’s most vibrant cities and the iconic venue provides a unique setting for many industry-leading events. With the capacity to host small meetings as well as large-scale conferences and exhibitions, Manchester Central is experienced in hosting a wide range of successful events including Chartered Institute of Housing and CIPD.
Angie Robinson, CEO at Manchester Central, said: “We’ve worked closely with ABPCO to develop a strong partnership and we’re truly delighted to host this year’s Excellence Awards on behalf of the association; especially with it being their first time in the North!
“The event is a key date in every conference organiser’s diary, providing us with a fantastic opportunity to showcase what Manchester Central and the wider city has to offer the UK conference industry. The whole team is keen to further develop our relationship with ABPCO and meet even more dedicated conference organisers in the run-up to the event later this year.”
The Awards, which will coincide with the Chairmen’s Lunch, celebrate excellence across the industry and the ABPCO membership. Last year’s winners were:
Best conference by an in-house conference organiser – Diabetes UK
Best conference by an agency conference organiser – Opening Doors & Venues
Best industry partnership – NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau
Special Chairmen’s Award – SECC Glasgow
Award submission documents will be sent out over the coming months to ABPCO members with event attendance open to non-members too. The categories will remain the same as 2015 with an independent panel selecting three shortlisted candidates for each award to present at the Awards Lunch in front of their peers.
“The award process and the fact that winners are decided on the day by their own peers has proven popular over the past two years,” Caroline continued. “To win an ABPCO Excellence Award is a mark of quality and I cannot wait to celebrate this year’s winners in fantastic surroundings.”
ABPCO is the UK’s leading organisation for professional conference and event organisers, industry associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in the conference and meetings industry. For more information about ABPCO visit www.abpco.org