Manchester Made It Easy

The top ten things to do in Manchester this week

2012-01-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

The year of the Dragon, the Northern lights. It's quite a week.

The Manchester10 iPhone app gives you the top ten things to do in Manchester each week direct to your phone for free.

1. Head into Manchester's Chinatown and Albert Square this Sunday to celebrate Chinese New Year. Manchester will be celebrating 2012's Year of the Dragon in style with stalls, performances and a firework display.

2. If you've not already seen silent film The Artist, head to Cornerhouse to see what all the fuss is about this week!

3. Re:Play festival continues at The Lowry this week until Saturday 28th showcasing some of the best fringe theatre to come out of the city over the last 12 months.

4. Fancy a night at the cinema with a difference? Check out alternative pop up cinema The Film Night's latest offering this Friday........

5. As if on cue, our closest star appears to have been inspired by the BBC's Stargazing Live and there is a chance that we might be able to see the Northern Lights dancing in our skies tonight (Monday). Keep an eye on this to see where to head

6. Last chance to see the Ford Madox Brown exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery this weekend.

7. If you like a good musical, head on down to The Palace Theatre for Oliver! from the 25th January.

8. The RNCM Festival of Brass takes place this weekend – and kicks off on Friday with Brass Favourites Black Dyke Band – featuring the Manchester Chorale.

9. Afternoon tea with a difference....or should that be Not Afternoon Tea!

10. You probably know that Band on the Wall is a great venue for all your music needs but did you know that there are music sessions for children aged 0-3 called Shake, Rattle and Roll?

Spinningfields Ice Rink returns

2011-11-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

From November 18th – January 2nd 2012, Spinningfields will once again be transformed into a winter wonderland with the arrival of the ice rink and the brand new Moose Bar.

Returning to Spinningfields for its fourth successive year, the ice rink, situated in Hardman Square, will be open seven days a week from 10am until 11pm. The only open air rink in the city centre, it features a 600sqm ice surface, which will be able to host over 200 skaters per hour. The prices have been frozen for 2011, giving skaters even more value and there are special rates for students, groups and the ever popular schools scheme.

A brand new addition this year will be the Moose Bar, a log cabin-themed pop up bar serving hot cocktails, mulled wine, spiced cider, beers, wholesome seasonal food and offering corporate packages for the surrounding offices. Perfect for those wanting to rest their weary legs, The Moose Bar is bound to be a popular haunt with a rustic environment, live music and a warm atmosphere.

The Top 10 Things to Do in Manchester this week

2011-11-07T05:32:00.001-08:00

The nights are getting longer, and the temperature’s getting lower – so that can only mean one thing – Christmas is on its way....

The Manchester10 iPhone app gives you the top ten things to do in Manchester each week direct to your phone for free.

1. On Thursday 10th November, Manchester’s streets will be welcoming in the festive spirit –with the Christmas Light Switch-On in Albert Square. Free music, and fireworks!!

2. There will be even more shine and sparkle in Bolton from the 8th – 12th November, as Britain’s Got Bhangra comes to the Octagon Theatre.

3. The Bridgewater Hall welcomes Van Morrison back to Manchester on Saturday 12th November.

4. And there will be a very different kind of Moondance taking place at the RNCM – as they welcome the English Youth Ballet’s performance of Giselle on the 9th and 10th November.

5. Friday Night is Movie Night this week, even in the more unusual of locations. Why not check out the Noir Classic, They Made me a Fugitive, at the Whitworth Art Gallery?

6. Lee Evans is at the MEN Arena all week, showcasing his unique blend of physical comedy – in his new show Roadrunner.

7. A small piece of the Lake District starts its residence at one of Manchester’s architectural gems, as a new exhibition of Beatrix Potter artwork has just gone on display at Lyme Park.

8.A Beautiful Thing starts at the Royal Exchange on the 9th November – Head there on Friday to see an exciting pre concert performance by the Manchester Gay and Lesbian Chorus as part of their free Special FX series.

9. Allow some time for reflection in the run up to Remembrance Sunday. The Imperial War Museum will be hosting various events – including daily Remembrance tours of the building.

10. And finally, if the thought of all that snow, and Christmas cheer is just too much – why not set your sights on Summer 2012 instead, and sign up to be involved in the next Manchester Day Parade. Next year’s theme is The Sky’s The Limit – but why stop there?!....

The Top 10 Things to Do in Manchester this week

2011-10-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

The clocks may have gone back - but there's no need to let the dark nights stop you enjoying our amazing city!

The Manchester10 iPhone app gives you the top ten things to do in Manchester each week direct to your phone for free.

1. This week sees the skies of Manchester lighting up with bonfires and fireworks. Stay safe if you are having a fireworks party at home – or why not go to a local organised event. Our tip, Platt Fields Fireworks, on Friday 5th November.

2. Or if sparklers aren’t your thing, why not try Mr Scruff’s Keep it Unreal at Band on the Wall, the alternate way to spend Guy Fawkes Night.

3. The Asia Triennial is now on and includes Dark Matters at the Whitworth

4. There’s a rare opportunity to truly see inside the John Rylands Library on Friday 4th November.

5. Take a nostalgic trip into the 1950s, with Dreamboats and Petticoats at The Lowry all week.

6. Go back a little further, and attend the Victoria Bath’s Open Day on Sunday 6th November.

7. Or venture back even further, and experience Tudors Live! at Ordsall Hall, also on Sunday.

8. If you missed out on Stone Roses tickets, why not catch another of the homecoming gigs taking place in the city this week, with two evening with James at The Bridgewater Hall on the 31st October and the 1st November…

9. ...Or the Travelling Band at Academy 3 on Wednesday 2nd November.

10. Or if all of that just seems too much like hard work – why not relax in one of Manchester’s newest, and most unusual bars, The Oasthouse, just opened in Spinningfields?

"Be inspired by the beauty of our World" at Manchester Science Festival

2011-10-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

Manchester Science Festival begins in earnest on October 22nd and we managed to grab a minute or two with the festival's understandably busy director Natalie Ireland. Read on to find out what's in store for audiences at the festival;

What is Manchester Science Festival all about?

It’s a chance for people to have a great time exploring science. The Festival is full of brilliant events from comedy and music to hands-on science and installations. You could learn something new, be inspired by the beauty of our World, make a robot, question a scientist… there’s lots going on for families and adults across the nine days of the Festival, and there’s bound to be an event near you. And many events are free!

What are you particularly looking forward to in the festival this year?

There’s a few things that I’m really looking forward to. Polar will be beautiful – music and film from the polar regions – it will be a nice chance for me to sit back and relax for an hour! Out of this World will also be a really fun night for adults – we’ve curated a space themed evening full of comedy, local research, knitting and a space/time machine – a bit of an experiment, but it will be great fun. Families have got some brilliant opportunities to explore the latest science and universities and get up close with real, hands-on science. It’ll be great fun.

If you could bring one scientist from history to the festival, who would you like to invite and why?

It would have to be Charles Darwin. I would get him to tell us about his adventures and how he developed his theory of evolution. Then I’d like to go on an adventure round the World with him and learn more about our natural environment.

Visit www.manchestersciencefestival for more details and to get your tickets for the events.

MFDF Awards: And the winner is...

2011-10-18T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Manchester Food and Drink Awards took place last night and the winners are as follows:

1) Restaurant of the Year

WINNER: Ramsons, 18 Market Place, Ramsbottom, Bury, BL0 9HT

2) Chef of the Year

WINNER: Laurence Tottingham & Mary-Ellen McTague, Aumbry, Prestwich

3) Pub of the Year

WINNER: The Parlour, 66 Beech Road, Chorlton, M4 1LE

4) Bar of the Year 2011

WINNER: Electrik, 559 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 0AE

5) Newcomer of the Year 2011

WINNER: Cicchetti, Ground Floor, House of Fraser, Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2QG

6) Best Coffee Shop or Casual Dining

WINNER: The Chocolate Café, 2 Bolton Street, Ramsbottom, Bury BL0 9HX

7) Best Food and Drink Retail Outlet

WINNER: WH FROSTS THE BUTCHERS.

8) Best Wine List

WINNER: Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant, 21 New Cathedral Street, Manchester, M1 1AD

9) Best Family Friendly Venue

WINNER: Croma

10) Manchester Food Hero Award

WINNER: Katie Brunt and Gastroclub

11) Truly Good Food

WINNER: Shlurp, 2 Brazenose House, Greater Manchester, Manchester M2 5BP

12) The Howard and Ruth Award for Outstanding Achievement

WINNER: Dimitri Griliopoulos

The Outstanding Achievement Award was renamed this year to commemorate two of the Festival's dear friends and supporters who sadly passed away this year - Howard Raynor of World Class Service and Ruth Cooper from Manchester City Council.

Win Tickets to a stunning concert by showing how beautiful our planet is

2011-10-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

Manchester Science Festival presents the Polar live concerts on October 23rd at the RNCM, with stunning footage of the Arctic and Antarctic as the backdrop for a live performance by the Manchester Camerata.

"As Polar celebrates the beauty of our planet, we want to highlight the beauty of the natural world around us here in the North West. We're looking for your best photographs of the wildlife and landscapes of our region. Just send them to photos@polarconcert.com and the three best photos, chosen by the Polar and Manchester Science Festival teams will win a free ticket to the Polar concert."

Manchester Science Festival Director Natalie Ireland and Polar's Andrew Glester talk about Polar and what those fortunate to have got tickets can expect in this video

Polar Interview from RNCM Live on Vimeo.

The closing date is 5pm on Friday 19 October. Winners will be informed by 2pm on Saturday 22 October.
The entrant must include their name, address and contact details along with their photo to photos@polarconcert.com.
The judges’ decision is final.
The prize is as stated.
There is no cash alternative and it cannot be sold or transferred.
The prize does not include any costs such as travel and accommodation.

Where is the best food and drink in Manchester?

2011-09-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

The Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards provide a benchmark for excellence in the hospitality industries throughout Greater Manchester. The Judges had some tough decisions to make this year, resulting in a very strong set of contenders in all categories.

And now you get a chance to have your say! Below we have a list of all shortlisted venues and now is the time to tell the Judges which is your favourite.

You can vote via the Manchester Food and Drink festival website

The Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony will be held on October 17 at The Lowry Hotel Manchester where the award winners will be announced.

You can only vote once, so make yours count!

Voting Closes Monday 3rd October at 12pm.

The nominations are…

Restaurant of the Year

Damson
113 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport, SK4 4HY
Michael Caines Restaurant at Abode Manchester
107 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2DB
The Mark Addy
Stanley Street, Salford, M3 5EJ
Ramsons18
Market Place, Ramsbottom, Bury, BL0 9HT
Gaucho
2A St Marys Street, Manchester, M3 2LB
Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant
21 New Cathedral Street, Manchester, M1 1AD

Best Bar

Black Dog Ballroom
Corner of Tib Street/Church Street, Manchester, M4 1PW
The Alchemist
3 Hardman Street, Spinningfields, Manchester, M4 1PW
Electrik
559 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 0AE
The Molly House
26 Richmond Street, Manchester M1 3NB
Port Street Beer House
39-41 Port Street, Manchesterm, M1 2EQ
The River Bar, Lowry Hotel
50 Dearmans Place, Salford, M3 5LH

Best Newcomer
Australasia
1 The Avenue, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3AP
Bistro 1847
58 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HZ
Cicchetti
Ground Floor, House of Fraser, Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2QG
Port Street Beer House
39-41 Port Street, Manchester, M1 2EQ
The Rose Garden
218, Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2LW
Vertigo
36 John Dalton, Street, Manchester, M2 6LE

Chef of the Year

Bryn Evans Rhubarb
Laurence Tottingham & Mary-Ellen McTague Aumbry
Ian Armstrong Vertigo
Robert Owen Brown Mark Addy
Pete Taylor Room
Stuart Thomson Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant and Brasserie

Best Pub

Bar Fringe
8 Swan Street, Manchester, M4 5JN
The Castle Hotel
66, Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE
The Angel Pub
6 Angel Street, Manchester. M4 4BQ
The Briton's Protection
50 Great Bridgewater Street, Manchester, M1 5LE
The Nursery Inn
258 Green Lane, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Sk4 2NA
The Parlour
66, Beech Road, Chorlton, M4 1LE

Best Coffee Shop or Casual Dining Venue

The Chocolate Cafe
2 Bolton Street, Ramsbottom, Bury BL0 9HX
Jack Spratt
St James House, John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6WH
Kebabish
49, Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EF
North Tea Power
36 Tib Street, Manchester, M4 1LA
Tampopo
16 Albert Square, Manchester, M2 5PF
Teacup on Thomas Street
55 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1NA

Best Food and Drink Retail Outlet

Barbakan Delicatessen
67-71 Manchester Road, Chorlton cum Hardy, M21 9PW
Bradley's Bakery
225 King's ROad, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 9EE
The Cheese Place
Unit 6, Radius Building, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1AY
J.A. Hyman (Titanics)
123-129 Waterloo Road, Cheetham, Manchester, M8 8BT
Out of the Blue
484 Wilbraham Road, Manchester, M21 9AQ
W.H. Frosts Butchers
14 Chorlton Place, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 9AQ
Best Wine List

Evuna
277-279 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 4EW
Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant
21 New Cathedral Street, Manchester, M1 1AD
Gaucho
2A St Marys Street, Manchester, M3 2LB
Michael Caines Restaurant at Abode Manchester
107 Picadilly, Manchester, M1 2DB
Ramsons
16-18 Market Place, Ramsbottom, Bury, BL0 9HT
The River Bar and Restaurant, The Lowry Hotel
50 Dearmans Place, Salford, M3 5LH

You can vote via the Manchester Food and Drink festival website

Manchester Tourism Awards 2011

2011-09-26T04:46:00.000-07:00

The winners of the Manchester Tourism Awards 2011 are:

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year: The Fusilier Museum
The mystery shoppers reported that the venue and staff went way beyond expectation and they were extremely impressed with both the museum and every member of staff they came into contact with. The judges loved the workshops which bring the museum to life and the military precision in cleanliness and the way the museum is set out.

Large Tourism Retailer of the Year: The Trafford Centre
An outstanding application, The Trafford Centre continues to go from strength to strength. The centre has exemplary staff training and environmental policies, and has delivered some really innovative marketing activities over the last 12 months. Customer satisfaction levels have risen to an impressive 91% in 2010 and a continued investment of £50 million is planned over the next few years.

Outstanding Customer Service Award: Sherman Willian, The Lowry Hotel
Sherman is an excellent ambassador for the Manchester hospitality industry. He has won The Lowry Hotel's employee of the year award every year since he started in 2007 and the endorsements from his colleagues and friends are really heartfelt, describing Sherman as 'a real star'.

Independent Retailer of the Year: Manchester Craft and Design Centre
The Craft and Design Centre is a distinctive venue, offering a unique shopping experience to visitors to Manchester. The centre works as a great ambassador for Manchester and promotes the work of local craftspeople outside of the region.

Small Tourism Event of the Year: Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair
The biggest craft fair in the North is improving year on year. The event has a great volunteer programme and the levels of customer service are highly praised by the visitors to the fair. The team take part in lots of joint marketing with other galleries, museums and hotels and is really engaged into the wider offering.

B&B of the Year: Meadowcroft Barn B&B
Kath has put her heart and soul into Meadowcroft Barn and her passion for the business shines through. The facilities are in pristine condition and the commitment to using local produce is commendable. Meadowcroft Barn has achieved 5* Gold VisitBritain rating - a phenomenal achievement for a business that has been open for just 18 months.

Serviced Apartments of the Year: SACO Manchester
The clean, spacious and up-to-date accommodation was a real hit with the mystery shoppers. The judges praised their involvement in local partnership activities and the training that staff take part in. They also cater very well for guests with disabilities.

Tourism Marketing Campaign of the Year: The Manchester Weekender
The joint collaboration between the museums and galleries to deliver The Manchester Weekender was very popular with the judges. The design creative, national advertising campaign and use of social media created a fresh, innovative campaign which shows promise for the future.

Tourism Restaurant of the Year: Michael Caines Restaurant
The judges praised the grazing menus' dishes and presentation of the food and also commented that and the service, décor and furnishings were all superb. Michael Caines reputation is second to none, and he is a great name to be associated with dining in Manchester.

Best Night Out: Taurus Bar
Located in the heart of the Gay Village, Taurus Bar is where the community meet. Enjoyed by all ages, genders and orientations; it is a melting pot of those who share a mindset. A relaxed atmosphere with excellent food & drink, Taurus is the place to convene.

Large Tourism Event of the Year: Manchester Christmas Markets 2010
The growth of the Christmas Markets over the last few years has led them to become a outstanding retail experience in Manchester, attracting national and international visitors to the city. There is real pride in what the Christmas Markets has achieved and the team have a future vision to where they are going with lots of plans to make the markets bigger and better year on year.

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year: MOSI (The Museum of Science & Industry)
MOSI is very popular attraction with a great standard of fixed exhibits and special exhibitions. There is an understanding of what people want to see in a museum and how they want to be entertained. The mystery shoppers were impressed by the enthusiasm and knowledge of the staff and had a very enjoyable and informed visit.

Business Tourism Award: The Lowry Hotel
The judges couldn't find fault with their approach to business tourism. The hotel has a strong ethos of treating all business tourism customers as individuals with a personal approach to service. The hotel has a first class reputation for food and accommodation and should also now be recognised as a premier business tourism venue.

Hotel of the Year: Mint Hotel Manchester
The service and room standards are exceptional for the price and the food was of high quality. The staff were particularly praised by the judges as being very helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The hotel is committed to building local partnerships and is a well established, quality hotel in Manchester.

Top Ten Things to do in Manchester this week

2011-09-26T04:23:00.000-07:00

Weatherwise, it's going to be a scorcher and there's plenty to do, as always in this great city of ours. 2 festivals, comedy theatre, free music...

The Manchester10 iPhone app gives you the top ten things to do in Manchester each week direct to your phone for free.

1. There are two performances of The Boy With Tape on his Face on Monday 26th at the Lowry. Don't miss it.

2. Nominated for the Manchester Tourism Awards, the New Manchester Walks cover all aspects of the city. Check their calendar to see what's on when. Take note: it's going to be hot and sunny this week...

3. Dodgy are doing a free gig at Band on the Wall on Friday 30th September...If it's good enough for them...

4. Do not miss out. Take a look at the stunning line-up for this year’s Manchester Science Festival which includes Prof Brian Cox (now SOLD OUT), Polar and BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory. Get your tickets now, the festival takes place Oct 22-30.

5. Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II is now playing at the Royal Exchange

6. It's a great week for musicals with Grease at the Palace Theatre and Sister Act at the Opera House

7. If you're one of the new students recently arrived in town, you might not yet know about Odd, Odder and Oddest. You should.

8. Peter Kay is performing 20 shows at the MEN Arena

9. Didsbury Arts Festival is on this week including an exhibition from Willie Runte at Gusto

10. The Asia Triennial starts on October 1st and includes Dark Matters at the Whitworth

THE MANCHESTER WEEKENDER 2011

2011-08-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

With six of the city’s festivals including an art triennial happening, the opening of high-profile art exhibitions and the start of the city’s music and theatre seasons, Manchester in October has always been culturally rich. To showcase this, the city’s ambitious festivals and cultural institutions collaborate on a full weekend’s worth of extra special events, resulting in three days of constant cultural celebration hand-picked by Creative Tourist. It’s all about engaging conversations, big questions, daring performances, secret places and cool spaces.

These are some of the highlights from a full programme of more than 70 events, ranging from exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances, walking tours, boat trips, cycle rides and screenings:

The Manchester Weekender 2011 launches with a decadent evening of cabaret and cocktails at the opening of Adolphe Valette: A Pioneer of Impressionism in Manchester at The Lowry with music from the divine Swing out Sister. Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell will serenade the city with a selection of songs from iconic Mancunian bands including Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order, all performed with a glamorous French twist. Speaking of The Smiths, erstwhile drummer Mike Joyce is curating an intimate night of the finest indie music talent at Ruby Lounge. Performances take place under a pavilion of light, the first of a series of installations that will be produced in collaboration between CUBE gallery and the Manchester School of Architecture.

Closing The Manchester Weekender this year is an in-conversation with Jarvis Cocker - one of the most iconic performers of the last twenty years.

There’s a literature-music mash-up of the highest order with Manchester Literature Festival’s Portrait of Music and Words at the RNCM and the ever-popular Whitworth After Hours has invited photographic collective BlackLab to respond to its Dark Matters exhibition. Watch as images collide and collude with film, soundscapes, slogans and texts.

Check out the homespun folk and grassroots jazz performed by local chanteuse Liz Green (and enjoy retro high tea at the same time.) From the intimate and acoustic to the grander in scale: Manchester Cathedral will echo to the voices of cloistered nuns, as Sarah Dunant and early music group Musica Secreta present a semi-dramatised version of Dunant’s novel Sacred Hearts for Manchester Literature Festival.

Be transported to a different place entirely with The Beating Wing Orchestra, a Manchester based international music collective that includes musicians from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

On Saturday, cult theatre company and award-winning comedy duo LipService are guides on The Hysterical Historical Tour, a live promenade theatre piece commissioned for The Weekender. Elsewhere, Weekender walking tours are designed to show the city in a new light. At Debenhams and the Royal Exchange, Primitive Streak will be shown, a provocative collection that tells the story of the first 1000 hours of human life.

There’s a chance to drift lazily down the Irwell on A Taste of Modern History’s foodie boat cruises with local chef Robert Owen Brown, part of the Manchester Food & Drink Festival. There’s a family day cruise from the museums of Castlefield to The Quays, and an evening cruise with a three-course meal.

The Weekender has plenty on offer for kids, with family-friendly workshops, performances and readings galore. Children’s author Tom Palmer will be reading from his new novel Scrum! at MediaCityUK on Sunday, with support from Rugby League team Sale Sharks and the BBC Sports broadcasting team. There’s also a rugby-themed quiz and drop-kick contest. T

The Weekender has also teamed up with the Family Friendly Film Club for a special screening of Studio Ghibli’s anime classic Howl’s Moving Castle (Cert. U) in the spooky gothic surroundings of John Rylands Library and there’s something for all ages at the Manchester Museum’s Urban Harvest, part of Manchester Food & Drink Festival.

For a full schedule complete with booking information and ideas about where to eat, sleep and chill in Manchester, visit creativetourist.com

Statement from greenroom

2011-04-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

It is with great sadness that we bring you the following statement from greenroom:

Statement from greenroom

Following the recent disappointing news that greenroom is not part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio for 2012/13 onwards, the Board has made a decision that greenroom, Manchester, will close to the public at the end of May this year.

We would like to have continued but are unable to do this without confirmed funding or alternative income going forward.

greenroom, since its inception, has been at the forefront of discovering and pioneering Manchester, national and international ‘firsts’. We have been consistently committed to developing and presenting new and experimental performance, and more recently supporting and enabling artists at the start of their careers to be innovative, take risks and experiment with new ideas.

Our aim is to ensure that this important work continues through other organisations and individual artists/ artist companies, producers and promoters.

We are working with the Arts Council to provide information for people interested in the future production of this work and this will be available shortly on request by emailing enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk

It is with regret that we find ourselves in this situation almost 25 years since the venue opened , and would like to extend our thanks to all of you who have recently sent us words of support. To view or add to these comments, please visit greenroomarts.tumblr.com

We would like to thank our long-standing funders: Arts Council England, AGMA and Manchester City Council, who have shown a significant commitment in supporting greenroom.

The current Board and staff feel proud and privileged to have been part of greenroom; and we’d like to thank everyone – including artists, audiences and partners – who have contributed to its rich history, and particularly to those who have at some point called greenroom ‘home’.

Further enquiries:
0161 615 0500
info@greenroomarts.org

Tourism Strategy Released

2011-03-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

"An action plan to help the British tourism industry achieve its potential as part of Britain’s growth strategy has been unveiled by Tourism Minister John Penrose.

The strategy aims to exploit the opportunities of next year’s Olympics and Diamond Jubilee to help attract an extra four million overseas visitors over the next four years, bringing in an extra £2 billion of spending and creating thousands of jobs.

Proposals include simplifying the process of getting tourist visas, helping to improve staff skills in the tourism sector and consulting on whether to lengthen the tourism season by moving the May Day bank holiday."

Howard Raynor to be remembered at the Bridgewater Hall

2011-03-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

Howard Raynor and his extraordinary life will be celebrated at the Bridgewater Hall on Friday April 1st at 11am. Friends, colleagues and family will join together to remember Howard in the venue where he made his name in the city he loved.

During the first 5 years of World Class Service, so many of you will have got to know Howard, either directly or through one of our many projects. The celebration at the Hall is open to anyone who would like to join us to remember him.

If you would like to attend, please get in touch

Manchester Core Strategy 2012-27 available now

2011-02-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Core Strategy is the key document in Manchester's Local Development Framework and covers a period of 15 years from 2012 to 2027. It describes Manchester today and outlines the council's vision for Manchester in 2027 along with the planning policies which will be used to deliver that vision.

You can view and comment on it here

QED. Manchester. Question. Explore. Discover.

2010-12-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

QED comes to Manchester in February. We spoke to Dr. Janis Bennion, a neuroscientist from the University of Manchester to find out exactly what QED is.

If this all sounds very cerebral, don't worry. It certainly will be but it sounds like it will a lot of fun too. Dr. Janis Bennion explains.

What is the QED conference and how did it come to be?

QED, or Question. Explore. Discover. is a two-day science and skepticism event, being held in Manchester in February next year. It'll be a huge amount of fun; we've put a lot into bringing interesting, inspiring, and entertaining speakers from all sorts of backgrounds to Manchester to talk about their passions. From Jon Ronson (pictured) discussing new material from his upcoming book, to BBC favourie Jim Alkhalili and even Eugenie Scott, over from the USA to talk about her battle against creationism in the science classroom. At the same time, we still want to keep it accessible and fun for everyone, so there'll be lots of mingling, and a breakout room for panel sessions and workshops. For those unfamiliar with the term, skepticism is a questioning attitude, and 'skeptics' need claims to be well supported by evidence. If you're interested in critical thinking, and love the role science plays in understanding the world around us, helping to explain the 'unexplainable', this is for you!

QED came about from a discussion between two non-profit organisations; our 'Greater Manchester Skeptics' and 'The Merseyside Skeptics'. We'd enjoyed having support from each other or the monthly events we put on, and we agreed that something like this was certainly lacking from the North West. Despite it being a rather daunting task for small fry like us, we decided that we could make it happen as a collaborative effort.

There's a whole weekend full of great speakers and sessions. Are there any particular guests or events about which you are particularly excited?

It's hard to know where to begin with this, but since I got interested in skepticism after listening to 'The Skeptics Guide to the Universe' podcast, I have to admit that I'm thrilled that SGU host Steve Novella (pictured) will be speaking at QED... Actually I can't quite believe it! On the other hand, as a scientist interested in science communication, you can't help but be floored by the magnificent Eugenie Scott. If you're not sure- just go and find her on youtube- you'll be in awe too! Okay, I'm going to have to be careful here because I could easily go through the whole list and tell you why I think they're amazing...but then, that's kind of the point!

Manchester has got so many close links with science and progressive thinking. Is that why you chose to hold the QED conference here?

When we got together to talk about QED for the first time, we discussed possible locations for the event. The North West in general is a fantastic place for science these days, with fantastic Universities all over the place, and great 'buzzing' cities. Ultimately, we chose Manchester for the event because it had pretty much everything we were looking for- great venues, for the event itself and the fringe events we were planning, fantastic transport links- both for our speakers and for those wishing to attend the event from outside the area. There's also great bars and restaurants for those wanting to venture into the city.

Getting back to the science part of your question; Manchester is certainly a great place for a science and rational thinking event. We have great universities, but also- and often more relevant to people in the city day-to-day- we have great opportunities for people to get together and discuss issues, and learn new things in groups scattered across the city. We're organising some outreach activities around QED as fringe events with groups like these, and also with the Manchester Museum. It's really wonderful how approachable all these groups have been. I'm certainly learning a lot about Manchester as we progress with QED, and I really like what I see.

Thanks to Dr. Janis Bennion. For more information, visit www.qedcon.org

Last Minute Christmas ideas for Mancunians

2010-12-03T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's getting late now so here's some last minute christmas ideas:

You could, of course, buy everyone socks or an Xbox but you could support the local economy and give some truly brilliant gifts at the same time. We think that's a good way to go so we're putting together a list of gift ideas with a difference which support Manchester businesses and celebrate everything that's good about this fine city of ours.

One for nature lovers (tickets to a World Premiere)

The ideal last minute Christmas presents is tickets. You can buy as many as you like for as many people as you like and not have to worry about postage or fighting through the crowds. What better then than tickets to a World Premiere of a stunning new concert?

Manchester-based World Class Service Ltd have teamed up with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the world's best Natural History film makers to make this stunning new live concert experience. The World Premier is in Liverpool on January 8th. There's a matinee at 2.30pm (as well as one at 7.30pm) so it's easy to get to and from Liverpool and makes for an excellent family outing or even a Hot (cold) date.

Experience the mighty RLPO playing the likes of Sibelius, Beethoven and Bach set to the most stunning footage of the Polar regions.

For tickets, visit www.polarconcert.com

Something for your Science-obsessed friends

The QED conference is a brand new 2 day celebration of all that's true and interesting in Manchester in February. Speakers include Jon Ronson of "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and Simon Singh who decided to try to bring about Libel Reform in the UK.

Tickets are £99 for the whole weekend of talks and activities. Not your average Christmas present but that's not what this list is about. Imagine the joy on the face of your sceptical friend on Christmas morning...and the pub conversations you'll be having for weeks after the event...

Not to mention the fact that any profits go to Sense About Science and The National Autistic Society

Something for the film buff

Manchester's Cornerhouse is something for us Mancunians to be proud of and the recent announcement of the alliance with The Library Theatre brings together two greats of the Manchester arts scene. For the film lover on your present list, there can be little better than membership of the Cornerhouse. For £25, you get exclusive offers and discounts and the chance to experience simply brilliant opportunities like having a Q&A with Chris Morris

A handmade gift, made right here in Manchester

Manchester Craft Centre is home to all sorts of independant, creative people. It's in the Northern Quarter and is the place to be if you want an individual, beautiful, hand-made gift. Jewellery, art, scultptures etc. Take a break from the high street shops and find something out of the ordinary for someone you love's stocking.

We'll keep looking for more and updating the list so keep checking back.

Over a thousand people use the Manchester10 iphone app

2010-12-02T04:56:00.001-08:00

The free Manchester10 iPhone app is no stranger to regular visitors to this blog and it is growing in popularity and usage across the city. Over a thousand people now use the app regularly to give them quick look at what's happening in Manchester.

On any given night or day, Manchester is packed to the brim with a wide variety of special events, restaurants, concerts, places to have a drink etc. etc. etc. To produce a website to cover it all is tantamount to trying to create a Death Star. Great fun, obviously, but ultimately all too cumbersome. That's why we produce the Top Ten Things to do in Manchester and make it available for free on this blog and to iPhone users.

The iPhone version is updated throughout the week and the blog version is updated on a Monday. Nobody pays to be on the list. The only way events, places and things are listed is by being outstanding.

Thanks to everyone who uses and enjoys the list. It's a labour of love for us. This is our city and we're simply pinpointing 10 great things to do in it each week.

The Library Theatre has a new home

2010-11-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

This looks like fantastic news to us so here's the press release in full:

Plans have now been confirmed for the Library Theatre Company’s new home and we are delighted to announce our brilliant and exciting new opportunity.

From 2014 a brand new building situated at the top of First Street*, will be The Library Theatre’s permanent base.

And it won’t just be a theatre. Cornerhouse are looking for a new home too and our two organisations will be working in partnership in this new world-class arts facility.

The building will boast a 500 seat-theatre, up to five cinemas, 600 sq m of contemporary gallery space, an education space and informal and outdoor performance spaces as well as an impressive café and state-of-the-art back of house facilities. It will enable LTC and Cornerhouse to work collaboratively, creating a major cross-artform production centre and ‘arts factory’.

Investigations into the refurbishment of the Theatre Royal, (the original proposal for the LTC’s relocation), and further architectural work have proved that it would not be possible for the building to match the ambitions of the company.

The relocation to the new cultural facility will allow The Library Theatre Company to enrich the theatre programme and extend and broaden the community and education offer.

Chris Honer, Artistic Director of the Library Theatre Company, said: “This is terrific news for Manchester audiences and the Library Theatre Company. It will enable the company to develop and expand its work and achieve its aspirations. The artistic potential of the collaboration with Cornerhouse is immense.”

Dave Moutrey, director and chief executive of Cornerhouse, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to create a unique, audience-focused centre for the arts and we are thrilled to be at the heart of it. We’re looking forward to collaborating with the Library Theatre Company to make the best use of our skills and resources to develop a financially sustainable artistic and social hub, that secures Manchester’s position as a leading destination on the UK’s cultural map.”

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure for Manchester City Council said “These are extraordinarily exciting proposals which will create a world-class new cultural attraction. Combining the undoubted strengths and growing audiences of the Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company will allow the two companies to expand and flourish.”

Our next gathering is October 22nd at Manchester Art Gallery

2010-10-21T06:25:00.000-07:00

Manchester Made It Easy
Lecture Theatre
Manchester Art Gallery
October 22nd at 10am

The next Manchester Made it Easy gathering is at Manchester Art Gallery at 10am on Friday 22nd October 2010.

With radical cuts to current levels of arts funding and increasing pressures to budgets, the focus of the next MMIE will be to examine how cultural organisations can further develop new and mutually beneficial partnerships with hoteliers and retailers around the city, and provide a forum for information sharing and networking.

Howard Raynor (Managing Director, World Class Service) and Kate Farmery (Head of Services, Manchester City Galleries) will open the discussion with a look at the opportunities, including a look at the mission and future plans of the Creative Tourist initiative.

Anyone with an interest in developing new ideas and partnerships are welcome and there is no cost to attending this meeting.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Louise If you're not able to make it, please feel free to send a colleague along. We hope you can make it....

The Labour Party Conference in Manchester

2010-09-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

Manchester City Council has made the following statement regarding road closures for the Labour Party Conference:

"Manchester is hosting its third Labour Party Annual Conference from 26-30 September 2010 at Manchester Central - the city's world-class exhibition and conference hub.

The success of the 2006 and 2008 Labour annual conferences meant that the organisers had no hesitation in returning to our city for a third time. Furthermore, they have stated that its 2012 and 2014 annual conferences will be held in Manchester .

More than 11,000 delegates and 2,000 media representatives will attend Europe's largest political conference and many will participate in the hundreds of fringe events being held within the convention complex and surrounding venues.

This conference is expected to generate more than £15.5 million of economic benefit for the region and increase the city's international perception as a quality conference destination.

Manchester's city centre will be extra busy during the five days of conference and roads close to Manchester Central and its surrounding hotels and restaurants will be affected.

Traffic and pedestrians will be diverted away from some streets and some buses will be rerouted."

Manchester United vs Rangers. 14th September 2010

2010-09-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of Manchester United's UEFA Champions League match against Glasgow Rangers on 14 September (KO 19:45), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) will be leading Operation Surround.

"We want all genuine fans to enjoy themselves, whilst sending a message that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in our city."

GMP is working in partnership on the Operation with Strathclyde Police, the official fan clubs from both teams, Manchester City Council, Piccadilly Partnership and Cityco.

GMP is not expecting Piccadilly to become a meeting place for a huge number of fans; it is more likely that the fans using the area will be doing so as a pass-through to the tram stops or bus station in order to get to Old Trafford. Part of the the Operation will involve taking the travelling fans to a reception area in Wigan, where they will be issued with tickets and escorted to and from the match.

Barclays Live searches for Manchester's hottest dance acts

2010-09-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Barclays is celebrating the ongoing investment in its branch network with a competition to find the country’s hottest dance acts, and it's coming to Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester on Saturday 4 September.

The competition is open to anyone who thinks they've got what it takes to become Britain's next dancing superstar, be it as an individual, duo, group or troupe.

The top ten entries will be put through to live auditions, which will take place on Saturday 4 September on a stage at Piccadilly Gardens. These contestants will perform in front of a celebrity panel of judges including Strictly Come Dancing's Brendan Cole, as well as an audience made up of the great people of Manchester!

The top five acts will then be subject to a public vote to decide the winner via the Barclays Live website www.barclayslive.co.uk

The winning act will be waltzing away with a pair of VIP tickets to see Brendan Cole in action as well as dancing all the way to the bank with a cool £1,000!

The Barclays Live auditions will form part of a day-long programme of events, including a dance master class by Brendan Cole and performances by a variety of fantastic dance acts.

Brendan Cole says "The Barclays Live competition is a great opportunity for talented dancers in Manchester and I am really looking forward to experiencing some fabulous performances. If you haven't entered the competition already, make it the very next thing you do, and I'd like to invite anyone in the area on Saturday 4September to pop down to Piccadilly Gardens to join me for a whole host of dancing fun."

Children under the age or 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Metrolink extensions confirmed

2010-08-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

Manchester has confirmed that three Metrolink extensions will go ahead. The extensions will see the system running to Oldham, Rochdale town centres by spring 2014 and Manchester Airport by mid 2016.

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) confirmed funding of £0.5 billion from the Greater Manchester Transport Fund to deliver the three new tram lines.

Chair of the AGMA Executive, Lord Peter Smithsaid: “Public transport has a crucial part to play in supporting Greater Manchester's economy and these Metrolink extensions will give a huge boost to the region. I am delighted that these vital projects can now go ahead. These new Metrolink lines in particular will also be the catalyst for regeneration in several areas, so the announcement is great news.”

Manchester Airports Group has also agreed to provide a contribution to funding for the Airport line.

Chief Executive of the Manchester Airports Group, Geoff Muirhead said: “We are delighted at this news, and have been long standing supporters of the Metrolink extension since it was first proposed. We have consistently maintained that support and are pleased to see it coming to fruition, as it will make us one of the most accessible destinations in the region.”

14 new trams will be ordered to serve the extensions to Manchester Airport and Oldham and Rochdale town centres. The total number of new trams for Manchester’s expanded Metrolink is 62.

For much more detail and a list of the stations see LRTA.org's pages on the Oldham and Rochdale extensions and the spur taking the tram out to the Airport via Chorlton and Wythenshawe

Manchester10 The Top Ten app for your iPhone

2010-07-27T02:44:00.000-07:00

We're delighted to announce the release of our first iPhone app, available free to download from iTunes now. The app gives you a weekly top ten things to do in Manchester. The app includes links to enable users to find out more information and book tickets for the events. World Class Service have developed the application with La Factory del Software

Nobody pays to be included in the Manchester10 app. The only way you can be included is to do something outstanding.

Manchester10 is made in Manchester by Mancunians so that you can have the pick of what's on in this world class city at your fingertips every week.

Download the app now

For more information, contact Andrew Glester

Manchester Jazz Festival 2010

2010-07-19T04:03:00.000-07:00

The Manchester Jazz Festival opens on Friday 23rd July 2010.

With Band on the Wall reintroduced to the city, the 15th Manchester Jazz Festival covers more ground than ever before. Venues include The Bridgewater Hall, Matt & Phreds and the Midland Hotel.

Most events are free so if you have any spare time at all in the next 2 weeks, just go and feel the festival buzz.

For full listings see here

24/7 Theatre Festival: The plays

2010-07-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

	The Bluest Blue A young bookseller is tackled by a predatory traffic warden, and a street cleaner sweeps up the pieces

	The Fading Hum Two estranged brothers struggle to face up to their father's death. Set against the backdrop of a world without bees...

	Hatch A haunting, lyrical drama, charting the heartbreaking homecoming of an absentee father and his grown up children.

	The Inconsistent Whisper of Insanity If at fifteen you 'slept' to wake aged seventy-six, to what ends would you go to find out what happened in those 'lost years'?

	Islanders A dark comedy about three wardens on a nature reserve on the remote Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast.

	Make Believe If you let it your mind can take you anywhere... A comedy that leaves a lot to the imagination.

	No View From The Window Armed with a fish slice and a bottle of Matey there is something Louise needs to do. A powerful, disturbing and witty one woman play.

	Pawn A robbery goes wrong, leading to a hostage situation. One hell of a venue for a school reunion.

	Reeling A play about nostalgia, family, mistakes... and ninety minute cassette tapes. To understand the past, you have to relive it.

	Sheepish Stuck wearing fancy-dress in the middle of field - what would EWE do? Follow your dreams or follow the herd.

Intimate I am Kloot gig at Piccadilly Records

2010-07-05T04:17:00.001-07:00

The new I am Kloot record "The Sky at Night" is released today and frontman John Bramwell is playing an intimate solo gig at Piccadilly Records at 5pm tonight.

Tickets are only available via the shop in advance along with the new album and the shop will shut at 4.30pm to get set up for the gig.

The new album is produced by Elbow's Guy Garvey and you can listen to it via the Guardian website

Martin Amis on Literature and Violence and LGBT composers

2010-06-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

The summer is in full swing and Manchester has some great events in July and August. The Martin Harris Centre at Manchester University has a series of events over the summer months.

Thursday 1st July 2010, 6.30pm
Martin Amis Public Events: Literature and Violence
with guests Blake Morrison and John Gray

World famous novelist Martin Amis will be discussing the relationship between Literature and Violence at his next University of Manchester debate on Thursday 1st July 2010. The writer will be joined by high profile guests Blake Morrison and John Gray for the evening event at the University’s Martin Harris Centre. The event will offer a unique chance to hear Professor Amis and his guests discuss the psychological and cultural roots of violent acts, and consider the ways in which writers from Shakespeare to JG Ballard depict and respond to violence.

Tickets: £7 (£5 concessions)
Tickets are available from the Martin Harris Centre box office on 0161 275 8951 or e-mail boxoffice@manchester.ac.uk. You can also contact Quay Tickets on www.quaytickets.com or 0870 428 0785.

Monday 23rd August 2010 - Friday 27th August 2010, 1pm
Manchester Pride Chamber Music
A series of lunchtime recitals celebrating music by LGBT composers past and present.

Monday 23rd August, 1pm
David Maxwell Anderson (tenor) with Ditlev Rindom (piano)
Tchaikovsky - At the ball / None but the lonely heart / To forget so soon / Mezza notte
Hahn - Chansons en dialecte Vénitien Nos 1, 2, 4
Hahn - L’allée est sans fin / L’heure exquise
Poulenc - Air Champêtre / Air Grave / Voyage à Paris / Hotel
Barber - Mélodies Passagères, Op.27
Tchaikovsky - Rondel / Déception / Again, as before, alone / Don Juan’s Serenade

Tuesday 24th August, 1pm
"Nocturnes, Ballades & Mazurkas" – a PianoFest, with performances by Alasdair Beatson, Philip Fowke, Ian Jones, Leon McCawley, Ditlev Rindom, Emmanuel Vass and Ashley Wass

Wednesday 25th August, 1pm
Nicholas Daniel (oboe) with David Quigley (piano)
Poulenc - Sonata for oboe & piano
Berkeley - Sonatina for oboe & piano, Op.61
Britten - 6 Metamorphoses after Ovid for solo oboe
Barber - Canzonetta for oboe & piano

Thursday 26th August, 1pm
John Myerscough (cello) with Alasdair Beatson (piano)
Barber - Sonata for cello & piano, Op.6
Henze - Capriccio per Paul Sacher

Friday 27th August, 1pm
CHROMA: Marcus Barcham-Stevens (violin), Stuart King (clarinet) & Martin Cousin (piano)
Menotti - Trio for clarinet, violin & piano
Rorem - End of Summer
Marc Yeats - schlick's approximation (World Première - Manchester Pride Commission.

The Martin Harris Centre, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
Tel: 0161 275 8951
www.manchester.ac.uk/martinharriscentre
boxoffice@manchester.ac.uk

Crain's RIP

2010-06-22T23:40:00.000-07:00

World Class Service Ltd are sad to see the end of Crain's Manchester Business; for it's ability to have an opinion, for getting the local story, for getting it out there weekly, for talking about the hotels and restaurants, for amusement and for saying who did what to who and for how much. You will be missed. I hope the team are able to find a great new outlet for their talent.

From all of us here at World Class Service.

New Visitor Centre for Manchester

2010-06-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Visit Manchester unveil Manchester's new Visitor Information Centre on June 20th. Here's a preview of the sort of new technology you'll be able to find in there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN83DQs0yCo&feature=player_embedded

24:7 Theatre Festival Media Launch, Live Online.

2010-06-14T02:53:00.000-07:00

The 24:7 Theatre Festival returns on July 26th and the Media launch is this Tuesday 15th June. To join the launch, all you need to do is go to 247theatrefestival.co.uk at 6:15pm and refresh the page.

The Manchester Digital Development Agency will be cranking the handles to make it all happen.

So, wherever you are, as long as you have a computer with Internet access, you'll be able to see the event unfolding.

Key Dates for 24:7 2010

media launch: Tuesday 15 June;
previews: Sunday 25 July;
Festival Week: Monday 26 July - Sunday 1 August.

Keep up to date with developments here on the eNews and on the 24:7 website, where you can see the names of the ten productions and their writers: 247theatrefestival.co.uk

Big Chip Awards recognises cream of North West talent

2010-06-11T01:51:00.000-07:00

The North West digital sector gathered at Manchester’s Palace Hotel to celebrate the 2010 Big Chip Awards.Manchester Digital, the trade association for the region’s digital sector, organised the event and it was backed by media partners Insider and New Media Age.

Chairman of Manchester Digital Shaun Fensom said: “There is a highly-skilled and very creative pool of talent in the North and North West region and Big Chip provides a showcase for the very best projects and organisations.”

The winners Click on the name of each winner for more information.

Best E-Business Project
Winner: 11 Out Of 10 with Pure Gym
Shortlist: KMP Digitata with Jetparks.co.uk, Manchester Airport budget car parking; KMP

Best Public Sector Project
Winner: Lightbox Education with MP for a Week
Commended: Manchester Museums Consortium & Visit Manchester with Creative Tourist
Shortlist: Pennine Telecom with Bridging the Digital Divide Net@BOSC; Studio Distract with Wrecked

Best Not For Profit Project
Winner: Cahoona with Band on the Wall Website Redevelopment
Shortlist: Fudge with English Rose; LOVE with Acting on Impulse website; Sigma Consulting

Best E-Learning Project
Winner: Stardotstar with Things to Come for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Shortlist: Shira Rubin with learn2lingo

Best Use of Visual Design
Winner: Digital Blah Blah with Adam Rix Website
Shortlist: Cahoona with the Cahoona website; Fudge with English Rose; RealtimeUK with LG’s Behind the Picture

Best Application of Technology
Winner: Stardotstar with Nosey Parker
Shortlist: 4i Security with the OMC Online Security System; Code Computerlove with myebook.com – digital technologies for online automated tailoring service; Scraperwiki with Scraperwiki; Stephen Henesy with PiP Interactive

Best Use of Animation
Winner: The Neighbourhood with Nord Anglia
Commended: Craig Knowles and David Ridges with Bon Appetit
Shortlist: MediaCityUK with Take Note; RealtimeUK with LG’s Behind the Picture; The Neighbourhood with Angel

Best Use of Search
Winner: PushON with Love Those Shoes
Shortlist: Lakestar Media with Parcel2Go.com’s SEO campaign; PushON and The UK Wedding Shows with The UK Wedding Shows' campaign

Best Digital Marketing Campaign
Winner: iris Manchester with Wonderbra – Ultimate Strapless
Shortlist: Mobious with Carling weekly email; PushON and Brazen PR with 30 Beats: Mechanical Music; Righttxt with Mobile for a Small Organisation

Best Online Brand Development
Winner: Manchester Museums Consortium & Visit Manchester with Creative Tourist
Shortlist: IAS b2b Marketing with Beat the Wolf; Mando Group with United Utilities rebrand; Xentum with X marks the spot

Best Newcomer (enterprise)
Winner: Wooshi.com
Shortlist: 4i Security; Cahoona; Digital Blah Blah; Stephen Henesy; WebVideoMarketing (webVM)

Best Freelancer / Micro Enterprise
Winner: Digital Blah Blah
Shortlist: Fat Heads Creative Studio; Kilogramme; Moo Marketing; Robin Hayward

Best New Media Agency
Winner: Stardotstar

Big Green Chip Award
Winner: The DTP Group with Managed Print & Copy Services at Leeds Metropolitan University

Little Chip Student Award
Winner: Andreas Linden, University of Central Lancashire

Game of the North
Winner: Connect2Media with Arachnadoodle

Big Chip International Award for Innovation
Winner: Studio Liddell and Magic Lantern for BBC Children’s Bugbears

Tasty Website
Winner: Cahoona
www.cahoona.co.uk

Grand Prix
Winner: Lightbox

Anthony Wilson Original Modern Award
Winner: Kilogramme

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in Manchester.

2010-06-10T02:25:00.000-07:00

It all kicks off (update:) TODAY! The hosts take on Mexico in the opening fixture and England start their campaign on Saturday evening against the USA. If you're not interested, worry not. We'll be producing the Top Ten Things to do in Manchester each week throughout the tournament and you can rest assured that there are plenty of things to fill your time if the beautiful game is not your thing.

However...if you find yourself burning with national pride, have painted the front of your house as the St George's Cross or simply want to enjoy the carnival atmosphere that goes along with the biggest sporting occasion in the World, you don't have to worry either. What's more, you don't need to be in South Africa. Manchester is getting into the spirit of things and, as anyone here to witness the Commonwealth Games will testify, we know how to love our sporting events.

Manchester's Fan Park is at Catlefield Arena and is screening every single one of the 64 matches across the tournament and access is free but you will need tickets for the screenings of the England matches. These are available from www.quaytickets.com with a limit of 4 per household and a transaction fee of £1.50.

Of course, if you are in town and feel the need to celebrate, there are hundreds of bars, clubs and restaurants available. There's also a fair few hotels in the city centre where you could bed down for the night and wake up to a hearty breakfast.

We're looking for ideas for football fans to get into the spirit of things over the month of the tournament so don't hesitate to let us know if you have heard of any particularly good ideas. We'll add them below, in the order that they arrive with us:

Local football fan and DJ Terry Christian has teamed up with Phil Beckett with an all new club night in Chorlton called "Bop Local" which happily coincides with England's first match of the tournament. So, if you find yourself in South Manchester with an urge to celebrate, "The idea is simple: Start early, have lots of fun and a darn good time without spending a fortune on drinks and taxis in town. Then get home at a reasonable time for the babysitter! Or if you have no kids, in time for an impromptu kitchen party!" Update: The doors are now opening at 8pm and they will be showing the game on their big screen so why not go down early and catch the second half (It kicks off at 7.30pm).

Base Cafe Bar on Charles Street have a happy hour during every World Cup game, not just the England ones and will be showing them all in HD.

Manchester Made it Easy Meeting

2010-06-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

The next gathering will take place at the Midland Hotel on Friday 25th June at 09.00. All are welcome.

As agreed in our last meeting we will be evaluating the 2010 Summer Campaign progress so far. We will be looking at the innovations, activities, partnerships, website activity and sales for 2010 and establishing a summer business club for 2011.

If you'd like to come along, please rsvp to louise at this email address.

We hope to see you there.

The Aumbrey comes to Chorlton

2010-06-09T05:18:00.000-07:00

Following the success of Beth Creedon’s ‘Wild Food’ last month, Electrik presents Guestrant (No 5) on Monday 21^st June. Husband and wife chef team, Laurence Tottingham and Mary Ellen McTague take a night off from Aumbry in Prestwich and offer their food expertise in the Electrik kitchen for this one-off gastronomic experience.

They will be delivering a 3 course meal of culinary surprises for one night only.

Aumbry has become a destination restaurant since it opened in October 2009, Laurence and Mary Ellen spent 4 years as part of the 3 Michelin-star team at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire, before they decided to open their own place in Prestwich. Although the food they cook at Aumbry isn’t like the Fat Duck, as such, they do use a lot of the cooking techniques leant there including using Sous Vide and a water bath to cook meat and fish.

Laurence and Mary Ellen wanted to use the opportunity that Guestrant provides to show some very typical Aumbry dishes, using lots of great Lancashire and Cheshire produce. There will be no specific theme for the night ~ they will be simply offering a different audience a snapshot of what they do at Aumbry.

Tickets for this gastronomic event are £25 each. Places are strictly limited.

Purchase advance tickets from Electrik or via paypal: info@electrikbar.co.uk

Electrik is at 559 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0AE.

Go see this: a new website

2010-06-09T03:05:00.001-07:00

All About Audiences, the people formerly known as Arts About Manchester, have launched a new website, designed to be the one-stop-shop for tickets for shows in Manchester. You can buy multiple tickets for multiple venues and put them all in one basket. It's certainly a great idea. Have a look www.goseethis.com and use it and let us know what you think.

Adidas Original Coronation Street Party

2010-06-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

Nice to know that Manchester can still turn it on globally. Gary McClarnan and the Sparkle Street team deserve a huge cheer from all of us in Manchester for creating a truly original street party for Adidas on Saturday night. The Whip, Badly Drawn Boy, Bad Lieutenant and host of VIP's and 500 party goers made for a fun night that was transmitted globally from the Corrie at the old Granada HQ on Quay Street.

Adidas Original Street Parties have been popping up around the globe since March,for Manchester even Snoop Dogg sent a personal message. Surreal; certainly. Original; no doubt about it. Well done to Sparkle Street and everyone involved in a truly original street party. Well done for the Corrie team for letting this astonishing party happen.

We loved the cup cakes, Craig Charles' intro and Bernard Sumner doing Regret in a black and gold Adidas shirt to a crowd of umbrella waving party folk.

Mad.

Awardness

2010-05-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

The fabulous ballroom at the Hilton was the setting for the Manchester Tourism Awards last night, our respect and applause go to our friends:

Richard Hoffman at The Lowry Hotel for Outstanding Customer Service Award
Manchester Christmas Markets for being Tourism Retailer of the Year
Manchester International Festival for the Sustainable Tourism Award
The River Bar and Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel for the Taste of Manchester Award
Manchester International Festival for Tourism Event of the Year
The Atrium by Bridgestreet Worldwide for Serviced Apartments of the Year and
Radisson Edwardian Hotel for Large Hotel of the Year.

All worthy winners and we look forward to working with you in the years ahead.

For full details on all the winners take a look at the fabulous new Marketing Manchester web site.

Also let's hear it for John Thomson the magnificent awards host.

New New York Flights

2010-05-26T01:44:00.001-07:00

Manchester and New York are getting closer. American Airlines has been a loyal travelers friend at Manchester Airport for 25 years. The Summer New York flight is daily and the service started last week. It's important for us as a city to make sure these Boeing 757's are full in both directions and that business class passengers choose Manchester as a preferred exit point for New York.

For guests in Manchester New York JFK is not only a great gateway to one of America's great cities but serves as a hub to over 40 other destinations. For American visitors taking advantage of the strong dollar Manchester provides an easy and comfortable entry point for three great British cities as well as the outstanding natural beauty of the Lake District.

Congratulations to everyone at the airport and at American for this great daily service.

We are also looking forward to seeing the new Escape VIP lounge at the airport. Watch out for more news on how to make your guests more comfortable at the UK's best airport.

Spearfish Nets Dough

2010-05-26T01:33:00.000-07:00

The mighty EuroCulture festival which is run by Manchester tribe Spearfish, have managed to attract a huge grant to help them deliver their unique brand of creative engagement with young people in Manchester Romania, Slovakia, Belfast and Finland. The funds have come from the proud town of Turku in Finland who incidentally are celebrating their Capital of Culture status by supporting people like Spearfish.

Well done to Ben and the team at Spearfish for getting the funds and for creating some worthwhile youth projects. Without you we would all be poorer.

Manchester Made it Easy meeting

2010-05-06T02:40:00.000-07:00

The next Manchester Made it Easy meeting is on May 10th.

The meeting will update on progress being made to package and promote Manchester as a desirable, Family Friendly destination, in particular over the mid July - early September period.

The gathering will take place at the Malmaison (Mal1 meeting space) on Monday 10th May at 10.30. If you'd like to come along and haven't done so already, please rsvp to louise at World Class Service

You can keep in touch with the Manchester Made it Easy movement at the website, the blog and via twitter and facebook.

Food & Drink Summit. May 24th 2010.

2010-05-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Food and Drink Summit is a new event in Manchester for the very first time on May 24th 2010. It is "an opportunity to participate in the debates that really matter… and have a bit of fun too."

The summit is put on by the industry for the industry and is aimed at:

Restaurant & Bar Owners
Students & Academics
Retailers
The Hospitality Sector
Food & Drink Producers
Tourism Officers
Hotel Employees
Media
Online Foodies
Serious Food Enthusiasts

Highlights include Lloyd Grossman, Fergus Henderson (pictured) and Matthew Fort (judge of the Great British Menu).

The afternoon includes a celebrity panel: Twelve Bar Blues: The last waltz of the great British boozer?

Tickets for the day are £30 each. For more information and to book, visit www.thefoodanddrinksummit.com

Linekar, Shilton, Pearce, Gazza, Butcher, Waddle, Platt... One night in Turin

2010-04-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

'One Night in Turin' with live Q&A
Screening at ODEON Manchester Printworks for one night only!
Tuesday 11th May 2010
Time 20.30

Derived from Pete Davies’ bestselling book 'All Played Out': described by Time Out as the “best football book of all-time”.

Davies was a journalist given unprecedented access over 9 months to the England camp both in the run up to, and during Italia 90 – the iconic tournament that changed our footballing nation forever.

Spring 1990, and the London streets are torn up by poll tax rioters. With an unpopular premier and in the midst of the recession, England is torn apart by civil strife. Meanwhile, the rest of the world wakes up to a new dawn, the Berlin Wall has fallen, Mandela walks free from prison, and the Soviet Union is in its death throes. And to celebrate this new world order, there is Italia '90.
Over the course of six weeks, led by the reinvigorated Bobby Robson and the mercurial Paul Gascoigne, a small band of brothers overcome scandal, political intrigue and even the mighty Dutch, to reach a semi-final in Turin - the home of Juventus, and the place in Europe that has the most reason to hate the English after the Heysel disaster of '85 - where they must attempt to overcome the mighty Germans.

Constructed from unseen archive footage and specially shot imagery, 'One Night in Turin' is set to a pumping music track that will include the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Pavarotti.
This screening of 'One Night in Turin' will be followed by a live Q&A with some of the Italia 90 squad, transmitted by satellite from the World Premiere at the ODEON cinema Metrocentre.
The ticket price includes a donation to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

All tickets £12.00

www.odeon.co.uk 0871 22 44 007
For all group bookings of 10 or more please contact the conference department on
0161 836 2404 or eventcoordinator@odeonuk.com

ABOUT MANCHESTER MADE IT EASY

2010-04-26T01:11:00.000-07:00

WHAT "MADE IT EASY" IS ALL ABOUT...

Made it Easy is a self help group for hospitality, cultural, leisure and retail businesses in Manchester to improve performance by working together. By sharing sector specific economic information, collaborating, meeting colleagues, promoting ideas and options, creating awareness of each others activities, targeting specific issues like “Summer Business” joining forces and being Manchester specific we believe we can significantly improve performance and reduce wasted time and resources within our businesses. By meeting once every two months this wide collective of businesses can add value to each other by collaboration.

The benefit is that we get to know each other as businesses and can network more effectively with a wider array of contacts. Also it’s free for as long as one the great hotels in the city is prepared to provide a room, coffee, bacon rolls and a screen.

It’s only 90 minutes of your day. Like we say, we Made it Easy.

It was started by The Midland Hotel and World Class Service Ltd to provide a meeting and action agenda for our business community; hotels, hospitality, culture, retail and leisure. There are network meetings, there is this blog and there is a killer web site and you don't have to subscribe to the web site to attend the meetings that way we can maximise the network impact.

ABOUT THE WEB SITE

If you really want to maximise returns you can sign up to the Made it Easy web site a one stop business to business web site for your front desks, sales teams and planners.
The Made it Easy web site offer the following benefits to your business:
All the latest information from Manchester Made it Easy, including the latest on the Summer City activity so that you can plan and take advantage of the wider Manchester offer.
Up to date information on high profile conferences, openings, large scale events and news which means you can plan for big events in Manchester and build your offer and appeal for key audiences.
Key information for forecasting, planning and sales campaigns.
A one stop "What's On" shop for front desk teams so that they can accurately recommend and direct guests and customers. The site provides in depth information on a host of shopping, theatre, travel, sport, dining, cultural options.
A weekly “What’s on” sent every Monday covering key recommendations for this week so that your team are always up to date.
The site is built, hosted and maintained in Manchester so it's local and accurate.
The site includes suggested itineraries for different customer groups so that you recommend effortlessly
There are no pop ups, and no advertising or pay for placement options on the site its just accurate, authoritative information for service professionals. It's fast, clean, easy to use and prevents unnecessary searches. Designed by service professionals for service professionals.
It provides key links for guest support for travel, lost cards, help making it fast and efficient for your team.

The website is designed so that your team can save time, make confident recommendations and add value for each customer. It allows junior members of the team to provide good levels of service, even without the knowledge of their more experienced colleagues.

The Manchester Made it Easy website is geared to be a one-stop-shop and is updated on a regular basis right here in Manchester so your team can provide interesting and personalised solutions

Cost is £10/wk. Billing is quarterly or annual as preferred.

So there it is – the meaning of “Manchester Made it Easy”. Want to be involved? Call Howard or Louise on 0161 456 6007. If you are interested in the web site call Andrew. Same number or click here

Christopher Rodrigues CBE heads up brand new development programme in Manchester.

2010-04-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

Christopher Rodrigues CBE will be heading an outstanding line up of speakers and tutors at the first Strategic Leadership Programme for Hospitality in Manchester this July. Mr Rodrigues who has led Visit Britain since 2007 will be using his 30 years of experience including his substantial experience in banking and the travel industry to explore the challenges of the next 5 years. Other speakers from the Manchester Business School, industry and research organisations will provide vital insights, strategic tools and techniques and personal development advice to an elite group of just 25 hospitality business leaders and business owners.

The residential programme will be based at the five star Radisson Edwardian hotel in central Manchester and includes visits, receptions and dinners.

To reserve your place contact Howard Raynor at World Class Service on 0161 456 6007 or by email

The Odeon and Harvey Nichols team up for girls' night.

2010-04-20T05:11:00.001-07:00

We've spotted a couple of slightly out of the ordinary events coming up in Manchester over the next couple of months and thought it might be a good idea to tell you about them now as they are likely to sell out.

The Second Floor Restuarant at Harvey Nichols are celebrating the opening of the Sex and the City 2 film with special menus for the perfect girls' night out on May 28th.

Sex and the City 2
Cinema packages at the Harvey Nichols Second Floor in association with The Odeon Printworks
and Skyy Vodka.
Friday 28 May

What will become of Carrie and Mr Big? What will the girls be wearing?
All will be revealed on Friday 28 May when Sex and the City 2 is released in UK cinemas.
Why not make a night of it with the girls and choose from one of two packages available at Harvey Nichols Manchester on the launch night?

The Girls’ Afternoon Tea Package - £25 per person
4pm

A Skyy Vodka SATC cocktail
A special ‘Cupcake Afternoon Tea’ in the Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant
A ticket for the 6pm Gallery* Showing of the SATC2 Film at the Odeon Printworks

The Mr Big Package - £35 per person
6pm

A Skyy Vodka SATC cocktail
A two course New York themed dinner in the Harvey Nichols Second Floor Brasserie
A ticket for the 8pm Gallery* Showing of the SATC2 Film at the Odeon Printworks
Call our reservations team on 0161 828 8898 or email
secondfloor.reservations@harveynichols.com to reserve your place.

If you prefer something a little more arty, the Odeon has not forgotten about you...

OPUS ARTE AT THE ODEON PRINTWORKS
Royal Opera House & The Royal Ballet - Tsarina's Slippers
25th May 19.00
The Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet come together in a special journey from a snowy Ukrainian picture-book village to the Imperial splendour of the court of Catherine the Great. Vakula, the son of the witch Solokha, attempts to woo and win the beautiful but fickle Oxana. It seems hopeless, but when the Devil, a witch, forest sprites and a host of colourful characters are involved, he could be lucky after all! Tchaikovsky's music is packed with showpiece solos, dances and choruses: from grand polonaise to haunting chorus of water sprites to rustic revels - and there's a true Russian flavour with Alexander Polianichko as conductor and several star Russian singers. Tickets £12.50 adults, Students, Senior, £10.00 Children

www.odeon.co.uk 0871 2244 007
For group bookings of 10 or more please contact the conference department
eventcoordinator@odeonuk.com 0161 836 2404

Shakespeare's Globe - As You Like It
14th June 19.00
'As You Like It' recorded at The Globe theatre in 2009 and on the big screen in high definition and digital surround sound. Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, falls in love with Orlando at a wrestling match. Her usurping uncle, jealous of her popularity banishes her from court. Disguised as a boy she leaves with her cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone, to seek out her father in the Forest of Arden. Here she meets Orlando again and, under the guise of a young man, counsels him in the art of love and wooing. A firm favourite among Shakespeare’s comedies, and including some of his best-loved characters, 'As You Like It' runs the glorious gamut of pastoral romance: cross-dressing and love-notes; poetry and brilliant conversation; gentle satire, slapstick and passion. **** 'Thea Sharrock's production is almost continuously enchanting. On a summer's night by the Thames, it is irresistible... There's a constant feeling of wit, mischief and strong sexual attraction... Every role comes to life in a production that combines great gales of audience laughter with magical moments of emotional depth' - Daily Telegraph. All tickets from £10.00

www.odeon.co.uk 0871 2244 007
For group bookings of 10 or more please contact the conference department
eventcoordinator@odeonuk.com 0161 836 2404

We are What We Eat and Drink - Eat North West

2010-04-20T03:17:00.000-07:00

We are delighted to see the return of the North West Food Lovers Guide. The office copy of the original edition has become dog eared and frankly its a vital publication.

This marvelous little book published by the lovely people at Food Northwest is now back in stock and it provides all the details on local producers, where they are, what they make, what they grow, where you can get it from and the on-line links to get you closer.

Brilliant idea well executed. How can you live without it.

Get your copy by clicking here

We are here to help.....

2010-04-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

Please let me know if anyone needs assistance getting in or out of Europe due to the Volcano ash. We are very fortunate to have available aircraft.

Thank you.

Benjamin Head
Managing Director

ADVANCED jets
One South Ocean Boulevard, Suite 308
Boca Raton, Florida 33432
(561) 962-0118 direct office
(954) 205-4655 24/7 cell
(877) 303-5387 (JETS) toll free
(561) 962-0111 fax
Ben@advancedjets.com
www.Advancedjets.com

Aled Williams comes to Manchester's Harvey Nichols

2010-04-06T05:50:00.001-07:00

Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant is pleased to announce an intimate and exclusive dining event with Aled Williams on May 10. Aled is the Head Chef of Plas Bodegroes, Wales’ first five star restaurant with accommodation.

Aled is currently filming the new series of ‘The Great British Menu’, a program in which the nation’s top chefs compete to produce a four course banquet for a high profile figure. The main course and dessert on the night will be revised versions of dishes which are featured in ‘The Great British Menu’.

Aled Williams’ food is made using fresh local ingredients and Aled prides himself on his ability to add modern twists to traditional dishes. The menu on May 10 will comprise of five courses including; pea and parmesan foam; Pan fried sea trout with fennel puree; loin and slow cooked shoulder of mountain lamb; and Champagne poached rhubarb with lemongrass baked custard. The full menu is available to view on the Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant website www.harveynichols.com.

The times for dinner will be staggered with the first table at 7.15, second at 7.45pm, the third at 8.15pm, with the last seating at 8.45pm.

Aled developed his culinary skills at Plas Bodegroes, in 2003. Aled then won the prestigious Gordon Ramsey scholarship in November 2006, and has worked not only in Ramsey’s 3 Michelin Star restaurants in Chelsea and New York, but in several highly esteemed restaurants in Australia and South East Asia. He became Head Chef at Pas Bodegroes in 2008.

Tickets are priced at £60 with only 45 places available, so prompt booking is advised. To book your tickets or for any more information regarding the event, please contact the Second Floor Reservations team on 0161 828 8898 or email secondfloor.reservations@harveynichols.com

Top Ten Things to do in Manchester this week

2010-04-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

It's a big week for the Rooneyless Reds and the museums and galleries of Manchester are all providing great content for the Easter holidays.

1. Man Utd attempt to reverse their 1-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the second leg on Wednesday.

2. Da Vinci - The Genius at MOSI brings his famous inventions to life and there's a whole host of activities for families for the Easter break with Heroes of Energy

3. The Evolutionist: A Darwin Extravaganza is a fun and educative day out for the whole family

4. The Gruffalo (Tuesday - Thursday) and Sean Lock (Sunday) are at the Lowry this week.

5. The People's History Museum is back in an impressive new building after a £12.5m redevelopment

6. William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors ois at the Royal Exchange theatre

7. Witney Houston (now in doubt due to illness) and the WWE Wrestling come to the MEN Arena this week

8. Ron Mueck's art of hyper-real human figures explores humanity's intimate moments at Manchester Art Gallery

9. Ultravox (Thursday) and N-Dubz (Friday) are at the Apollo this week.

10. The IWMN hosts the largest ever collection of highly acclaimed photographer Don McCullin's work

Business Model for the Summer City

2010-03-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

There are nine factors we have to get right to successfully transform summer business for Manchester.

We have to be clear about:

1. The Key Partners in the Project; hoteliers, cultural institutions, attractions, event organisers, Visit Manchester and CityCo. We don't need everyone in the field we just need the people who see the opportunity and want to share the market opportunity.

2. Understand the customer need; the UK economy remains in fragile recovery and so are most households; the customers need great new ideas that are imaginative, value for money and exceed expectations. Further, with a Euro worth 90p and a US dollar at 66p Manchester never looked like such great value.

3. Build the value proposition. This project is not about diluting the marketing or just discounting prices we need to build a solid value proposition for the customers; great activities, great hotels and great itineraries that are really easy to book. We have to be able to assemble the packages in to a simple attractive booking format.

4. Understand the customer segment. The priority for the Summer 2010 project is family audiences.

5. Select the Channels to Market. At the moment Visit Manchester, CityCo and Late Rooms offer the easiest channels to market alongside all of the partners own on line and PR activity.

6. Establish the Key Resources. How much will it cost to tackle this project in 2010 bearing in mind the market opportunity going in to 2011, 12 and 13? If we get it right we could grow a significant new element to our businesses every year. Awareness Reliability and Responsiveness are key drivers.

7. What are the key Customer Relationships. What type of relationship does each of our customers expect us to establish and maintain with them? Is this really in the hands of the hotels or can we get in to a resort mindset where we offer a family friendly service at every outlet?

8. Revenue Streams. There are multiple revenue streams coming out of this Summer City business model. Hotel stays, retail purchases, food and drink revenue, car parking, public transport income, institutional visits, venue merchandising.

9. Cost Structure. If we really can figure out a way of working smarter and harder this summer then we will have a small increase in costs arising from marketing activities and staffing, however this is a value based business argument, we are creating value in the city in the summer. If we pull together we get economy of scale and scope.

So there it is, a business model framework and so prototype thinking.

If we do nothing then we face another 6 weeks of revenue drought this summer and pin all our hopes on a cost focused solution, can we stay shut more tightly?

If just a small band of us can deliver something in then we get the chance to build knowledge and capability to grow in 2011.

What are World Class Service doing to contribute? We are building a 5 day residential Strategic Leadership Summer Programme to help hospitality service leaders prepare for their future by hearing from Business School heavyweights and industry luminaries. Why are we doing this? Because we see that if Cornell can do it so could Manchester.

Howard Raynor with thanks to Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.

Summer City Adventure

2010-03-24T04:27:00.000-07:00

Monday 22nd saw the latest MMIE gathering, this time kindly hosted by Richard Morrell at The Palace Hotel. The purpose of the meeting was to update the group on progress made in addressing the promotion of Manchester as a family friendly summer destination specifically between 16th July - 6th September, for 2009 and onwards.

After the customary bacon butties Mike Magrane (General Manager, The Midland Hotel) opened proceedings by updating the group on the positive progress made over the previous weeks with both Marketing Manchester and LateRooms. It is expected that by the end of April, participating hotels will have family friendly rates available through Laterooms.

Desmeana Johnson of Marketing Manchester followed Mike with an unveiling of the new VisitManchester website due to launch over the coming weeks. The new website will include information on family friendly activity and is planned to link through to the Laterooms site to help families get the best information and deals for Manchester.

Howard Raynor of World Class Service also gave an update on the current trend of the 'Staycation' and that with the pound remaining weak against the Euro and Dollar, Britain remains an attractive proposition to holiday makers both at home and from abroad...the time is now to make the most of this opportunity. Howard also reminded the group about the new Manchester Made it Easy website is now available. For more information contact Andrew at World Class Service

Again, there was a great turn out with over 40 present and plenty of discussion from the floor, a lot of which focussed on the the concentration and kinds of events which could take place over this summer period in the coming years. Marketing Manchester and CityCo have committed to developing a long term strategy in promoting Manchester as a summer destination, and the MMIE gatherings are proving to be a productive forum for hoteliers, venues, cultural institutions, festivals and retailers to discuss the best way to move forward together.

The will be another meeting in around four weeks to update the group. In the meantime please send information on events (both for the summer and rest of the year) through to makeila.ellis@marketingmanchester.com

Early bird offer: Manchester Made it Easy website

2010-03-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

The Manchester Made it Easy website has been launched at www.manchestermadeiteasy.co.uk

As well as being a one-stop-shop for hospitality and culture/leaisure businesses, the Manchester Made it Easy website is a great tool for customer facing staff. It has all the up-to-date and unbiased information that is key to delivering world class service.

Key features and benefits are:

· All the latest information from Manchester Made it Easy, including the latest on the Summer City

· A business to business website, giving the competitive advantage with up to date information on high profile conferences, openings, large scale events and news.

· Ideal for forecasting, planning and sales campaigns.

· A one-stop-shop for Manchester

· Up to date, accurate information on shopping, dining, retail, cultural opportunities and professional support all in one place

· Built, hosted and maintained in Manchester

· Suggested itineraries for different customer groups

· No pop ups, no advertising or pay for placement

· Fast, clean, easy to use

· Designed for service professionals.

· Key links for guest support

· Weekly “What’s on” sent every Monday covering key recommendations

The website is designed so that your team can save time, make confident recommendations and add value for each customer. It allows junior members of the team to provide good levels of service, even without the knowledge of their more experienced colleagues.

The Manchester Made it Easy website is geared to be a one-stop-shop and is updated on a regular basis so your team can provide interesting and personalised solutions

Happily, the service is just £10/wk. (£520/yr) per license.

Early bird discount: Sign up before April 15th to take advantage of a 10% (£52) discount on your subscription for the first 12 months

We hope that you will support us by subscribing to the site and getting involved with all activities. If you, your manager or general manager would like to subscribe or would like to discuss further then please email Andrew at World Class Service.

Our new website

2010-03-22T03:09:00.000-07:00

Manchester Made it Easy now has a website www.manchestermadeiteasy.co.uk

Classic Films at the Odeon in Manchester

2010-03-03T05:55:00.000-08:00

Jaws, Goodfellas, Superman, Robocop, Jurassic Park, Enter the Dragon et al. back on the big screen in Manchester. What's not to love?

Jaws March 8th
Enter the Dragon March 15th
Goodfellas March 22nd
Superman March 29th
Jurassic Park April 5th
Robocop April 12th
Saving Private Ryan April 19th
The Karate Kid April 26th

Visit the odeon website to book your tickets. For group bookings of 15 or more contact the Events team at the odeon

Summer City Adventure

2010-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

The period from 12th July to the end of August 2010 is of particular concern to business in the city centre; specifically to hotels, leisure and retail businesses. The point of the Made it Easy meeting this morning at The Midland was to move from the discussions of 2009 about being a joined up leisure city to an action orientation in 2010. Manchester the resort! The summer is an ideal candidate, how do we know it's ideal? 43 people showed up for the meeting!

After bacon butties, coffee and Mike Magrane, GM at The Midland set out the goal of creating a credible summer proposition in Manchester, this year and every year.

Howard Raynor then followed up with a presentation about how making Manchester more family friendly this summer was a straightforward matter of co-ordinating the fantastic recources currently available in to smart itineraries and illustrated his argument with what's on in the city, what assets there are for the public. You can see this presentation by going to the World Class Service web site.

The floor was then opened up for discussion.

Key features arising fro the discussion were:

1. The concept is essentially worth more effort. Manchester could do better if we were more joined up in communicating whats on.

2. The venues and hotels need to agree the package and discounting that they can can offer.

3. Marketing Manchester will provide a e:mail entry point for people to send event information to.

4. Marketing Manchester and CityCO will co-ordinate the marketing activity to the consumer and liaise with Late Rooms.

5. Family friendly is definitely the agreed way forward. Activity led rather than destination led was also emphasised during the meeting.

6. World Class Service, through their current Manchester Concierge site, and this blog will keep people informed on progress and on the activity in the city this summer. This process will take the form of links and portals as well as overviews of key information and smaller organisations which may not be part of bigger consortia.

World Class may convert one its sites in to a business to business information point to help provide lead information for planning as well as day to day information. If we do this it will end up being paid for service due to the scale of maintenance and content management.

7. Mike Magrane will be running various related meetings with Visit Manchester and the MHA Sales Forum to try and iron out difficulties in product development.

8. Mike will also be having conversations about identity and key messages.

9. It was agreed we should meet again in a month's time to see how much progress has been made.

PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS BLOG, CLICK FOR RSS FEED AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE ARGUMENT

kind regards

Howard

Not-for-profit Wine Course at Harvey Nichols

2010-02-24T03:28:00.000-08:00

Following the success of the previous courses at Harvey Nichols, the Second Floor will be hosting a new WSET Intermediate Course.

If you've ever wanted to wow your friends with knowlege of grape varieties, or New vs Old world wines, the this could be the course for you.

This course is ideal for those in the industry who have some knowlegde or wine enthusiasts who wish to acquire in-depth knowledge of wines and want to obtain a recognised wine qualification.

The course will begin on 23 February and will last for 9 weeks, the 10th week will be an exam.

Click for more information and an application form

Valentine's weekend in Manchester: Spoil your loved one

2010-02-08T02:39:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day is this Sunday, 14th February and restaurants across the city are takings bookings for their Valentine's Menu. Harvey Nichol's special menu for the excellent Second Floor Restaurant caught our eye, in particular and here's a suggestion of a way to spend the weekend.

Firstly, tell your loved one they are busy all weekend and book a hotel room in town and get tickets for the following:

Friday: The Bridgewater Hall will be filled with love songs from the musicals on 12th February
Saturday: Dance away Saturday night at South Nightclub where Clint Boon and Mat Horne will be filling the dance floor
Sunday: What better way to start a lazy Sunday than Breakfast at the Cornerhouse and then watch a special screening of Breakfast at Tiffany's?

Indie Clubs feel the love

2010-02-02T02:12:00.000-08:00

February 2010 is a good month for Indie clubs in Manchester. South Nightclub is clebrating its 15th birthday and kicks off a year long celebration with Clint Boon and Gavin and Stacey star Mat Horne DJing for their Valentine's special on February 13th.

Clint will be hosting a unique contest: ‘Sid & Nancy’s Cup of Love’ to find the most Rock ‘n’ Roll couple who’ve ever met at South.

To enter the competition, couples need to submit their story about how they found love at South, or have some kind of ‘love connection’ with South. The best ones will get free admission on the night and will have the chance to compete to be chosen by Clint and a live audience, as South’s champion couple. First prize is a night of free champagne plus a luxury hotel break in Manchester. Email your ‘loved-up’ stories to: katesouthclub@googlemail.com

If you can't wait for that, worry not. The legend returns on Friday February 5th as FAC 251 opens at the site of the old offices of Factory Records.

Fantastic Career Map

2010-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to throw my hat in the air and shout for the good folk at uksp.co.uk who came up with this stunning career map for the hospitality sector.

http://www.uksp.co.uk/CareerMap.aspx

It makes a complex game a bit more navigable but as someone who moves between the arts, culture and hospitality as a consultant I would have to say there is probably a 3D version of this required. The skills that make people successful in hospitality are exactly the same skills that make them much prized in retail, front desk, front of house operations,in venues and in arts organisations. Hospitality skills are a brilliant start point for an array of careers.

In the end regardless of the investment in ever faster digital solutions the basic building block of any organisation is its people and great people skills transcend technology.

If you are planning your career or changing direction this map is great start point. Well done UKSP.

Britain's most popular science festival is Manchester Science Festival.

2010-02-01T04:31:00.001-08:00

Over 100,000 people flocked to the 2009 Manchester Science Festival – making it the most popular event of its type in the UK.

Manchester Science Festival is one of the UK’s newest and freshest science festivals with last year’s event attendance increasing from 65,691 in 2008 to 102,288.

“Science festivals like Manchester's are fantastic at putting science in front of the widest possible audience. They convey the wonder and importance of science and engineering to people at all ages.” Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson

Visitors came from the Greater Manchester region, the UK and overseas to enjoy a total of 317 events, exhibitions, school workshops and community projects created by 57 organisations.

Events were held in 48 public, cultural, community, academic, educational, social, indoors and outdoors locations.

In total, 43,112 people attended events, 58,374 visited exhibitions and 802 took part in the schools programme.

The majority of events were free and many were fully booked, including;

Dr Bunhead's crash test jelly babies - Manchester Central
The Luck Factor with Richard Wiseman - MOSI
Nick Arnold : The Horrible Science Show – Zion Arts Centre
Childhood obesity debate – John Rylands Library
Geek girl dinner - Sweet Mandarin restaurant
Human evolution talk by Steve Jones – Bolton Museum
Blood, vampires and science debate and film – Cornerhouse
Robot hack day – MadLab

Natalie Ireland, Festival Director, said: “Manchester is a great science city, boasting legendary figures like Rutherford and Turing, so it’s only right that it has a great science festival for everyone to enjoy and participate in.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with the attendance figures and it’s a great credit to everyone involved in the Festival, many of whom gave up hours of their time to help run events.

“Huge thanks must also go to our partner organisations and our funders, whose support allowed us to run a very successful and enjoyable week of events.

“We’re certainly not resting on our laurels and we are already busy planning our programme for Manchester Science Festival 2010, which promises to be bigger and better than ever.

“We’re always keen to get feedback and improve what we offer, and I would encourage anyone with ideas and suggestions for future Festivals to get in touch.”

The 2009 Festival was supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), MOSI and Siemens.

Manchester Science Festival 2010 will take place from Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 October. Be there.

Not so Mad Men

2010-01-28T04:16:00.000-08:00

I was brought up to be doubtful about advertising agencies and their claims. In my life to date I have probably been responsible for millions of pounds of advertising spend living under the Henry Ford aphorism that half the money I spent on advertising works the other half I wasted, trouble is I didn't know which half.

Obviously the internet has revolutionised that part of the world and google analytics can tell you very precisely which part of your advertising works. By simply timing certain advertisements and linking them to on-line calls to action you can waht works.

Communications jedi Peter Saville only confirmed my views about ad agencies when he explained that if you do something worth writing about, the press will carry the story for you, and give you more coverage in more places than advertising ever could. A view I wholeheartedly agree with.

Imagine my surprise then on meeting Ian Helsby and Richard Forman of Frank, an Ad Agency, and hearing them talk about behavioural economics. Frank, who look after some very big clients in the leisure and tourism field, have gone some lengths to remove the doubt about marketing impacts and their approach left me thinking that Henry Ford can be consigned to the last century.

What was even more interesting is how fully they embrace the Saatchi Lovemarks argument about sensory impacts in marketing and the pursuit of memorable experiences. If you are in a dilemma about ad spend I think they are worth checking out.

Innovate with Confidence

2010-01-27T02:21:00.000-08:00

Innovate with Confidence is a new programme that will enable SMEs to open the doors to innovating quickly, reliably and successfully in a changing world.
During a course of four workshops, managers of Greater Manchester SMEs will work with experts such as Nigel Newman of the Edward de Bono Foundation UK - one of only 5 global lifetime master trainers that would usually only be available to the country's largest companies.

The practical 1-day workshops combine insights from business model engineering, neuroscience and practical thinking skills to help leaders develop a fresh perspective to apply current solutions to overcome their immediate business challenges.

The scheme has been described as “a groundbreaking opportunity” by Greater Manchester Chamber’s President, Moneeb Awan, who adds, “Irrespective of the size of your business, the practical benefits of Innovate with Confidence are hugely important. SMEs will learn to develop the tools, embody the perspective and cultivate the contacts to make successful innovation an in-built habit.”
There are just 25 places available on the programme, which starts on 23rd February. Each place has a value of £1800 but is available at a heavily subsided cost of just £99 for all 4 workshops, thanks to the support of the Manchester Innovation Investment Fund. Demand is expected to be strong so companies keen to develop the tools and insights to innovate with confidence are urged to register via http://www.innovatewithconfidence.com

Take a canal boat to a Man Utd game

2010-01-21T04:48:00.001-08:00

The Manchester Concierge Network have alerted us to this excellent way of getting the most out of the match day experience at Old Trafford. Head down to the Mark Addy and enjoy a pint and some lunch from Robert Owen Brown's excellent menu and then hop on the canal boat moored outside, which will take you down to Old Trafford in time for the game and bring you back to the Mark Addy after the match. See this pdf for more information.

Traffic free return to Old Trafford on a match day for just £9? Manchester Made it Easy.

The People's History Museum is re-opening soon.

2010-01-20T03:22:00.000-08:00

After a £12.5m redevelopment, the new People’s History Museum opens on Saturday 13 February 2010. Come with friends and family to help test drive the new museum before the official opening a few weeks later.

Telling the story of the history of the fight for democracy, this iconic new building holds bigger and better galleries with even more interactives and activities for visitors of all ages to have a go at. The museum also holds changing exhibitions, an education service, the Labour History Archive and Study Centre, the Textile Conservation Studio, corporate facilities, a new shop selling unique books and gifts and a new cafe, complete with the sunniest riverside terrace in Manchester!

Visit the website for more information www.phm.org.uk

MMiE Slide pack 15th January 2010.

2010-01-15T05:20:00.000-08:00

The Manchester Made it Easy community continued this morning at the marvellously redeveloped Manchester Central among Big Brother auditions and the Holiday and Travel Show.

The slide pack is now available for download here

The Concierge Road Show is launched

2010-01-14T03:54:00.001-08:00

Russ Green Concierge,
originally uploaded by World Class Service.

Over 50 people gathered at City Inn on a cold snowy Friday in January. The reason for people braving the elements to be there was the launch of the Manchester Concierge Road Show. This event, the first of its type in the North West brought together front desk staff and vendors for a day of training and a pocket sized exhibition.

The event was a huge success Russ Green, Chairman of the Manchester Concierge Network said “I really believed the front desk folk in this city deserve a community event of their own but even I was taken aback by how many people braved the sub zero temperatures to be part of it”.
The Road Show which included updates on lifestyle trends and service skills was well recieved by the audience and supported by Co-operative Travel Services, Sapporo Teppanyaki , Harvey Nichols and The Museums and Galleries Consortium.

Fellow event producer Howard Raynor, Managing Director at World Class Service was also one of the presenters on the day commented “These people influence thousands and thousands of visitors every year the idea of bringing them together as a community with a common interest in service issues is a great idea, we were delighted to be part of it”.

Raynor also commented “We will be putting information out about the community in various formats and networks, in true 2010 style we will be using Flickr, You Tube, Web site and Blogs to help build the profile of this network, we hope more people will join the enterprise for future events”.

3D FILMS AT THE ODEON 2010

2010-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

Avatar is consistently selling out at the IMAX in Manchester so we thought we'd give you the heads up on the 3D films we've got to look forward to this year at the Odeon in Manchester's Printworks.

Toy Story 3D – 22nd Jan
Battle for Terra – 12th Feb
Alice in Wonderland – 3rd March IMAX
Piranha – 16th March
How to Train your dragon – 2nd April
Street Dance 3D – 25th May
Beauty and the Beast - TBC
Shrek forever After – 9th July
Toy Story 3 3D – 23rd July
Cats and Dogs 3D – 4th August
Step Up 3D – 6th August
3D Resident Evil – 19th September
Shrooms2 – TBC – Likely October
Despicable Me – 15th October
Guardians of Ga Hoole – 15th October
Alpha and Omega – 22nd October
Saw 3D – 22nd October
Jack Ass 3D – 5th November
Oobermind – 3rd December
Rapunzel – 17th December
Yogi Bear – 17th December
Tron:Legacy – 24th December

MMiE meeting. Friday 15th January

2010-01-13T03:48:00.000-08:00

Manchester Central on 15th January at 10.00am. (Central 8 - Access via the Charter Foyer).

2009 has been a tough year. Manchester’s better than national performance suggests that working together has got to be better than working apart and something is definitely going right, but 2010 is about action rather than defence. A fragile recovery means new business. The original Manchester Made it Easy mission is to meet as a community of lifestyle, hospitality and cultural businesses to talk about common issues and opportunities. The format is network, hear the latest, network some more then act.

The Agenda is straightforward and one hour long; progress on the issues of 2009, key milestones in 2010 where we can work together to improve business performance and to hear from Manchester biggest new catch the TUC! 3000 new delegates in Manchester in September 2010. Hear straight from the conference organisers what their delegates look for in a city and how you can extend the best possible welcome.

2010 the moment of opportunity or stay in the dugout?

We would love to see you there and don’t hesitate to speak up.

If you would like to attend and have not received an inviation, please contact Louise

Manchester Made it Easy quote of the year for 2010 - “Well done is better than well said.” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Staycation 2010

2010-01-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Statistics released by VisitEngland from the UK Tourism Survey claim to show that the “staycation” phenomenon was a reality last summer. The number of holiday trips taken by Britons within England in the three peak summer months was up by 22%. The amount spent increased by 20%, compared with the same period in 2008. A rise in family holidays was also recorded, with a 33% increase in trips made by households with children.

So far so good but what about 2010 will people having faced one of the toughest winters for decades be content with the unpredictable UK weather. Well, there are plenty of reasons why they should. Here are just the top 5!

1. Self catering is in. People like to eat what they like to eat and we are getting more accomplished at preparing it and since you can buy pretty much anything you like to eat at any of the larger population centres you won't find yourself eating things you don't like or that aren't prepared how you want them.

2. The Eurozone still looks frighteningly expensive by comparison to the UK, the Euro, at tourist rates, is still almost at parity with the pound which makes travel and specifically hotels, food and drink in Europe feel like a luxury purchase.

3. The quality of food and drink on offer in the UK hospitality market is significantly better than it was even 5 years ago. The choice is wider and quality is higher for those who can afford to eat out.

4. The sustainability argument of staying in the UK carries weight with an ever larger number of customers. Air travel which it has to be said is becoming more efficicent with every new aeroplane, is considered to be worse for the environment than staying at home. Price sensitivity will in the end be overtaken by green sensitivity.

5. The summer of 2010 will be a time of uncertainty, the election will have gone through and regardless of the flavour of government austerity will be a requirement to get the economy back in its cage, this combined with VAT increases, interest rates and inflation are likely to create an unpredictable second half to the year. Customers are likley to remain defensive following the lower cost lifestyles they have had to adopt over the past year and half.

Top Ten Things for a Family Christmas in Manchester

2009-12-16T03:55:00.001-08:00

We liked this from Creative Tourist (whose feed, you will find on the right of this blog).

The Family Survival Guide for Christmas in Manchester

Greater Manchester confirmed as Low Carbon Area

2009-12-10T06:04:00.001-08:00

Announced as the First Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) for the Built Environment by the government, Greater Manchester is expected to save 6 million tones of carbon, create an additional £650m to the economy and support 34,800 jobs. Source: Crains

24:7 shows win two MEN Awards

2009-12-10T04:55:00.000-08:00

At the 2009 Manchester Evening News Awards 24:7 Theatre won in two categories

Best Fringe Production
As We Forgive Them
by Richard Vergette

The judges said: “Another brilliant year at 24:7 very nearly gave the festival of new writing a clean sweep in this category with the likes of Alistair McDowall’s provocative 5:30, Richard Vergette’s searing As We Forgive Them, Steve Pearce’s intelligent Freshers and Eve Steele’s inventive Lub You standing out amidst a very impressive batch. The set of short plays at the new J.B. Shorts evening, where now-established TV and radio writers return to their pub theatre roots, were also greatly enjoyed. But, by a short head, it was As We Forgive Them that finally took the prize.”

Best Fringe Performance
Eve Steele
for her performance in Lub You (which, by the way, she also wrote!)

The judges said: “An actual clean sweep for 24:7 in this category, with many of the same plays - Freshers, As We Forgive Them and Lub You - demanding further attention for their performances. Christine Clare from Freshers, Eve Steele for Lub You and both performances in As We Forgive Them, namely Richard Vergette and Joe Sims, socked it out with Nicholas Osmond’s near-standup turn in Phys-Ed. Our judges ended up agreeing with audiences at the festival that it was Eve Steele who stood out.”

Reaching the audience at the Concierge Roadshow

2009-12-08T02:53:00.000-08:00

Do you supply services or products to guests and visitors to Manchester?

Do you want to make contact with 50 – 60 key front desk personnel who advise and direct guests and visitors to alert them to your services, special offers or what’s new?

If so, take a sales desk at the Concierge Roadshow; The first event of its kind on January 8th 2010 at Manchester City Inn. Vendor options are from £50 to £200 for a sales desk. Astonishing value for money and a new network.

Interested? If you would like to read more visit www.worldclassservice.co.uk
If you would like to talk to someone about the day call Howard or Louise on 0161 456 6007 or by e:mail at louise@worldclassservice.co.uk

World Class Service Leadership Course

2009-12-07T03:14:00.000-08:00

World Class Service is opening its service leadership programme for a series of 2 day courses based at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th Feb 2010

The first course, led by Howard Raynor, covers service leadership issues, market updates, key business issues of service, how to implement high service standards, motivation of teams, customer recovery and some of the secrets from the world’s most highly regarding service companies.

The course is now open for reservations.

Key benefits of this highly regarded programme include a clear method for looking at total service delivery, a clear method for improving service standards, how to add value through service behaviours, how to maximise sales through service, up to the second market news and how to recover the situation if things go amiss.

Programme is supported by hand out pack and online resource centre. Course size is limited to 15 delegates in total. Cost is £295.00 + VAT per person.

Click here for more information

Interested? Contact Howard Raynor on 0161 456 6007 or by email

Please note this course is eligible for small business support from Business Link. Speak to Howard or Business Link for more information.

The Concierge Roadshow

2009-12-07T02:56:00.000-08:00

World Class Service and Manchester Concierge Network have teamed up to get 2010 started with a bang. Join us at City Inn on Friday 8th January for an all new event, The Concierge Roadshow.

This event is for anyone with a reception desk and customers. Expect fresh ideas, three great workshops, a whole new network to start the year and some fantastic inspiration for your team and customers. And that isn’t even the best news, the best news is attendance is free to your staff thanks to Co-operative Travel Services and our vendor desks who will be on hand to talk your team through their products and services. What else were you going to do on a Friday in January?

Save the date in your diary, more details to follow.
To help us with numbers , and if you haven't already, can you please RSVP to Louise at World Class Service if you think you are any members of your front desk team would like to attend. Numbers are restricted to 4 from any one venue.

Hope you can make it.

Manchester Made it Easy January 15th 2010

2009-12-04T05:47:00.000-08:00

2009 has been a tough year. Manchester’s better than national performance suggests that working together has got to be better than working apart and something is definitely going right, but 2010 is about action rather than defence. A fragile recovery means new business. The original Manchester Made it Easy mission was to meet as a community of lifestyle, hospitality and cultural businesses to talk about common issues and opportunities. The format is a network, hear the latest, network some more then act.

You are invited join the next gathering of this community, this time the totem pole will be at Manchester Central on 15th January at 10.00am. The Agenda is straightforward and one hour long; progress on the issues of 2009, key milestones in 2010 where we can work together to improve business performance and to hear from Manchester's biggest new catch the TUC! 3000 new delegates in Manchester in September 2010. Hear straight from the conference organisers what their delegates look for in a city and how you can extend the best possible welcome.

2010 the moment of opportunity or stay in the dugout?

We would love to see you there and don’t hesitate to speak up.

Manchester Made it Easy quote of the year for 2010 - “Well done is better than well said.” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

2010 Events

2009-12-04T03:53:00.000-08:00

If you're putting together your business plan for 2010, it's a good idea to keep an eye on what's happening in the city and beyond.
Meetings may be slightly down on attendance during the FIFA World Cup and Manchester will be full of scientifically minded people in March and October with the Big Bang Fair and Manchester Science Festival.

Winter Olympics (February 12-28) in Vancouver
6 Nations Rugby (February 6 – March 26)
Chinese New Year (February 14)
The Big Bang Fair (March 11-13) Manchester
Irish Festival Parade (March 14) Manchester
Grand National Festival (April 8-10) at Aintree
European Individual Badminton Championships (April 8-10) MEN Arena
Future Everything (May 12-15)
Queer Up North (May 14-31)
FIFA World Cup (June 11 – July 11) in South Africa
Wimbledon (Jun 21 – July 4)
Manchester Jazz Festival (July)
World Lacrosse Championships and Festival (July 20-24) Manchester Uni
The Open Championship (July 15-18) at St. Andrews
Tour de France (July 3-25)
24/7 Theatre Festival (July 26 –August 1)
Manchester Pride (August Bank Holiday)
TUC Conference (September 13-16) - 3,000/day - Manchester Central
Ryder Cup (September 30 – October 3)
Manchester Food and Drink Festival (October)
Manchester Science Festival (October 23-31)
Manchester Comedy Festival (October)
Manchester Literature Festival (October 14-24)
In The City ITC (October)
Christmas Markets (November – December)

2010 Highlights at the Palace Theatre and Opera house in Manchester

2009-12-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

Les Miserables. The Palace. 19th Jan – 13th Feb
Riverdance. The Palace. 12th – 17th April
English National Ballet Cinderella. The Palace. 21st – 24th April
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Palace. 27th April – 15th May
Hairspray. Opera House. 13th – 31st July

MEN Arena concerts and events 2010

2009-12-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Click here for the latest information on the MEN Arena's confirmed events for 2010

Manchester Art Gallery exhibitions programme 2009 - 2010

2009-12-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

Fantasies, Follies and Disasters: The Prints of Francisco de Goya
Until February 2010
Free entry

Fantasies, Follies and Disasters features 30 prints selected from the artist’s three best-known and most significant groups of etchings: Los Caprichos (The Fantasies), Los Desastres della Guerra (The Disasters of War), and Los Disparates (The Follies). The works are all drawn from Manchester Art Gallery’s superb collections, and have not been exhibited together as a group for over 20 years.

This exhibiton will be followed by a second series of prints by Franscisco de Goya from
February 2010 – July 2010
Visual Dialogues: Disasters of War
6 October 2009 – July 2010
Free entry

Disasters of War (1993), Jake and Dinos Chapman’s gruesome sculpture, is being exhibited alongside the gallery’s current exhibition of Goya prints. Inspired by Goya’s etchings of the same name Disasters of War depicts atrocious acts of violence carefully and painstakingly reconstructed with expertly crafted miniature figures. The loan forms part of the gallery’s 2009 – 2010 annual Visual Dialogues partnership with Tate and young people from Manchester.

Angels of Anarchy: Women Artists and Surrealism
26 September 2009 – 10 January 2010
£6 (£4 concessions, free entry for under 18s and Manchester Art Gallery Friends)

This is the first major exhibition of women artists and Surrealism to be held in Europe.
Featuring over 150 artworks by 32 women artists, the exhibition is a celebration of the crucial, but at the time not fully recognised, role that women artists have played within Surrealism.

Andrew Bracey: Animalation
31 October 2009 – 28 February 2010
Free entry

Animalation is a playful and intriguing exhibition of new and recent works by Manchester-based artist Andrew Bracey. Specially curated for Manchester Art Gallery, this solo exhibition features a selection of quirky animated artworks inspired by animals and influenced by flip-book techniques.

ARTIST ROOMS Ron Mueck
4 February – 11 April 2010
Free entry

Ron Mueck’s hyper-real sculptures of the human figure are tender portrayals of people in their most intimate, isolated and vulnerable moments. This exhibition features three of his remarkable, out-of-scale sculptures.
ARTIST ROOMS on Tour with The Art Fund supported by the Scottish Government is an inspired partnership with the UK’s independent art charity and national government enabling Tate and National Galleries of Scotland to display ARTIST ROOMS throughout the UK.

Facing East
Recent works from China, India and Japan from the Frank Cohen Collection
4 February – 11 April 2010
Free entry

This is an exceptional opportunity to see a dozen of the most exciting works from the Frank Cohen Collection, many of which have never been exhibited publicly before. These groundbreaking contemporary paintings and sculptures by major artists from India, China and Japan include Bharti Kher’s The Skin Speaks A Language Not Its Own (2006) - a lifesize elephant with skin made entirely of bindis and He An’s Matrix (2007) - fibreglass figures inspired by kung fu fight scenes from The Matrix films.

Women Like You
6 March – 9 May 2010
Free entry

For over a year, artist Charlotte Newson has been gathering photographs of women who have inspired the people of Manchester. For this unique project in celebration of International Women’s Day (8 March) she will be combining hundreds of these images to create a large photo-montage dedicated to the Manchester-born leader of the British Suffragette movement Emmeline Pankhurst.

A World Observed 1940 - 2010: Photographs by Dorothy Bohm
24 April – 30 August 2010
Free entry

This will be the first comprehensive retrospective of Prussian-born and London-based photographer Dorothy Bohm, widely acknowledged as one of the doyennes of British photography. This exhibition will feature around 250 photographic images that trace her career spanning more than six decades and several continents, including time spent as a student in Manchester. It will also include documentary materials such as cameras, books, exhibition posters, family photographs and correspondence with photographers and artists. A new film is being produced especially to accompany the exhibition. The show will also tour the UK and overseas.

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: A New Commission (working title)
11 September 2010 – 9 January 2011
Free entry

Mexican-Canadian Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is an electronic artist who produces large-scale interactive installations. He uses robotics, projections, sound, internet and other devices, usually working with new technologies and custom-made physical interfaces to create his dynamic works. His critically-acclaimed work in kinetic sculpture, responsive environments, video installation and photography has been shown in over thirty countries, including Biennials in Venice (Italy), Istanbul (Turkey), Havana (Cuba), Sydney (Australia), Liverpool (UK) and Shanghai (China). Now he will be producing a new commission especially for Manchester Art Gallery.

50% off tickets for BBC Philharmonic on Friday 4th December

2009-12-03T03:37:00.000-08:00

Khachahturian Introduction, Hopak and Sabre Dance from Gayane

Dallapiccola Marsia (ballet)

Tchaikovsky Suite, Swan Lake

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

The BBC Philharmonic orchestra is offering a very special 50% discount for tickets in Area B, which includes seats in the centre stalls and circle. Tickets will cost just £12.50 with the discount. (No other discounts or concessions apply with this offer).

To take advantage of your 50% discount for this concert you simply need to quote ‘BBC7’ when booking. You do this: in person at The Bridgewater Hall Box Office 10am – 6pm (8pm on event nights), by phone on 0161 907 9000 (£2 transaction fee), online at www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk (£1.50 transaction fee).

The usual ticket prices are available for all other seating in the Hall. A £31, B £25 (half price on 4 Dec), C £21, D £17, E £12, and F £9. A 20% discount is available to Friends of the Philharmonic, under 26 and claimants. Disabled patrons are entitled to 50% discount and Senior Citizens can receive 30% discount.

Delta Airlines restart Manchester to New York JFK

2009-11-30T01:57:00.000-08:00

Delta Airlines will fly from Manchester to New York JFK again from May 2nd 2010. The airline had temporarily suspended the service due to low demand during the winter.

Manchester Evening News Arena Events

2009-11-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

Here are the confirmed events at the MEN Arena for the next 12 months.

Training courses with The Manchester College

2009-11-26T04:56:00.000-08:00

Recruitment

Well trained candidates, with relevant, up-to-date skills can have a positive impact on any business. With free training initiatives attached to recruitment, The Manchester College can provide your business with these job ready individuals, as well as a wide range of other tailored employment solutions – all completely commission free.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships offer a cost-effective way to develop highly skilled and productive employees. Participating in an Apprenticeship programme ensures that you will have employees that are not only trained to industry standards, but understand the unique values of your organisation. Apprentices are paid by their employer while they are training and learning, and all training costs are met by The Manchester College.

Work Placements

Your business could benefit from offering students work placements because they allow you the opportunity to appraise the potential of possible future employees and learn from their up-to-date knowledge and skills. It's a great opportunity for students as well, as they really do value the practical experience and contacts that they gain from work placements.

Offender Learning

The Manchester College provides ex-offenders with learning and skills, enabling them to gain the skills and qualifications they need to be job ready and play a positive role in society. If you are recruiting, why not consider looking at what these individuals could offer your business.

To discuss your recruitment requirements in further detail please contact the Business Support Team on 0800 068 8585 and select option 1 or email bst@themanchestercollege.ac.uk

Short courses

Our administration and support services courses offer the full range of skills that office workers require.

Courses available include:

Intermediate Word 27/01/2010 £99 per delegate

Introduction to Powerpoint 28/01/2010 £99 per delegate

The Effective Administrator 15/01/2010 £105 per delegate

The Professional Receptionist 22/01/2010 £105 per delegate

To view the full range of courses available please click here to download a full list.

All our courses can be tailored to suit the requirements of the employer and employees. Courses can be delivered at your premises or at one of our college sites.

To book, please call the Business Support Team on 0800 068 8585 and select option 1 or email bst@themanchestercollege.ac.uk

The MHA Award Winners 2009

2009-11-20T03:46:00.001-08:00

The MHA Award Winners 2009,
originally uploaded by World Class Service.

The photographs of this year's winners are now available on the World Class Service flickr page.

To view the photographs and find out a bit more about the winners, visit www.flickr.com/photos/worldclassservice/

The photographs were taken by Teresa Dietrich www.teresadietrich.com

Excellent Taxi Drivers

2009-11-20T02:32:00.000-08:00

Over 350 Manchester Taxi drivers have now passed Level 2 NVQ in Road Passenger Transport making them “Drivers of Excellence” in the Licensing team view.

How will you know you are in the company of an accomplished taxi driver? Easy they will have a small round pin, a special lanyard and even a smart tie. We are delighted to hear that some companies are now insisting that their drivers pass this qualification before they can join their company.

At the Taxi Drivers passing out celebration yesterday the pins were being worn within minutes of receiving them and the room was packed over 200 drivers collected their pins and ties personally. A round of applause for the city too for inviting these hard working ladies and gentlemen in to the Town Hall to enjoy their celebration.

Manchester's hoteliers raise over £30k for charity

2009-11-04T02:22:00.000-08:00

The MHA Ball is always a glitzy affair. Hoteliers know how to to party. It's not just about the city's hardworking hoteliers letting their hair down, however. The evening celebrates the best employees with the MHA awards and everyone digs deep to support charities. This year saw over £30,000 raised and the money will go to Hospitality Action and local charities Five Star Scanner Appeal and the Wood Street Mission.

Visit www.my-hospitality.com for more information.

The MHA Awards winners 2009.

2009-10-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

The MHA Awards 2009 took place at the MHA Ball at the Ramada Piccadilly Hotel on October 29th 2009. Congratulations to all the winners and shortlisted finalists. You can watch the video below and find out who won.

The List - Manchester's Restaurants

2009-10-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Manchester Concierge Network introduces "The List",

"The MCN is proud to introduce "The List" which is devoted to keeping you in the know about the Best of the Best that Manchester has to offer. The idea behind it is that there's a lot of noise out there when it comes to our city. The problem is that most of the noise about the best places tends to only happen once the pounds are paid to advertise. We plan to be your best friend, the friend who knows everyone and everywhere. We have a wealth of knowledge and decided that we are going to share it with our friends; You."

The first edition is now available below

The List - Restaurants

You can blog here too

2009-10-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

Manchester Made it Easy is all about making it easy to share information about Manchester. Are you a hotel with rooms to fill? Are you a venue with tickets left over for tonight's performance? This blog is a way of enabling you to speak to each other and whoever is reading.

There's nothing to stop you getting involved in this blog. Just send an email to World Class Service asking to become an author on this blog.

The Manchester Food and Drinks award winners are...

2009-10-13T03:25:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Of The Year
The Modern, Manchester

Best Pub
Lass O’Gowrie, Manchester

Best Bar
Apotheca, Manchester

Best Newcomer
Damson, Heaton Moor

Chef Of The Year
Ian Matfin, Abode Manchester

Best Food And Drink Retail Outlet
Barbakan Delicatessen, Chorlton

Best Wine List
Gaucho Manchester

Best Coffee Bar / Casual Dining
Folk Café Bar, West Didsbury

MFDF Award For Healthy And Sustainable Eating
Gabriel’s Kitchen, Manchester

Outstanding Achievement Award
George Bergier, head sommelier at Sam’s and Tom’s Chophouses, Manchester

INVESTMENT IN SKILLS AWARDS

Professional Bartender Of The Year
Tom Lloyd, Obsidian

Manchester Young Chef Of The Year
Michael Tate, Harvey Nichols

Manchester Young Waiter Of The Year
Matthew Dutson, River Restaurant

Love Food Hate Waste Award
Mason Arms, Atherton

Producer of the Year Award (judged by Clarissa Dickson Wright)
Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese

MFDF Cheese Challenge Winner
Garstang Blue by Dewlay Cheesemakers

Best Beer Brewed In Manchester (judged by panel at the Greater Manchester Real Ale Festival)
Dobber by Marble Brewer

MFDF starts today

2009-10-01T04:17:00.000-07:00

The Manchester Food and Drink Festival starts today and Manchester is awash with fantastic foodie delights until October 12th. Highlights are hard to pick out due to the quality of events in this year's festival so be sure to check all the listings and information at the festival website www.foodanddrinkfestival.com

We've done our best though and here's our pick of the festival

Festival Fine Food Village, St Ann’s Square
October 1-11 more detail

Independent and Local Wine Festival
October 2-3 more detail

Whiskey Festival
October more detail

Oktoberfest
October 8-11 more detail

North West Tourism Awards

2009-09-30T04:06:00.000-07:00

The winners of the North West Tourism Awards are

• Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award – Nigel Haworth, Northcote, near Blackburn
• Large Hotel of the Year - The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
• Small Hotel of the Year – Gilpin Lodge Country House Hotel, Windermere
• Bed and Breakfast of the Year – The Ashton, Lancaster
• Large Visitor Attraction of the Year – Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
• Small Visitor Attraction of the Year – Arley Hall & Gardens, Northwich, Cheshire
• Self Catering Holiday of the Year – Hall Hills, Dalston, near Carlisle
• Holiday Park of the Year – Castlerigg Hall Caravan and Camping Park, Keswick, Cumbria
• Excellence in Business Tourism – Arena and Convention Centre, Liverpool
• Taste of England’s Northwest – Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop, Kendal, Cumbria
• Tourism Experience of the Year – Farmaggedon, near Ormskirk, Lancashire
• Excellence in Customer Service – Christina Dixon, Jurys Inn, Liverpool
• Sustainable Tourism Award – Arena and Convention Centre, Liverpool
• Tourism for All – Kerridge End Holiday Cottages, Macclesfield, Cheshire
• Tourism Event of the Year – Blackpool Illuminations
• Public Space Award – Pier Head Public Realm and Canal Link, Liverpool
• Tourist Information Centre of the Year – Wigan TIC
• Travel Journalist of the Year – Stephen McClarence, The Observer

Free courses for those at risk of redundancy

2009-09-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

The Manchester College is launching a new programme designed to help people affected by the risk of redundancy due to the economic downturn. This programme is completely free to any employee that has received notification of the risk of redundancy from their employer.

Delegates can attend three one day short courses chosen from a menu of IT and

office skills. They also get the opportunity to attend an additional half-day employability skills session, which will cover CV writing and practice job searching online. 'Closed' courses can also be arranged specifically for employers that have a number of staff that would like to attend.

Courses available include Excel, Word, Powerpoint, presentation skills and professional customer service skills.

For further details please contact the Business Support Team on 0161 920 4466 or bst@themanchestercollege.ac.uk

Train to Gain with The Manchester College

2009-09-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Manchester College is a Train to Gain supplier. Train to Gain has been designed specifically to meet employers' training needs. Through this scheme employees may be able to access FREE training to help them gain a nationally recognised qualification. In addition to improving performance at work, a Train to Gain qualification might also enable employees to take on increased responsibilities.

Courses are available in a range of subject areas including office based skills, IT, customer service, hospitality, health and social care, retail and sales, and construction.

For further information on this scheme please contact a member of the Business Support Team on 0161 920 4466 or email bst@themanchestercollege.ac.uk

Manchester to host TUC conference.

2009-09-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

Manchester is set for a multi-million pound boost after clinching the TUC conference for next year. It is a major coup for the city and will bring almost 4,000 visitors over three days next September, generating more than £2m in revenue. The conference will take place at Manchester Central, formerly G-MEX, and the Radisson and Hilton hotels are bidding to be the conference headquarters, with a major exhibitor also taking over the Midland Hotel