About Manchester

Manchester lies at the heart of Greater Manchester in the north west of England. The city proper has a population of around half a million, while the larger conurbation, referred to as either Greater Manchester or Manchester City Region, has over 2.6 million inhabitants. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority was created on April 1st 2011 to administer Greater Manchester, whilst Manchester City Council is the local government body for the city of Manchester.
Manchester is known by some for its influence on the histories of industry and music, and for its sporting connections. It has a large number of students. It is seen by many as the "capital" of the north of England, the second city of the United Kingdom and is home to the UK's largest airport outside London, which is owned by the ten local authorities of Greater Manchester. Others view Birmingham as the second city, but it is not an official sanction and opinion is very much divided, whilst Leeds also lays claim to capital of the north.

Social Programmes

Many of the city centre galleries and museums are free, whilst the location of Manchester places you within perfect distance of the Pennines and the Pennine Moors; Lancashire - including the action packed, fun filled town of Blackpool; Merseyside, which includes Liverpool and its Beatles heritage; Cumbria and the stunning natural beauty of the Lake District; or Cheshire, which includes the famous Roman city of Chester.

Shopping

Manchester is a world renown shopping capital; from high street names on Market Street to designer boutiques on King Street and The Avenue. Take some time out to get some retail therapy and buy a memento of your Manchester conference.

Nightlife

Organise your busy evening's plan of action around Manchester's distinctive neighbourhoods. Between them, they offer a heady mix of progressive fun, stylish innovation, and traditional good times. Nightlife in Manchester is more diverse than ever - and there really is something for everyone.

Sporting

Manchester is synonymous with sport. With four Premier League football teams and a host of world class sporting facilities you can watch or take part in sporting activities all through the year.

Dining

You can eat your way around the world in Manchester, sampling everything from Armenian to Australian to African. There are the sights and smells of Chinatown and Rusholme's Curry Mile, up-market and traditional takes on Italian, Spanish and French, and a host of international restaurants offering gourmet global fare…