Manchester Central, has today announced the promotion of Lauren Hudson to Head of Sustainability and Impact, reinforcing the venue’s commitment to embedding environmental and impact-led strategies at the heart of its operations.
Having joined the venue in 2014, Hudson has a long-standing record as the venue’s sustainability lead, most recently as Sustainability and Safety Advisor.
In her expanded role, reporting directly to CEO Lori Hoinkes, Hudson will oversee the venue’s broader sustainability strategy, leading on initiatives to enhance Manchester Central’s direct environmental, economic and social contributions, as well as supporting event organisers to drive the positive impact of their events in Manchester.
She will also continue to lead the venue’s Sustainability Steering Group to ideate and implement processes surrounding sustainable innovation, education and collaboration across all departments.
The appointment aligns with the company’s commitment to contribute to Greater Manchester’s Visitor Economy Strategy, developed by Marketing Manchester – the city region’s official VisitEngland Local Visitor Economy Partnership. Launched last month by the Minister for Tourism, Sir Chris Bryant MP, the strategy aims to make Greater Manchester the most visited city-region outside of London, the most sustainable English city in the UK, and increase the economic impact of the visitor economy to £15bn, by 2030.
With ambitions to contribute to these goals on a significant level, Lori Hoinkes, CEO, stated,
“Since joining Manchester Central nearly a year ago, it has become increasingly clear to me how critical sustainability is to the long-term success of our venue, alongside our economic and community impact. To make meaningful progress in the drive to Net Zero, each business must have sustainability at the forefront of their corporate strategy, and I have been eager to ensure our venue plays its own part in Greater Manchester's wider sustainability drive.
“We are a venue which brings over half a million visitors to the city each year, and we have a responsibility to maximise the positive and minimise any negative impacts from this. We are therefore actively pushing ourselves and supporting our organisers to host the most environmentally friendly events possible, so that we can all contribute proudly to the sustainable growth of the city.
“I cannot think of anyone better suited than Lauren to lead us in this commitment. Her leadership and passion for sustainability will be instrumental in shaping the future of Manchester Central, and the wider impact we have on the region.”
Acknowledging her promotion, Lauren Hudson said,
“I’m incredibly honoured to lead on sustainability and impact on behalf of the venue. At Manchester Central, we are continuously developing our carbon management plan and net zero strategy, but our commitments go beyond just environmental goals.
“As a leading venue and business in the city-region, we’re in the unique position to be able to ensure that our operations add real value, driving economic growth and wider social impact, and it is our ambition to support our clients and organisers to do the same.
“I look forward to further shaping the venue’s journey and helping to accelerate the city-region’s progress toward its targets."
Manchester Central is one of the UK’s largest and most versatile event venues, with a capacity of over 10,000. Situated in the heart of Manchester and intrinsic to the region’s business community, the venue attracts over half a million visitors to the city each year, bringing approximately £150m into the Greater Manchester economy in an average year.
A long-respected environmental pioneer in the events sector, it spearheaded the first-of-its-kind sustainability study into the industry in 2022, which uncovered a number of barriers preventing venues from maximising eco-friendly practices and led to recommendations and solutions across all aspects of the sector.
The venue has already implemented significant practices on its 2030 sustainability roadmap, including the introduction of new waste monitoring technology and onsite compactors, reducing the number of waste collections, and a complete phasing out of single-use plastic straws and cutlery.
It has also introduced a Sustainable Travel Policy aimed at guiding employees towards more eco-friendly travel practices, in addition to ongoing sustainability training, ensuring that all staff and service partners understand the role their play in achieving sustainable goals.