The annual AEO Conference brings together business event industry professionals for networking, learning, and inspiration.
Already home to a number of events held by the AEO’s members, the association felt Manchester Central was the perfect fit for their 2024 conference.
Understanding the event brief and ambitions, our team were able to guide the organisers and support the planning at each step of the way, as well as making valuable introductions with our city partners.
The AEO are committed to cultures of inclusivity and sustainability and recognised these same values at Manchester Central. At all stages of the event, sustainability, customer service, professionalism, accessibility and inclusivity are front of mind with both parties - important factors that enhance the event to ensure everyone feels welcome.
In addition, the organisers were excited to hold their event in Manchester, giving their attendees an opportunity to experience all the city has to offer, including strong links with a range of different industries.
The main conference sessions were held in our Charter rooms and included talks and discussions led by key players in the events industry. In the evening, this space was then transformed to accommodate the gala dinner.
Our Charter Gallery was used as an exhibition area for a number of sponsors, as well as the catering and networking area during the conference. For the catering, quality, sustainability and variety were important to the organisers and our in-house team worked closely with them to create the menus for both the conference and the gala dinner. The diverse selection of food was a real hit with delegates, and the constant availability of food and drink ensured that everyone was well-catered for throughout the event.
This was the first time in over a decade that the AEO Conference was held in the North of England. This shift in location proved to be a resounding success, attracting the largest number of attendees to an AEO conference in recent years. The positive feedback from delegates highlighted the conference's exceptional value and the impact it had on attendees' professional development and networking opportunities.
The warmth of the North is visibly apparent at this venue. The team take pride in their work, their venue and their city and are great hosts and advocates for the region.
AEO
The AEO kicked off the conference with a run club followed by a yoga session, aligning with the conference theme of "motivate, innovate, create," and providing delegates with an opportunity to start their day on a positive and active note.
Manchester Central also helped to organise two fringe events in venues across the city: an icebreaker networking event at Refuge the evening before, and an after party event at Albert Schloss.
