Greater Manchester unveils UKREiiF 2023 programme

Less than two weeks remain before the kick-off of the property conference in Leeds, which will see Greater Manchester once again take over the Canary Bar. UKREiiF returns to Leeds’ Royal Armouries Museum for three days starting on 16 May. More than 6,000 attendees are expected, including representatives from more than 250 local authorities in the UK.

Among the North West groups exhibiting will be Marketing Manchester (on behalf of Greater Manchester), Liverpool City Council, Cheshire and Warrington LEP, Carlisle City Council, Marketing Lancashire, Blackpool Council, Oldham Council, Bolton Council, and Stockport Council. Like last year, the Marketing Manchester team will be operating out of the Canary Bar – this time alongside Opportunity London, rather than Liverpool City Region. The bar will serve as a networking hub at the UKREiiF for Greater Manchester and a place where property professionals in the North West can expect to run into familiar faces.

While the Canary will be mostly used for private events, there will also be a breakfast and drinks reception for the Greater Manchester team on 16 May. With the Canary primarily being used for networking, those looking to hear insight from the Greater Manchester community will have to head into the event itself. Marketing Manchester has now published its list of where you can find its private and public sectors at the conference.

A few highlights from the schedule:

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will be discussing how to futureproof infrastructure and transform transport at 11:15am on 16 May at the Bury Theatre.
Stockport Council is announcing the winning development partner for its GBP250m Stockport 8 scheme at 3:30pm 17 May at the conference’s Cinema Stage. Stockport 8 will see the delivery of 1,200 homes on eight acres in the town centre. Place North West’s own Dan Whelan will be chairing the announcement and resulting discussion about how this programme will reenergise the area.
Bolton Council will be delving deep into its vision for 2040 at a special “Bolton Blueprint” event at the Cinema Stage starting at 1:45pm 18 May.

In addition to chief executive Sue Johnson speaking, the event will also include Capital&Centric’s Tim Heatley, Placefirst’s Darran Lawless, and Peel L&P’s Stephen Wild.

You can find the full list of events below. To assist with diary-making, we’ve bolded the names of representatives speaking from local authorities in the North West.

Tuesday 16 May

9am-10am: Manchester @UKREiiF Welcome Breakfast at The Canary

9:35am-10:15am: Going Beyond Net Zero – Key Steps for Investible Clean Growth at the Beyond Net Zero Pavilion. Featuring Salford City Council chief executive Tom Stannard; Bristol City Mayor Marvin Rees; CBRE regional sustainability lead director Lydia Dutton; and Related Argent sustainability director Jamie Quinn

10:30am-11:30am: The Road to Nowhere – Joining Up Remote Economies at the Sustainable Futures Pavilion. Featuring Atkins client director of local transport Mike Batheram; Transport for Greater Manchester transport strategy director Simon Warburton; Atkins environment practice director Vicky Hutchinson; and Atkins strategic rail market director Collette Carroll

11:15am-12:15pm: Transforming Transport & Futureproofing Infrastructure – Connecting Places, People, and Business While Creating World-Class Places to Live at the Bury Theatre. Featuring Institute of Place Management chair Cathy Parker; Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham; DB Cargo head of strategy, policy, and communications Kathryn Oldale; Logistics Capital Partners director Michael Kirkland; National Infrastructure Commission chief executive James Heath; Be First chief planning director Caroline Harper; and GHD future communities lead Steve Scott

11:30am-12:30pm: Live Roundtable – Creating Better Place and Environments for Work at the Education Room. Featuring Property Week editor Lem Bingley; Wigan Council director of place Aidan Thatcher; Newcastle Gateshead chief executive Sarah Green; London Borough of Bromley assistant director of culture and regeneration Lydia Lee; Leicester City Council director of planning, development, and transportation Andrew Smith; TSP chief executive Zac Goodman; Mount Anvil chief marketing officer Lisa Ravenscroft; GHD EMEA lead for sustainability, resilience, and ESG Anna Jakobsen; Rivingtonhark executive director Mark Williams; Western Gateway director John Wilkinson; Warwickshire Property Development Group managing director Stuart Buckley; and Yoo Capital development director Dominic Holmes

12:45pm-1:45pm: Levelling Up Through Leveraging Heritage Assets at Industry in Focus. Featuring The Monastery Manchester chief executive Elaine Griffiths; Bury Council executive director of place Paul Lakin; Place Capital Group founder and chief executive David Smith-Milne; Tameside Council director of place Julian Jackson; Government Property Agency programme director Dr Anne McCann; and Fourth Street director Dan Anderson

1pm-2pm: The Future of Construction at the Wellington Suite. Featuring Better Delivery founder Jamie Parr; AESG global director of sustainability; Salford City Council chief executive Tom Stannard; BIM Academy digital director Bola Abisogun; InnDex data intelligence manager Giulia Papi; and Linkcity senior land and development management Helena Powell

2pm-3pm: The Power of Road and Rail Infrastructure to Unlock Regeneration at the Harworth Pavilion. Featuring Harworth Group chief executive Lynda Shillaw; Chesterfield Council chief executive Huw Bowen; Harworth chief financial officer Kitty Patmore; Greater Manchester Combined Authority chief executive Eamonn Boylan; Network Rail Property group property director Robin Dobson; Built Environment Networking UKREiiF host Fahmida Nisa; National Highways senior economic development and spatial planning manager Simon Emery

2:15pm-3:15pm: The UK on the Global Stage – Sharing International Ideas for Regeneration and Economic Growth at Bury Theatre. Featuring Financial Times reporter Seth O’Farrell; Thames Estuary Growth Board chair Kate Willard; Manchester City Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig; Tees Valley Combined Authority Mayor Ben Houchen; Office of Investment deputy director Ramona Jones; and Greater London Authority deputy mayor for business Rajesh Agrawal

4pm-5pm: Manchester @UKREiiF Drinks Reception at the Canary

Wednesday 17 May

8:30am-10:30am: Leadership Matters – The Role of Leaders in Successful City Regeneration at Everyman Cinema in Leeds. Featuring Avison Young principal and UK president Nick Walkley; Liverpool City Region Mayor Joanne Anderson; Capital & Centric co-founder Tim Heatley; North of Tyne Combined Authority managing director Henry Kippin; Manchester City Council strategic director for growth and development Becca Heron; Network Rail Property group property director Robin Dobson; Avison Young director of strategic advisory and place strategy Kat Hanna; and Harworth Group chief executive Lynda Shillaw

11:30am-12:30pm: Live Roundtable – Putting Heritage at the Heart of Place: Challenges and Benefits at the Education Room. Featuring South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership assistant director for economic growth Lydia Rusling; Historic England regional director for the North West Catherine Dewar; Stockport Council chief executive Caroline Simpson; U+I creative director Martyn Evans; Grosvenor head of corporate communications and stakeholder engagement Rachel Garstang; London Borough of Hounslow head of economic recovery and regeneration Kate Bull; Barnsley Council head of culture and visitor economy; and Tarmac development manager Samantha Brooman

1pm-2pm: New is Good, But Old is Better – Why Retrofit is Fundamental to Achieving Net Zero at the Newsroom. Featuring Design for Homes non-executive director David Roberts; National Infrastructure Commission commissioner Sadie Morgan; Heyne Tillett Steel associate director David Miller; Manchester City Councils strategic director for growth and development Becca Heron; West Midlands Combined Authority director of energy capital Cheryl Hiles; Fabric vice president Matt Weaver; FORE Partnership managing partner Basil Demeroutis; Bruntwood development director Aisling McNulty; and Place Capital Group founder and chief executive David Smith-Milne

2pm-3pm: Rethinking Regen: How Can We Deliver for Our Communities? at the Industry in Focus Pavilion. Featuring UK Regeneration chief operating officer Jackie Sadek; Trowers and Hamlins senior partner Sara Bailey; and U+I managing director Mike Hood

2:15pm-3:15pm: Live Roundtable – The Role of AI Integration and Strategy for a Future-Ready World at the Education Room. Featuring U+I development director Laura Percy; Intelligent Workspaces Partnership chief technology officer Toby Taylor; Intelligent Workspaces Partnership chief strategy officer Christopher Chave-Cob; Built Environment Networking UKREiiF host Fahmida Nisa; Savills property management tech and data strategy director for the UK and EMEA Sam Starling; Aviva Investors head of research Jonny Bayfield; GRAHAM divisional development director Sue Blanche; Grosvenor group innovation director Craig O’Donnell; and Willmott Dixon director Richard Davidson

3:30pm-4:30pm: Shared Success – Rebalancing the Economy in Greater Manchester at the Harworth Regeneration Pavilion. Featuring Harworth Group chief executive Lynda Shillaw; Rochdale Council director of economy Mark Robinson; Arup director Jane Healey-Brown; Greater Manchester Combined Authority director of place Andrew McIntosh; and Bury Council executive director of place Paul Lakin

3:30pm-4:30pm: Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation Announcement of Joint Venture Partner for Stockport8 at the Cinema Stage. Featuring Place North West senior reporter Dan Whelan; Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation chair Lord Bob Kerslake; and Stockport Council chief executive Caroline Simpson

3:30pm-4:30pm: Is Everything You Thought About Consultation Wrong? at the Wellington Suite. Featuring Counter Context regeneration and development director Harriet Knowles; Disability Sheffield Centre for Independent Living engagement, policy, and communications officer James Martin; Manchester City Council neighbourhood officer Bryony Carter; Counter Context director Leigh Bramall; and Darnall Well Being health and wellbeing manager Yvonne Witter

3:30pm-4:30pm: Designing from District to Doorknob – The Realities of Delivering Net Zero at Every Level at the Newsroom. Featuring Avison Young regional director for the North West Nicola Rigby; Civic Engineers chief executive Stephen O’Malley; Greater London Authority interim head of regeneration Louise Duggan; Hawkins\Brown partner Ewan Graham; Landsec head of ESG and sustainability Jennie Colville; and Lendlease director of masterplanning Selina Mason

Thursday 18 May

8:30am-10am: Breakfast with Simon Wood and The Bolton Food and Drink Festival at the Manchester and London Pavilion.

Featuring Bolton Council director of corporate resources Lee Fallows and Peel L&P executive director for strategic investment and growth Stephen Wild

11am-12pm: Implementing Nature and Biodiversity into Real Estate at the JLL Pavilion. Featuring JLL climate and nature director Amanda Skeldon; U+I development director Laura Percy; Barratt Developments group head of biodiversity Helen Nyul; and WWF-UK finance sector advocacy manager Josephine Quint

12:30pm-1:30pm: Transport Schemes – Making the Business Case at the Sustainable Futures Pavilion. Featuring North of Tyne Combined Authority Mayor Jamie Driscoll; Salford City Council chief executive Tom Stannard; Built Environment Networking UKREiiF host Fahmida Nisa; and Transport for the North deputy chief executive Darren Oldham

1:30pm-2:15pm: 15 Minute Cities – Connecting Places to People at the Newsroom.

Featuring EG deputy editor Tim Burke; U+I managing director Mike Hood; and Built Environment Networking UKREiiF host Fahmida Nisa

1:45pm-2:45pm: The Bolton Blueprint – A Bold Vision for 2040 and Beyond at The Cinema Stage.

Featuring Capital&Centric co-founder Tim Heatley, Project Etopia founder Joseph Daniels; Bolton Council chief executive Sue Johnson; Placefirst development director Darran Lawless; Stateside Foods head of product and process Lynne Cawthorn; and Peel L&P executive director for strategic investment and growth Stephen Wild