Past Place Events

Industrial + Logistics | Navigating the boom 

A surge in demand for logistics space has driven up rents and land prices but, with supply dwindling, the public and private sector will have to find ways to keep pace with the booming sector. 

Mayoral debate | Rebuilding the regions for all 

With mayoral elections looming in May, candidates of various political stripes hope to break Labour’s hold over the Manchester and Liverpool city regions, but whether less experienced contenders can break the current monopolies remains to be seen. 

What next for the GMSF? | Forging ahead and delivering  

A cross-borough plan for allocating land for homes and jobs in Greater Manchester is still the right way forward for development, but the setbacks and delays it has faced have caused market uncertainty and deterred investors over the years. 

Healthcare + Senior Living | Time for change  

Property professionals discussed what needs to change to make health centres and senior living developments fit for the future, amid the twin challenges of an ageing population and the ongoing health crisis. 

Meet the Authorities: public-private partnerships

The final Place North West conference of 2020 saw key figures from the public sector take to the virtual stage to examine the ins and outs of partnerships with the private sector, fundamental to the delivery of so many schemes.

Cheshire Development Update: Powering change

The county is well placed to bounce back from the economic hit of the pandemic, but the speed at which the private and public sectors can respond to changing trends will be key to Cheshire's recovery, according to panellists at…

Place RESI: Flexible design and green homes | Summary

The residential market is shifting in terms of its offer to buyers and tenants, but the journey towards creating homes fit for the future is only just beginning, according to speakers at the latest Place North West event.

Industrial + Logistics: a sector on the rise | Summary

Far from being only about big draughty sheds in out-of-the-way locations, the logistics industry is crucial to the region and the country, keeping goods and services moving in uncertain times, a Place North West event heard.

Manchester Offices + Workspace: paradigm shift | Summary

The office is not dead but developers and investors must put their hands in their pockets to cleverly cater to changes in occupier demand and bring people back to the city centre, according to panellists at a Place North West event. 

Liverpool Development Update: past and future | Summary

Striking a balance between heritage and growth, and fostering greater collaboration between stakeholders and developers, will be key to Liverpool's economic recovery and future development prospects, according to speakers at Place North West's latest event.

Future of Retail + Leisure | Summary

The challenging retail environment was a hot topic even before the pandemic, and varying degrees of lockdown have done nothing to ease the problems the sector faces, delegates at a Place North West event heard.

GM Development Update: post-pandemic outlook | Summary

Covid-19, while a challenge, should be viewed as an opportunity to shape the future of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs and drive meaningful development, public and private sector experts told a Place North West event. 

Radical moment for future of towns and cities | Video + Summary

The current situation presents an opportunity to make profound and lasting changes to the way our cities are designed, placing pedestrians and cyclists ahead of cars in the highway hierarchy, according to experts speaking at Place North West's latest event.

Northern Powerhouse: Levelling Up | Video + summary

At Place North West’s latest event, key figures from local and regional government, and other experts, discussed what the concept means in 2020 and whether the Prime Minister's 'levelling up' agenda can be achieved to drive the region's growth post-Covid-19. 

PRS Pipeline: Impact & Opportunities | Video + summary

At Place North West’s latest event, experts from the region’s private rented sector discussed possible changes in the development of PRS projects in future as residents' needs shift on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Redefining Business as Usual | Video + summary

Experts from the region's built environment community discussed what the industry might look like after the period of upheaval caused by Covid-19, at Place North West’s first virtual event sponsored by Luma Marketing and attracting nearly 300 live viewers. 

Lancashire Update | Summary, slides & photos

An update on Lancashire’s £430m City Deal, the county’s housing supply and the latest on Blackpool’s £1bn regeneration were on a wide-reaching agenda at Place North West’s Lancashire Development Update.

GALLERY | Place Young Things

More than 180 people attended the first Place Young Things networking event of the year, at the Science & Industry Museum in Manchester. 

Cheshire RESI | Summary, slides + photos

The future of Cheshire’s Local Plans, major residential development in Warrington, and the growing prominence of mixed-use residential sites in the region were all highlighted at this Place North West event.

Merseyside Update | Summary, slides + photos

The £5bn opportunity at Liverpool Waters, investment in Knowsley, tackling the City Region's transport troubles, and the city centre's office market were all under the spotlight at this Place North West event in Liverpool.

Place Party 2019 | Gallery + video

More than 700 guests enjoyed yet another sold-out Place Party with an evening of relaxed networking, dinner, and dancing hosted by Place North West.

GALLERY | Place Young Things

Following a successful launch at Mamucium in Manchester's Hotel Indigo in May, Thursday saw more than 100 attendees gather at Fazenda for Place's second young person's networking event.

GALLERY | Cheshire Social

Nearly 100 property professionals gathered at the Opera Grill in Chester for Place North West’s inaugural Cheshire Social.

GALLERY | Place Barbecue

More than 300 property professionals gathered at the unique Mayfield venue for an afternoon of relaxed networking at Place North West's summer social.

Meet the Authorities | Summary, slides + photos

How best to bid for local authority funding, the myriad opportunities offered by councils across their district centres in the North West, and driving value with public-private partnerships were all in focus at this Place North West event.

GALLERY | Liverpool Summer Social

A sunny evening in Liverpool saw more than 100 property professionals flock to Fazenda's terrace for the sold-out networking drinks, held in association with SATPLAN, Sutcliffe, Placefirst, Fazenda Group and Wates Group.

Cheshire Update | Summary, slides + photos

The future of Chester city centre’s regeneration, Ellesmere Port’s masterplan and whether Crewe will get HS2 were among the key topics at the Cheshire Development Update.

Healthcare Property Update | Summary, slides + photos

Integrating healthcare with leisure and social uses, the North West's huge potential to house the UK's leading science and research clusters, and challenges in designing care homes fit for the future were the main themes which emerged at the Healthcare…

Place RESI | Summary, slides & photos

The largest residential masterplans and development hotspots, as well as future housing delivery and the impacts of planning policy, were in focus at this sold-out Place North West event.

Connected Future Cities | Summary, slides + photos

This half-day event in partnership with CMS explored the latest technology revolutionising infrastructure in our cities, including 5G, energy storage, autonomous vehicles, and how property professionals can take advantage of these opportunities.

GALLERY + VIDEO | Place Cannes Do

Friday afternoon saw 500 property guests enjoy live and interactive entertainment and quality networking at the fourth annual Place Cannes Do event.

Cumbria Update | Summary, slides & photos

The next steps for Carlisle Lake District Airport, the transformation of Whitehaven, the region’s rapidly-changing retail landscape and planning troubles were all under the spotlight at Place North West’s Cumbria Update, part of the Development Series.

Lancashire Update | Summary, slides & photos

Morecambe’s Eden Project North, Lancashire’s City Deal, housing delivery targets, and city-centre living in Preston were all under the spotlight in the latest in Place North West’s development series.

North West PRS | Summary, slides & photos

At this sold-out Place North West event, the region's built-to-rent experts outlined the future of the market with global investors ready to back one of the UK's fastest-growing sectors.

Burnley: Building 10 years of growth | Summary, slides & photos

More than 4,400 new jobs, a university with 4,000 students, and 3,880 homes are all coming to Burnley, but how can developers get involved? Place North West and Burnley Council gathered the borough’s experts together to outline growth opportunities in…

GALLERY | Place North West MIPIM UK Drinks Reception

With this week seeing more than 3,000 property professionals gather in London for MIPIM UK, Place North West and Willmott Dixon hosted an evening of networking drinks for the North West property community and beyond.

Place Party 2018 | Gallery + video

More than 700 guests blew off steam in style with Place North West at The Principal Hotel in Manchester, during a fun evening of laid-back networking at the fourth annual Place Party.

Greater Manchester Update | Slides, summary & photos

Transport troubles, investment opportunities worth billions, and the long-discussed Greater Manchester Spatial Framework were all on the agenda at a packed Place North West event focussed on development in Greater Manchester.

Future of Retail | Summary, slides + gallery

With the retail sector undergoing the greatest shift seen in decades, Place North West was joined at the Future of Retail event by expert speakers to explore the current state of the market, occupier trends, and the technology set to…

Place Barbecue | In pictures

Around 150 guests joined Place North West, Hourigan Connolly and Social Communications on Friday, for a relaxed afternoon of summer networking at Fazenda in Manchester.

Northern Transport Summit | Summary, video + images

Rail chaos dominated the agenda at Place North West’s Northern Transport Summit with leaders across transport, politics, architecture and development calling for more powers to build a Northern rail, road, air, and port network fit for the future.

GALLERY | Liverpool Summer Social

Around 100 property professionals gathered for drinks and networking on Fazenda's sunny terrace in Liverpool yesterday, at the first Liverpool Summer Social, in association with SATPLAN.

U+I: Building a 2030 City | Summary, slides + photos

At this special event, U+I and Place North West hosted leading figures from the worlds of development, architecture, construction, technology, and culture to examine the next era of city growth, including U+I’s ambitious plans for the 24-acre site next to…

Role of culture in regeneration | Slides, summary + pictures

In the decade since Liverpool celebrated its year as European Capital of Culture, the city has changed dramatically. At this Place North West event, industry experts covered the economics of tourism, the relationship with leisure and retail spend, and how…

Anglesey: Energy Island | Summary, slides + photos

A special event held by Place North West in partnership with the Anglesey Enterprise Zone Board has revealed multi-billion-pound investment opportunities in Anglesey, including in nuclear power, industrial space, science parks, leisure, and more.

Healthcare Property Update | Summary + Photos

Multi-million-pound investments, surgical innovation, artificial intelligence, and estate rationalisation were just some of the key issues discussed during Place North West’s Healthcare Property Update, sponsored by Curtins, Graham Construction, IBI Group, and Wardell Armstrong.

Cheshire Development Update | Slides, Summary + Photos

Multi-million pound investment in transport, industrial, and housing, alongside emerging Local Plans and Cheshire West & Chester’s £300m Northgate project were all under the spotlight at Place North West’s Cheshire Development Update.

Place RESI 2018 | Summary, slides + photos

In a wide-ranging half-day conference, a series of experts debated the housing challenge across the North West including greater engagement with communities, the adoption of modular technology, and more inclusive design, and how these will help the region’s cities and…

GALLERY | Place Cannes Do

Friday afternoon saw a lively few hours of informal business networking, as 450 guests gathered for lunch accompanied by musical entertainment and circus performers, sponsored by Malcolm Hollis and Wates at The Principal Hotel.

Cumbria Update | Summary, slides & photos

A wide-ranging discussion at the Cumbria Update covered growth sectors such as nuclear and advanced manufacturing, as well as the challenges posed by the county's topography, and large-scale masterplans being brought forward by local councils.

Science & Technology | Summary, slides + images

Key figures from the science and tech industry have issued a rallying call for the region to work collaboratively to break the dominance of the South's ‘Golden Triangle’ of London, Cambridge and Oxford, and sell the North West as a…

Lancashire Development Update | Summary, slides + photos

There is an opportunity for huge inward investment in Lancashire but the region needs to come together to sell itself to both public and private backers, said a panel of experts at Place North West’s Lancashire Development Update.

Merseyside Development Update | Summary, slides and photos

There is a multi-billion-pound development opportunity for Liverpool City Region in the coming years, but the area must do more to prove its ambition to build new homes and infrastructure, said a panel of experts at Place North West’s Merseyside…

Place Party 2017 | Gallery + video

More than 700 guests dined and danced the night away at the third Place Party at The Principal last Thursday, as Place North West’s annual social event offered property professionals the opportunity to network in a fun and informal setting.

Universities as Regenerators | Slides, summary + pictures

Better collaboration with local authorities and the private sector will see universities taking a more active role in large-scale community regeneration, a panel of industry experts told delegates at the Universities at Regenerators breakfast event.

M60 Towns: ‘Tough choices’ must be made on green belt

The growth anticipated in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework requires tough choices to be made regarding green belt development, Cllr Richard Farnell, leader of Rochdale Council, told the audience at the M60 Towns Development Conference.

GALLERY + VIDEO | Place Cannes Do 2017

More than 450 guests enjoyed a lively afternoon of informal business networking, sponsored by Braemar Estates and Together, at The Principal Hotel on Friday.

Digital Opportunities | Summary, slides + photos

Barriers to entry into the real estate market for tech start-ups, and the challenges around updating archaic systems for property companies, formed a large part of the discussion at a proptech event delivered by Place North West and Virgin Media…

PRS in 2017 | Summary + photos

The maturing market, changing occupier requirements, and the challenges facing institutional investors in the private rented sector were all topics discussed at Place North West’s PRS in 2017 breakfast event. See below for gallery More than 130 delegates attended the…

GALLERY | Place Party 2016

A New Orleans brass band playing 90s rave classics, a swing band with vintage dancers, and a Mexican Mariachi group were among the highlights of this year’s Place Party, attended by more than 700 people.

Liverpool Development Update | Summary, slides + photos

There are currently £1.45bn of developments on site across Liverpool, with the council predicting that next year the city will hit the same construction peak as in 2008, according to a presentation at Place North West’s Liverpool Development Update.

Futureproofing Retail | Summary, slides + photos

Challenges facing new retail developments, including tech innovations, expanding leisure offerings, car park demands and consumer trends were all discussed at a varied and lively Futureproofing Retail event.

Building Innovation in Science | Summary + images

The afternoon event hosted by Arup, Fairhursts Design Group and Place North West gave an overview of the most significant science facilities planned in the region, and looked at innovative projects further afield to test the pulse of the UK…

Building the Northern Powerhouse | Summary, slides + pictures

Paul Swinney, principal economist at Centre for Cities, presented his latest research, on lessons learned for the North of England from the economies of the Rhine-Ruhr and Randstad, to an invited audience at a breakfast debate organised by Place North…

PRS Development Breakfast | Slides, summary + pictures

The definition of PRS, the high design standards required, and the speculative nature of an asset still in its infancy were discussed by a panel of high-profile speakers from across the residential industry at Place North West’s latest PRS development…

Logistics Lunch | Summary, slides + pictures

The logistics sector was labelled both “positive” and “really horrible” by industry experts in a varied debate hosted by Place North West, as the panel of developers and advisers considered the demands of a market experiencing unprecedented changes.

Science Parks Development | Summary, slides + pictures

How to foster a knowledge-sharing environment, meeting tenants’ high requirements, and the opportunities presented by technology in property were all discussed at a half-day event at Manchester Science Partnerships’ Citylabs on Oxford Road.

Healthcare Property Briefing | Summary, slides + pictures

The briefing event focused on how technology could revolutionise the design and function of the healthcare asset class, from hospitals to care homes, and how to streamline processes and boost patient outcomes at a time of acute pressure within the…

M60 Towns Development | Summary, slides + pictures

“What we’re doing to the built environment is a travesty”, according to Nick Johnson, head honcho at Altrincham Market, who made his name at developer Urban Splash. He called the current process for procuring new projects “a barrier to enterprise”.

GALLERY | Place Cannes Do 2016

More than 350 guests joined Place North West for the inaugural Place Cannes Do, in association with Braemar Estates, on Friday 18 March.

Place RESI: We need more than a plan to build houses

Cllr Sue Derbyshire, leader of Stockport Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s planning lead, focused on issues of viability when speaking at the Place RESI conference, saying: “There are 47,000 units that have permission in Greater Manchester and haven’t been…

Wellbeing At Work | Summary, slides + images

With staff sick days estimated to cost the economy £14bn each year, a key topic at Place North West’s Wellbeing at Work event was how employers could use office design and incentives to boost productivity and health in the workplace.

Northern SME Housebuilders Lunch | Summary, slides + images

An expensive planning system, skills shortages and increasing land values are doing nothing to dampen the spirits of optimistic housebuilders, according to the panellists at Place North West’s Northern SME Housebuilders’ Lunch in association with Lloyds Bank.

PLACE PARTY – GALLERY

All the images that are printable from the inaugural Place Party held at Manchester Hall last week in association with Manchester Property Forum, New Bailey, Hill Dickinson, and Cowgill Holloway.

Art + Place: Developers on Collecting

“Buying art is one of the best things anyone can do”, according to Urban Splash chairman Tom Bloxham, speaking on a Place North West panel at Buy Art Fair which examined the artistic tastes of high-profile property developers, and how…

Art + Place: Cultural Capital

In the first of two sessions delivered by Place North West during the three-day Buy Art Fair in Manchester, an architect, urban designer and gallery director looked at the role of art and culture in shaping cities and developments. [GALLERY…

Future of Shopping Centres: Summary + pictures

Turmoil and opportunities caused by e-commerce, the rise of food and beverage occupiers, the changing shape of anchor store deals were all discussed at Place North West’s Future of Shopping Centres breakfast event. [GALLERY]

Universities as Regenerators: Summary, slides + pictures

With higher education institutions playing an increasing role in the growth of cities, Place North West hosted a conference at the Citylabs 1.0 science workspace off Oxford Road in Manchester city centre, sponsored by Sheppard Robson, Hill Dickinson and Manchester…
Place North West: For property and regeneration professionals