Social Value- what does it mean?

In this lunchtime session we’ll be exploring what Social Value really means and more importantly what it can mean to you and your organisation.

 Key Themes:

• Why is it important?
• Is it embedded across your business and culture?
• Is it just a tick box exercise?
• How can it increase connection and creativity in      your organisation and the wider community? 

Something might be getting in the way of your culture. You probably already know what it feels like, but you might not be able to name it yet.

It might be the conversations that don’t quite happen. The expectations that shift without warning. The sense that your organisation is growing, but the team isn’t growing with it. The gap between the values on the wall and what happens in the meetings you attend

Most business owners recognise this. Very few have a structured way to understand it or do something about it.

Louisa Scanlan from Collaborate Business Solutions will introduce BREAKING® & STRETCH®, a culture diagnostic methodology built around the fifteen dimensions that determine whether an organisation quietly erodes or genuinely thrives.

This is not a talk about why culture matters. We will be using live experiences and data to enable you to explore what your organisation might be telling you. You will leave with an understanding of some areas where your organisation is strong and where quiet friction could be eroding what you are trying to build.

Whether your organisation is five people or five hundred, the dimensions we explore are universal. You don’t need to have a culture crisis to benefit, you just need to be willing to look honestly at what is happening.

Reset. Grow. Thrive.

The most successful security strategies are built on one key assumption. That at some point, some area of your security defences will fail.

If you build with this assumption front of mind, you’ll be prepared for failure and have plans in place to mitigate damage to your business.

For most CIOs and CISOs, security is about where you can tolerate risk, being clear on where to prioritise resource, and having a plan for when things go wrong.

Join Ollie Potts, Head of Product and Pre-sales at LIMA, and leave with a framework to solidify your security capability in the years ahead.

What you’ll learn:

• How to measure and prioritise risks
• How to implement a failure-based risk management strategy
• How to keep up with the pace of change in frameworks like CE+

Who should attend: CIO, CISO, Heads of IT, IT Director, Compliance Manager, Head of Compliance, CTO

An interactive workshop and tax clinic hosted by Alexander & Co, designed for business owners, professional advisers and individuals navigating the commercial and personal challenges that come with growth, succession planning and long-term wealth protection.

Celebrating its 50th year, Alexander & Co is an independent firm of Chartered Accountants and Tax Advisors, providing trusted advice to owner-managed businesses and entrepreneurs across the North West, throughout the UK and internationally.

Rather than a traditional seminar, the session will be led as an open discussion and practical clinic with Tax Partner and Head of Tax, John McCaffery, allowing attendees to raise real-world tax, succession and estate planning questions in a commercially focused environment.

The discussion will explore the key tax and planning issues that commonly arise throughout the lifecycle of an owner-managed business, from growth and profit extraction through to succession, exit and estate considerations.

Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance to: [email protected]

Questions can cover:

· business growth and structuring

· succession planning

· shareholder and family considerations 

· extracting wealth tax-efficiently

· preparing for a future sale

· inheritance tax exposure

· trusts and estate planning 

· property and investment structures 

· retirement and long-term planning 

· and current tax developments affecting business owners

The session is intended to be practical, informal and discussion-led, providing attendees with commercially grounded insight rather than technical lecture-style presentations

Many North West businesses reach a point where the ambition is there, the numbers stack up — and traditional finance no longer fits. The question isn’t whether to grow. It’s how to fund it.

Funding Unlocked brings together business owners, founders, and advisors for an honest conversation about growth finance in the North West — what’s available, how it works, and what it actually takes to access it.

Joining us on the panel are John Gray and Chris Carter from River Capital Group, the North West fund manager backing ambitious businesses across the region through a range of debt, mezzanine, and equity products. They’ll be joined by a River Capital portfolio company — a founder who has been through the process — and an advisor who works with growth businesses day to day.

Whether you’re considering your first external funding round, trying to understand where each product fits or working with clients who are at that stage, this is a practical, no-jargon conversation designed to give you a clearer picture of what’s possible.

Join us for a practical discussion on how Carbon Literacy can support hospitality businesses to engage teams, develop leaders and take meaningful low carbon action.

This session will explore what Carbon Literacy is, why it matters for the hospitality sector, and the business benefits of building carbon awareness across your organisation. We’ll also share Vision’s experience of implementing Carbon Literacy and the value of becoming a Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO).

With insights from Carbon Literacy Project and local sector voices, the event will highlight lessons, opportunities and next steps for hospitality businesses across Greater Manchester.

The Employment Rights Act changes are going to place far greater pressure on businesses to make quicker, better-informed decisions about new hires. The days of allowing someone to drift through the first 12 to 18 months of employment without clear objectives, accountability or meaningful performance conversations are rapidly disappearing.

This session is designed for business owners, senior leaders and HR teams who want to understand what good recruitment, onboarding and early-stage performance management should actually look like in practice.

We’ll explore how businesses can create structured onboarding processes, set meaningful objectives from day one and equip managers to identify concerns early, while also ensuring new starters genuinely understand the organisation’s expectations, culture and direction.

The session will provide practical tools, frameworks and guidance to help businesses make confident employment decisions earlier, reduce risk and build more engaged, accountable teams aligned to the wider mission of the organisation.

Join CNS Media for an insightful discussion on how traditional advertising channels are evolving in the age of data-driven marketing. As audience behaviour becomes increasingly fragmented across platforms, brands are under growing pressure to deliver campaigns that are not only impactful, but also measurable and accountable.

Led by senior leaders at CNS Media with extensive experience across the media and advertising industry, this event will explore how channels such as TV, Radio and Out of Home are now capable of delivering the same precision targeting and measurable performance traditionally associated with Paid Digital campaigns. Drawing on real-world campaign data, audience insights and industry case studies, the session will demonstrate how advertisers can reach highly specific audiences while accurately tracking campaign effectiveness and return on investment.

The discussion will also examine how advancements in data and attribution modelling are reshaping the media landscape, enabling brands to combine the brand-building power of traditional media with the accountability and targeting capabilities of digital advertising.

Attendees will gain practical insight into how integrated media strategies can drive stronger business outcomes, improve audience engagement and maximise marketing budgets across multiple channels. 

Whether you are a business owner or brand-side marketer, this event will provide valuable insight into the future and opportunities of measurable media.

Spaces are limited, so register now to secure your place.

This presentation explores the growing importance of responsible exterior lighting design in protecting dark skies, supporting biodiversity and creating sustainable environments without compromising  safety, functionality or aesthetics. Drawing on real-world project experience, the talk examines how poorly designed lighting can negatively impact wildlife, human wellbeing and the night-time environment, while demonstrating how thoughtful lighting strategies can achieve planning compliance and exceptional visual results simultaneously.

Topics covered include the principles of dark sky design, minimising obtrusive light, colour temperature selection, beam   control, glare reduction, adaptive lighting controls and compliance with   current guidance from organisations such as the Institution of Lighting   Professionals (ILP) and the Bat Conservation Trust. The presentation also highlights the impact of artificial light on protected species, including bats and nocturnal wildlife, alongside practical solutions such as low-level lighting, shielding, dimming strategies and sensitive spectral selection including warm and red-light applications.

Using case studies from hospitality, holiday parks, public realm, heritage and residential developments, the session   demonstrates how exterior lighting can successfully balance ecology, planning requirements, safety and visual appeal. Attendees will gain practical insight into integrating sustainable lighting principles into projects from the earliest design stages, helping future developments become both environmentally responsible and commercially successful.

Browne Jacobson’s aspiration is to be the most diverse, equitable and inclusive law firm in the UK and Ireland, creating a workplace in which everyone can thrive and succeed. This event will offer an insight into how the firm has embedded that ambition across every level of its organisation and what other businesses can take from that journey.

Browne Jacobson has been ranked number one overall in The Social Mobility Foundation’s Employer Index 2025 for the fourth time in five years, and is the top ranked law firm for social mobility for the fifth consecutive year. This achievement recognises the firm’s sustained leadership in socioeconomic inclusion and its commitment to sharing expertise across the legal sector and beyond. Attendees will hear directly from those driving this agenda at the firm, exploring the practical strategies that have earned Browne Jacobson its position as the UK’s number one employer for social mobility.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental to Browne Jacobson’s culture, embedded in its core values and fostered throughout the firm at every level through policy, education, advocacy and allyship. The event will cover key pillars of the firm’s DEI approach, including its Sustainable Gender Balance programme, its REACH (Race Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) community and mentoring programme, and its award-winning FAIRE (Fairer Access Into Real Experience) initiative, which aims to support social mobility by providing equal access to paid work experience for students who may not have direct access to connections, networks, financial support or stronger educational qualifications.

This event will be of particular interest to businesses who are looking to move beyond aspiration and implement meaningful, measurable DEI strategies within their own organisations. Through its Social Mobility Incubator — a first-of-its-kind initiative — Browne Jacobson has been sharing practical insights, tools and real-world examples with clients and organisations across all sectors to help transform their approach to social mobility and inclusion. Attendees can expect to leave with practical takeaways that can be directly applied within their businesses, whatever their size or sector.

Most organisations are good at talking change. They’re not as good at making it happen.

Research shows that around 70% of change programmes fall short, and only 1 in 4 sustain results over time. The gap isn’t strategy, it’s behaviour.

At the heart of this is something simple: people engage with change when they feel connected to it and resist when they don’t.

In this 90-minute interactive session, we’ll focus on what’s really happening behind the change, for you and for the people you lead.

Using our two simple, practical tools, the Rising Vibrational Scale and the A→B Framework, you’ll leave with clarity on:

• Why we resist change (even when it makes sense) 
• What might be getting in the way – for you and others 
• How to move things forward using a coaching conversation (and you don’t have to be a coach!)

This is a highly practical session. No theory overload. Just simple, practical tools you can apply immediately to alleviate your organisational change challenges.

As Arbuthnot Latham approaches its 10-year anniversary in Manchester, we are delighted to host a special panel discussion to mark the beginning of the celebrations. 

Taking place in Autumn 2026, this event will bring together voices from Arbuthnot Latham to reflect on how the financial, investment and regional business landscape has evolved over the past ten years. From shifts in market dynamics and investor behaviour to the changing needs of private clients and business owners, the discussion will explore the key themes that have shaped the last decade.

Looking ahead, the panel will also consider current market focus and outline where we believe the next ten years may lead us – including emerging investment trends, long-term opportunities, and the challenges likely to define the decade ahead.

This event offers an opportunity for guests to gain insight into Arbuthnot Latham’s perspective on the changing economic environment, while celebrating our continued commitment to Manchester and the wider region as we enter a new decade.

Most business leaders still picture cyber-attacks as loud, technical and obvious. The reality is very different.

Today’s attackers are not always “hacking in”. More often, they are logging in with stolen credentials, exploiting trusted suppliers, and taking advantage of information about your business that is already exposed online without you even knowing it.

Join Aruga Cyber for an in-person event exploring the cyber threats most organisations do not see coming until it is too late. Created for business leaders, senior decision-makers, and IT and cyber professionals, this session will cut through the jargon and focus on what these threats really mean for organisations today: operational disruption, financial loss, regulatory exposure and reputational damage.

The event will open with a keynote from David Taylor, Founder of Aruga Cyber, examining how businesses are being attacked right now and why so many remain vulnerable. A live demo will then bring these risks to life, showcasing the kind of dark web intelligence and exposure monitoring that can uncover issues many organisations are unaware of until after damage has been done.

The session will continue with an expert panel discussion featuring perspectives from cyber, insurance and legal specialists, exploring the wider business implications of a breach. From liability and claims to client trust, due diligence and regulatory scrutiny, the panel will address the questions leadership teams should be asking now.

This is not a technical seminar for IT teams. It is a practical, thought-provoking and highly relevant discussion for anyone responsible for protecting their organisation, their clients and their reputation

Menopause affects people in every type of workplace. Nine in ten say symptoms affect their work and one in ten leave their jobs because of what they are experiencing. Many do not feel supported and many do not recognise their symptoms as menopause at all. The result is silence, fear and a real impact on confidence, attendance and progression.
 

From April 2027, the Employment Rights Act 2025 will require employers with 250 or more staff to have a Menopause Action Plan. Many organisations still do not know this is coming. Even fewer understand how to make sure support reaches people in real roles and real environments.
 

The Menopause Charity provides trusted information. We work across communities, workplaces and health settings to improve understanding of menopause and aid the conversation. Our insight shows that people are still scared to speak, psychological symptoms are often misunderstood and those with the least power in a workplace are the least likely to ask for help. These issues are seen across all sectors and all job types.

During the session we explore:
·   The reality for employees today, including fear of judgement, lack of awareness, barriers for non-desk workers and the needs of those facing greater health inequalities.

• What the 2027 Menopause Action Plan requires and how the principles can support organisations of every size.
• What good support looks like, including confident managers, inclusive information and a culture where people feel safe to speak early and seek help.

By the end of the session you will understand the challenges people are facing, the gaps that still exist and the practical steps organisations of any size can take now to improve support and strengthen workplace culture.

Technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, but for many organisations, the challenge remains the same – how to ensure your IT estate is secure, scalable, and truly enabling business performance.

In this session, we will explore the key IT, Cyber Security, and AI trends, and what they mean for UK businesses today.

We’ll break down the importance of getting the fundamentals right – from robust IT foundations and effective use of Microsoft 365, through to aligning your cyber security posture with frameworks such as Cyber Essentials.

Finally, we’ll look at how organisations can move beyond the basics to unlock real value through AI and automation – improving efficiency, reducing risk, and driving smarter decision-making.

This session is designed for business leaders looking to better understand how to maximise the value of IT, while ensuring their organisation remains secure and future-ready.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces significant changes for employers across all sectors. Join our employment law specialists for a focused update on the key reforms, what they mean in practice, and the steps you should be taking now to manage risk and remain compliant. This session will provide clear, practical insight to help you navigate the evolving legal landscape with confidence

Value to Attendees – Outcomes

 In this workshop the attendees will learn and be able to apply the following:

• How to drive efficiency, productivity and profitability in their business
• That best actually means the most efficient, productive and profitable they can be (they don’t need to become Apple)
• What financial infrastructure they, specifically, need to work on in their businesses in order to close the gap on their competitors and best in class businesses
• The power of a Roll Up and how there is non-linear enterprise value growth through acquisitions
• Attendees benchmark themselves against the best businesses in the world to see where they are now
• How to properly business plan and use organic as well as acquisitions to grow quickly
• The extraordinary difference driving gross margins up has on the speed of success
• What great really looks like in a CFO / FD

Join us for breakfast!

Bringing together professionals from all industries to focus on performance, balance, and wellbeing.

This special edition event blends valuable networking with practical learning, creating the perfect environment to recharge, connect with like-minded professionals, and gain insights that will help you thrive throughout the year.

Guests will take part in two engaging sessions designed to sharpen both mindset and wellbeing:

Performance Psychology Masterclass: Discover proven techniques used in elite sport to build resilience, perform under pressure, and stay motivated when it matters most.

Health & Wellbeing Masterclass: Gain practical advice from a wellbeing practitioner on maintaining physical and mental balance in demanding, high-performance environments

With funding harder to secure and expectations higher than ever, businesses need a sharper approach to finance. This session is built for Greater Manchester businesses looking to move forward with confidence, whether that means stabilising cashflow, funding growth, or preparing for investment.

We’ll explore how the finance landscape has shifted and what that means in practical terms for your business. You’ll gain insight into the funding routes available right now, alongside clear guidance on how to strengthen your financial position and present a compelling case to lenders and investors.

From improving forecasting and managing cash effectively to understanding what drives funding decisions and how to avoid common missteps, this session will give you the tools to act decisively. Walk away with a realistic view of your options and a stronger plan to secure the funding your business needs.

Businesses are under pressure to innovate and stay competitive, and AI can be a gamechanger when used effectively. This session explores how Greater Manchester companies can leverage AI to create value, save time, and improve decision-making across departments.

We’ll examine real-life applications in customer service, marketing, forecasting, and operations, and provide hands-on frameworks for assessing which initiatives are worth pursuing. Attendees will also learn practical ways to address implementation challenges, manage cultural and ethical considerations, and build teams ready to work with AI tools. Walk away with clear, actionable strategies to turn AI from a buzzword into a tangible driver of growth.

In a market where buyers are more selective and decisions take longer, having a clear and consistent sales approach matters more than ever. This session focuses on how to win more of the right opportunities by improving how you position your offer and manage your pipeline.

We will look at ways to build trust earlier in the process, ask better questions, and keep conversations moving without relying on price reductions. You will come away with practical ideas to improve conversion rates and create a more reliable flow of new business.

AI is transforming how businesses operate, offering opportunities to improve productivity, enhance customer experiences, and make smarter decisions. But without careful implementation, it can create risks—from data breaches and compliance issues to reputational damage and unintended errors.

This session explores how businesses can adopt AI responsibly and effectively. We will look at real-world examples of AI delivering measurable value, as well as common pitfalls and risks to avoid. You will gain practical guidance on setting up AI projects, embedding governance, and ensuring your team uses AI in ways that are ethical, safe, and aligned with your business goals.

By the end of the session, you will have a clear understanding of how to prioritise AI initiatives, integrate them into your operations, and move forward confidently, maximising benefits while minimising risk.

The property market continues to shift, with changing demand, rising costs and increased scrutiny on developments. While there is still opportunity, it is not always where people expect it to be.

This session focuses on where real opportunities are emerging across the property landscape, from commercial and residential trends to regeneration and local development activity. We will explore what is moving forward, what is stalling, and how businesses can position themselves to take advantage.

You will also gain insight into the practical challenges affecting deals, including funding, planning and delivery, and how others are navigating them successfully. Whether you are directly in the property sector or connected through supply chains or investment, this session will help you better understand where to focus your time and effort.

With major investment and development planned across the region, including Atom Valley, there is a real opportunity for local businesses to get involved and benefit. This session will break down what these developments mean in practice and where the opportunities are likely to emerge.

We will explore how businesses can position themselves to take advantage, whether through partnerships, supply chains or future growth plans. You will also gain a clearer understanding of the wider economic picture and what it could mean for Rochdale and beyond. A useful session for anyone wanting to stay informed and make confident decisions about the future.

Attention is expensive, algorithms are unpredictable, and audiences are harder to reach, yet brands still need to grow. This event is for Greater Manchester teams who want digital marketing that performs and creativity that cuts through.

We’ll explore what’s working today across paid, organic and owned channels, including content that builds trust, creative that drives response, and measurement that proves impact when budgets are under scrutiny. Expect actionable ideas on sharpening your proposition, building campaigns around real audience insight, and connecting brand activity to revenue outcomes. Ideal for marketing leaders and growth teams who need better results without simply spending more.

In uncertain markets, strategy only works if your people believe in it. This event explores how leaders across Greater Manchester can build resilient, high-performing cultures while managing change, cost pressure, hybrid working expectations, and the ongoing war for talent.

We’ll dig into what strong leadership looks like when the plan keeps shifting: communicating with clarity, maintaining accountability without burning teams out, and creating a culture that retains great people even when budgets are tight. With practical tools and honest conversation, you’ll leave with ideas you can apply immediately, whether you lead a scaling start-up, a professional services team, or a manufacturing operation adapting to new demands.

AI is moving fast, but not every use case is worth the hype or the risk. This session gives Greater Manchester businesses a practical, no-nonsense view of where AI is already delivering ROI—think productivity, customer service, forecasting and smarter decision-making and where it’s creating reputational, legal and operational headaches.

We’ll share real examples, quick-win frameworks, and “red flag” scenarios to avoid, including data privacy pitfalls, hallucinations in customer-facing content, and automation that quietly damages culture and trust. Expect a balanced discussion, clear do’s and don’ts, and a checklist you can take back to your team to prioritise the right projects now.

Cash is king, funding is more selective, and investors want stronger evidence of traction and discipline. This session helps Greater Manchester businesses navigate the current finance landscape, whether you’re planning growth, managing risk, or exploring investment.

We’ll cover the options on the table and what funders are really looking for: improving cashflow and forecasting, preparing for lending conversations, investor-ready storytelling, and choosing the right finance route for your stage. You’ll hear practical guidance on strengthening your numbers, understanding deal expectations, and avoiding common mistakes that slow decisions down. Leave with a clearer view of what “fundable” looks like right now and how to get there.

As the world’s commercial real estate landscape continues its evolution in 2026, the office sector stands at a pivotal moment of transformation, resilience and opportunity. This timely session brings together leading market analysts, occupiers, and industry strategists to explore the defining trends shaping today’s office market and chart the path ahead for the remainder of the decade. 

Against a backdrop of economic recalibration and shifting workplace behaviour, the office sector is emerging from a period of adjustment with a renewed focus on quality, flexibility and strategic repositioning. Although office occupancy and leasing patterns were challenged during the post-pandemic era, recent data indicate stabilising fundamentals, increased investor interest in prime assets, and a polarised market where best-in-class space outperforms legacy stock.

Please note that this event is reserved for members only.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact [email protected] for more information.

Many business owners spend years building significant value on paper, but far fewer feel clear or confident about what that value will actually mean for their lifestyle once they step away.
In this practical and engaging session, we will explore the key financial decisions that arise before, during and after the sale of a business.

The focus is on helping founders translate an exit valuation into real-world outcomes: sustainable income, financial security, and a clear plan for what comes next.

We will cover:

• Why business valuation is often very different from the number founders have in their head
• How to define what you truly need from an exit (not just what you could get)
• Turning sale proceeds into sustainable long-term income
• Common mistakes owners make when moving from running a business to managing personal wealth
• How to balance opportunity, security and flexibility after a liquidity event
• The importance of aligning financial decisions with life priorities beyond the deal itself
• How the money can have a positive impact on your family post-sale. 

Please note that this event is reserved for members only.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact [email protected] for more information.

The Big Squeeze

If you’re running a growing business right now, you already know the feeling, squeezed on headcount, squeezed on costs, squeezed on time, and trying to keep up with a wave of regulatory and tech changes that aren’t slowing down.

This exclusive fireside session brings together four experts across HR, technology, finance and wellbeing to tackle one question every business owner and leader in the room will recognise:

How do I run a lean, growing business without getting caught out by things I didn’t know were coming?

Across a single, honest conversation, our panel will unpack what the next 18 months actually looks like for Manchester businesses, from the Employment Rights Bill reshaping how you manage people, to the cyber threats now targeting mid-sized firms, to the real impact of recent Budget changes on your bottom line, and why getting your retention and wellbeing strategy right has never mattered more.

This isn’t death by PowerPoint. It’s a straight-talking panel discussion with plenty of room for your questions, designed for founders, MDs and senior leaders in businesses with 20–150 employees who’d rather be ahead of what’s coming than scrambling to catch up.

Expect practical insight, good conversation, and a room full of people navigating the same challenges you are.

Spaces are limited.

Register your spot.

Brand is often the last thing founders think about before an exit – but investors often see it first.

This session makes the case for brand as a powerful commercial lever: one that shapes risk perception, builds growth confidence, and ultimately moves the dial on valuation. The central provocation is simple – two businesses with identical EBITDA can command radically different multiples. Why?

Brand strategist James Summerscales of Influential opens with a keynote on what it means to build a brand that is genuinely fit for purpose – authentic, coherent, and far more than a logo. 

James is then joined for a moderated discussion with one of the leaders of Manchester’s private equity community for a conversation on the role brand plays as a valuation multiplier, exploring it as a risk reducer, a growth accelerator, an exit narrative tool, and a marker of revenue quality.

The session will also examine why businesses choose to reframe themselves – whether to support a new growth strategy, move from founder-led identity to institutional credibility, consolidate after M&A, professionalise the proposition, or transition from challenger to category leader.

For anyone in the room asking “if our brand disappeared tomorrow, how much would our valuation change?” – this session is where that conversation starts.

Please note that this event is reserved for members only.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact [email protected] for more information.

Our panel of local funders will each give their views on the state of the funding market for M&A and growth capital in the North West.

What impact have the various ‘external shocks to the system’ had in the last 12 months and how will the legacy of these events affect the funding market in the next year and beyond?

We’ll explore whether supply & demand for M&A funding in the North West are, in the panel’s view, in balance. Do the panel feel that the range of available funding fits the specific needs of the market in the north west?

Who are the new entrants to the North West market during the last 12 months? Are there still gaps?

Is the North West self-sufficient or do business owners and advisers in the North West still need to look to London for funding? 

Why are transactions taking longer and what can be done about it?

We’ll ask the panel for their predictions for the next 12 months.

Questions from the audience are invited in advance, and on the day. 

We expect a lively debate on a subject to which all M&A advisers and funders can relate.

Private company valuations have shifted, and 2026 is proving to be a more selective and complex environment than many expected. The factors influencing value today go beyond traditional methodologies and require a clearer understanding of how the market is actually behaving.

Capital is more cautious, investor expectations have evolved, and execution risk is being more closely scrutinised. As a result, understanding how valuations are being shaped in practice is becoming increasingly important for businesses at all stages.

Hardman & Co will explore the key factors currently affecting private company valuations, and what they mean for companies looking to raise capital, transact or plan ahead.

The session will conclude with a panel discussion featuring perspectives from research, advisory and business leadership, sharing real-world insight into how valuations are being assessed, challenged and delivered in 2026.

Whether you are a founder, adviser or investor, this session will provide a clearer and more practical view of value in today’s mark.

AI isn’t coming. It’s already here. And most leaders are stuck. Not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know where to start.

How do you move forward without breaking trust? 

Without damaging your culture? Without taking risks you can’t see yet? That’s what this session is about. It’s not a technical workshop. It’s not about hype or fear. It’s about leadership responsibility.

We’ll look at how AI changes power, accountability and judgement inside your organisation. What should stay with humans. What machines can support. Where you need to stay involved.

 You’ll leave with three things:

• Greater clarity on where AI fits in your business
• A calmer way to make decisions
• Better questions to ask your team

 This isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about feeling confident enough to lead without feeling rushed, exposed or left behind.

 If you’re a leader who cares about fairness, team experience and long-term value, this is for you.

Session designed for board directors, NEDs and Trustees. Also relevant for CEOs, MDs and senior leadership teams. 

Please note that this event is reserved for members only.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact [email protected] for more information

Hiring a new team member is one of the biggest investments an employer can make—and managing their probation period well is key to protecting both performance and culture. This practical, hands‑on session equips employers / managers with the confidence and tools to guide new starters through probation in a way that is fair, structured, and aligned with the values that make their organisation unique.

With the upcoming changes to employment legislation, enabling employees with six months’ service to claim unfair dismissal, it’s never been more important to get how you do recruitment and probation right.

Through real‑world examples and easy‑to‑apply frameworks, participants will learn how to set clear expectations from day one, provide meaningful feedback, identify early warning signs, and document the probation process appropriately. The session also highlights how to support new employees so they can integrate smoothly into a team, maintain morale, and contribute positively to the workplace culture.

By the end of the training, attendees will understand how to balance legal responsibilities, good people management, and the realities of employing people and running an organisation —ensuring that probation becomes a powerful tool for growth, not a source of stress.

By the end of this session, employers / managers will be able to:

1. Set clear expectations for new starters from day one, including goals, behaviours, and cultural fit.
2. Structure an effective probation period. including check‑ins, documentation, and fair processes.
3. Provide constructive, timely feedback that      supports development while maintaining accountability.
4. Recognise early warning signs of performance or conduct issues and respond confidently and appropriately.
5. Promote positive integration by helping new employees adapt to the culture and dynamics of a team.
6. Balance fairness, legal considerations, and your      needs as an employer / manager to make informed decisions at the end of      probation.
7. Use probation as a tool for strengthening team      culture, rather than disrupting it.

Join us for an honest, thought-provoking panel conversation with men and women sharing real experiences of allyship, workplace change, and the barriers that still exist. Expect practical insights, candid discussion, and space for your questions – whether you’re sceptical, curious, or ready to act. 

Gender equity isn’t a ‘women’s issue’ and it isn’t something for women to tackle alone. When men are involved, progress is accelerated because we often hold the positions and influence to make change happen. For ourselves as well as for others.

Whether you want to work in solidarity alongside your female coworkers to change an unfair system, or you want to take on issues that affect men at work – from paternity leave to career stereotypes – we’re calling on you to get active.

As some 80% of leaders and 60% of line managers, men are brilliantly poised to make change happen in their workplaces. If you’re curious about how to get involved in inclusion as a man, or whether you ‘can’ or ‘should’, this event is for you. 

In this session, Crescent Purchasing Consortium’s Procurement Learning & Development Lead, Mark Pearson, will explore the background to public sector tendering from a supplier perspective. He will look at the processes which public sector bodies have to follow, together with the opportunities to seek appointment to frameworks from which public sector bodies call off their contract.

The session will showcase the groundwork you can do ahead of tendering to get your business ready to participate, provide you with hints and tips for improving your tender responses, and illustrate what you can do if successful (or unsuccessful) to improve your chances the next time you submit a tender. Mark will also demonstrate typical feedback that you can expect a public body to provide to you, whether successful or unsuccessful. He will also highlight changes to processes resulting from the Procurement Act 2023 which came into force in 2025 and point you in the direction of resources that are freely available to suppliers on Crescent Learning, the support toolkit for buyers and suppliers to the education sector and beyond.

If you are a supplier to the public sector looking to improve performance at tender submission, or a supplier looking to break into the Greater Manchester public sector marketplace, this event is for you.

You are giving 100%, pouring into your career, passionate about your development – yet find yourself holding back when it comes to communicating your value, advocating for yourself and owning your abilities… Well not anymore!

This session focuses on building confidence in a way that feels genuine, not forced. We’ll explore how to communicate your value, navigate self-doubt, and increase your visibility without feeling uncomfortable or inauthentic. Through reflection and practical strategies, let’s stretch beyond familiar patterns and take confident, sustainable steps to professional growth.

Ready to explore what you are really capable of?

Fireside Chat with Guy Remond, Co-Founder, EHE Venture Studio
EHE Venture Studio sits at the forefront of bringing AI-first businesses to market. In this fireside chat, co-founder Guy Remond draws on his experience, and his role as EHE’s in-house futurist, to explore what digital superintelligence actually means for the world ahead.
Guy will trace how a perfect storm of advances in connectivity, cloud computing, compute power, materials science and energy has made AI not just possible, but commercially inevitable. 

He’ll examine how AI is quietly converging across areas including hardware, robotics, and healthcare – and what that convergence means for business today and in the years to come.
This is a talk for anyone who wants clarity on the direction AI is heading: where the genuine opportunities are emerging, and how to approach them sensibly.

You’ll come away with:

• Reflections on AI’s trajectory and its real-world impact
• Current market trends and what to watch in the year ahead
• A clear view of what’s disrupting business now, what’s coming in the next 12–24 months, and where the opportunities lie

Who Should Attend:

• Whether you’re navigating the opportunities AI presents or simply trying to make sense of the noise,      this is a conversation that matters to our community.
• Business Professionals – AI is already reshaping how services are delivered. Attend to understand how it will change the way you work with and service your clients in the months and years ahead.
• SMEs – You don’t need to be a tech company to benefit from AI. This session will give you practical context for how to embrace the technology and apply it meaningfully in your business.
• Founders & Investors – Gain sharper insight into where genuine AI opportunities are emerging and how the smartest operators are approaching them.
• Anyone curious about the future – If you want to understand where technology is taking us and what      it means for Greater Manchester and beyond, this talk is for you.

In this interactive investor session, we’ll focus on how to bring those pieces together. From pensions and ISAs to wider investment portfolios, we’ll look at how to take a more joined-up approach to managing your money.

We’ll cover the core building blocks – asset allocation, diversification, and long-term planning – and how they apply across different goals, whether that’s growing your wealth, drawing an income, or planning ahead for the next generation.

We’ll also look at how to make decisions in the context of today’s market, without losing sight of what you’re investing for in the first place.

A straightforward look at how to approach investing with a bit more clarity, structure, and purpose.

Planning for succession is one of the most important decisions a business owner will make. Whether considering a sale, management buyout, private equity investment or employee ownership, understanding the legal, tax and personal wealth implications is critical to protecting value and securing the right outcome.

Join Myerson Solicitors, Rathbones and Claritas Tax for an in-person panel discussion exploring the key routes to succession, strategies for maximising business value, and the steps owners can take to preserve and grow wealth after exit.

Facilitated by Chris Wilson, Head of Business Development at Myerson Solicitors, this session brings together specialist advisers to discuss the practical considerations business owners should be thinking about now both before and after a transaction.

Why attend?

Succession Routes: Legal and Tax Considerations

Exploring the main routes to succession and their practical implications:

• Management Buyouts (MBOs)

• Trade sales

• Private equity investment

• Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs)

Succession Planning and Maximising Value

Preparing for exit and structuring for the best possible outcome:

• Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) and Capital Gains Tax (CGT)

• Preparing your business for sale or succession

• Building the right advisory team

• Corporate reorganisations and demergers

• Trusts and Personal Investment Companies (PICs)

Maintaining and Growing Value After Exit

Protecting and planning wealth for the future:

• Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax planning

• Family Investment Companies (FICs)

• Trusts and Wills

• Investment strategies, including EIS

• Pension planning
• Family and marital considerations
• Offshore planning considerations

This panel will provide practical insight into how to approach succession strategically from selecting the right exit route to planning for long-term wealth preservation.

In today’s investment landscape, technology is a direct driver of value creation and commercial performance, yet it remains   one of the greatest sources of risk to long-term success.

Join Codurance, in partnership with pro-manchester, for a commercially focused breakfast briefing exploring how leveraging modern technology is crucial to creating measurable value, maximising business growth and boosting investor confidence.

Drawing on real-world experience with high-growth and investor-backed organisations, our speakers will explore:

How technical due diligence is shaping valuation as investors place greater emphasis on resilience, scalability, technology   maturity and risk exposure.

Why the first 100 days post-investment are critical for identifying commercial priorities, unlocking efficiencies, stabilising operations and building investor confidence.

How strengthening operational efficiency, reducing key-person dependence and accelerating go-to-market can create a   more scalable and revenue-ready organisation.

How stronger technology foundations improve decision-making, enhance data quality and create the conditions for innovation, including AI, when the commercial case is right.

This session is ideal for business leaders, technology leaders, operating partners and portfolio teams who want a clear, practical understanding of how modernisation directly drives growth, reduces risk and increases enterprise value.

Employees don’t just attend events – they experience your culture through them. As organisations sharpen their focus on sustainability, HR and internal comms professionals have a unique opportunity to lead by example.

Beyond the Stage will explore how to weave sustainability into the very fabric of employee experiences, from the way events are planned and delivered to how they inspire long-term engagement. This thought leadership session brings together experts in people, comms, and events to share practical strategies, innovative ideas, and inspiring case studies that demonstrate how sustainable practices can elevate both impact and purpose.

Attendees will leave with actionable insights on:

· Embedding sustainability into internal events without compromising creativity or ngagement

· Communicating environmental values in a way that resonates with employees

· Using events as a platform to strengthen culture, boost retention, and drive meaningful change

Because when it comes to employee experiences, sustainability isn’t an add-on – it’s the stage, the story, and the legacy.