Spotlight on Mike Mawbey, Portfolio Risk Manager
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Manchester is one of the largest creative hotspots in Europe and with the relocation of the BBC to Salford’s MediaCityUK, its creative output is only going to increase. The city has a number of creative and digital hubs to encourage SMEs in the county and nurture business growth. With this in mind, we’ve highlighted a few of the best creative and digital hubs on offer in the area…
The Sharp Project
The Sharp Project
This is a space that allows digital and creative entrepreneurs the opportunity to work in a stimulating environment surrounded by other creative start-ups.
The hub comes complete with its own community area know as the Campus, which can be used by tenants and the public for meetings, networking, and events. The hub plays host to a collection of clients and SME’s including JD Sports PLC, Kays and Pixel Kicks. The building is located near the recent Central Park development which has brought lots of regeneration to the area, offering links to other SME’s and transport connections to the city. For more information, visit their website.
MediaCityUK
MediaCityUK
The recent development in Salford has brought extra growth to Greater Manchester that has seen the likes of ITV and some BBC departments move into new offices.
Media City has provided a hub for creative talent to merge and connect. The hub is even home to some of our Future Leaders such as Carbon Digital, Yippee Entertainment, and Skylab. With its continuous development and creative environment, Media City has become a beacon for the North West and Greater Manchester that draws in new talent and business. To learn more, visit the MediaCityUK website.
Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP)
Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP)
This is a unique environment that offers residents hot desks, lab space and offices.
With five sites in the North West, MSP is the UK’s biggest science park operator. The hub can provide a range of internet speeds from 10mb to multi-Gb depending upon needs and for businesses with more specific requirements, the company is willing to provide a VLAN, P2P or Wave connection. The science park has a range of benefits for start-ups and SME’s in the creative digital sector and beyond and also offers excellent facilities and a diverse community. Visit their website for more information.
Corridor Manchester
Corridor Manchester
The Corridor is Manchester’s business answer to California’s Silicon Valley.
It’s home to 12% of the city’s employees, of which 43% work in creative businesses. Along Manchester’s Corridor are the city’s two major universities Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester. In addition to education, the Corridor also promotes small businesses and provides accommodation from small offices to high-spec working environments, with the focus remaining on the growth of business and the sector itself. Manchester also has the UK’s only internet exchange outside of London, making the Manchester Network Access Point (MaNAP) one of the busiest internet hubs in Great Britain. Find out more on their website.
Creative Industries Networking Group (CING)
Creative Industries Networking Group (CING)
CING is a community that gather together to encourage and support creative businesses; nurturing success through peer-to-peer support and providing opportunities that offer commercial success.
Members are also given the chance to learn and develop with the group, as well as attending CING hosted Business Skill Workshops. The networking group is specifically designed to help the creative industries including animation, video game development, photography, and marketing. CING welcome students and graduates as well as businesses looking to commission and/or employ creative practitioners. Visit their web page for more information.
There are a number of social hubs in Manchester designed to help small businesses and start-ups and there are frequent meetings for networking and partnership opportunities. For more information on how Creative England can help emerging creative businesses, visit our Business page.
