Marketing Manchester and the Manchester-India Partnership are set to make the most of this weekend’s ICC Cricket World Cup activity, with four days of events and activities that will amplify the mutual business and tourism opportunities available to communities in both regions.
At the Manchester-India Business Summit, hosted tomorrow (Friday 14 June) at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum, around 80 delegates will meet to discuss bilateraltrade, investment and innovation; promoting Manchester as the gateway to the north of England and its thriving creative, digital and tech sector.
On Saturday evening a Manchester-India Partnership Dinner for 100 guests at the National Football Museum will provide a chance for informal networking ahead of the most anticipated game of the ICC Cricket World Cup when India play Pakistan. Key stakeholders and business leaders will then be hosted as guests at Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday for a day of cricket, hospitality and further networking.
Two events held at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Manchester on Monday will provide a deeper dive into tourism and the importance of India as a new inbound market for the UK.
On Monday morning Marketing Manchester and VisitBritain will bring top decision makers from India’s biggest tour operators together with the chief executives of key destination partners and tourism businesses to freely discuss the market in a closed-door environment and seek advice on how best the north can reach and exploit its potential.
In the afternoon, an Indian Market Seminar for up to 150 delegates from across the north of England and including members of UKinbound – the UK’s trade association for inbound tourism – will see Indian guests informally present the opportunities that the market presents and how any tourism business can make the most of the opportunity.
Across the weekend there will also be an India-Pakistan Fanzone in Cathedral Gardens featuring live screenings of all ICC Cricket World Cup action, along with live music, entertainment and food and drink, as well as exciting street cricket activities for all to try.
Sheona Southern, managing director of Marketing Manchester, said: “Manchester is proud to be welcoming six matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup to Emirate’s Old Trafford Stadium, which includes the semi-final and the most-watched fixture in the cricket calendar that will take place this weekend when India take on Pakistan.
“Manchester will host more matches than any city in the UK, which is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our city-region to millions of global viewers and will provide a significant boost in tourism across the summer as a result. However, it’s also an unmissable opportunity to do business with key stakeholders, both in Manchester and India, bringing them together to network and discover ways to collaborate to the mutual benefit.
“Teaming up with the Manchester-India Partnership, we’ve put together five events over four days that will tap into the needs and wants of business and tourism communities, and we’re confident that the activity will deliver new leads for investment and future economic benefit for Greater Manchester and the north of England.”