Venue
Information for Delegates
1.Manchester Metropolitan University
Check the University’s website at (www.mmu.ac.uk) for details of courses, campuses and news.
The conference will take place on the All Saints campus which is about 10-15 minute walk from the city centre and from Piccadilly train station. It is most likely that the conference will be held in the Geoffrey Manton Building. You will find a campus map at http://www2.mmu.ac.uk/travel/manchester/
2.Manchester
There is a vast amount of information for Visitors on the Visit Manchester Website (www.visitmanchester.com/home)
Travel to Manchester
Manchester International Airport has flights from across the world. It is linked to the city centre by train, bus and by the time of the conference probably by metro. Train journey will take about 20 minutes to Piccadilly Station. The Bus journey will take about an hour using service 43 to Piccadilly Gardens Bus Station.
Where to Stay
There is a huge selection of hotels in Manchester to suit all price ranges. You can see reviews and prices on tripadvisor (www.tripadvisor.co.uk) and make bookings through expedia.com or booking.com.
The university website offers a long list of hotels indicating their distance from the campus and star rating. You will find it at http://www.bedandbreakfasts.co.uk/manchester-metropolitan-university-all-saints-campus/
Cafes, Bars, Restaurants
Manchester boasts a huge selection of restaurants to suit all tastes and all purses/wallets! Your best starting point is http://restaurantsofmanchester.com/ This guide provides listings of restuaurants both by cuisine and by location within the city, so you can choose the type food you want to eat and/or proximity to your hotel.
Home
For many years Cornerhouse was a thriving arts and cultural centre close to MMU and with which MMU had close links. As well as several cinema screens showing art house films there was a bookshop and an excellent café; all within a few minutes’ walk of the main campus.
The original building has now closed, in fact the university has taken over the space! Cornerhouse has merged with another leading cultural organisation, the Library Theatre Company to create a new organisation, Home. This is housed in a brand new building, a few minutes further from the campus than the old Cornerhouse. With theatres, screens and café bars it provides an excellent cultural base in the City which is well worth your exploring. Further details at http://homemcr.org/
Places of Interest
This is just a small selection of places which I think might be of interest to delegates and which are readily accessible from the university and central Manchester. For a complete listing see Visit Manchester’s pages at )www.visitmanchester.com/what-to-do)
Chetham’s, Long Millgate (www.chethams.org.uk)
John Rylands Library (www.library.manchester.ac.uk/deansgate/) For those who set eyes on Deansgate's John Rylands Library for the first time, 'library' might not be the first word that comes to mind. This masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture looks more like a castle or cathedral.
This world class collection includes the oldest known piece of the New Testament, the St John Fragment. Other treasures of the vast, varied collection include magnificent illuminated medieval manuscripts and a 1476 William Caxton edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
The Lowry (www.thelowry.com) is an arts and entertainment complex a few miles from the city centre and accessible by tram. It is found in the Salford Quays re-developed former industrial area.
Manchester Art Gallery (www.manchestergalleries.org)
Manchester Museum (www.museum.manchester.ac.uk)
Manchester Public Library (www.manchester.gov.uk/centrallibrary) is housed in a famous building in St. Peter’s Square. It has recently been extensively refurbished at the cost of more than £100 million to preserve the structure whilst allowing the delivery of 21st century public library service. The centrality and Manchester’s accessibility of the archives is a central feature.
Museum of Science and Industry (www.mosi.org.uk)
National Football Museum, Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens (www.nationalfootballmuseum.com) has around 140,000 objects on display including the ball used in the 1966 World Cup, which was about the last time that England Best Germany; though we keep trying!
Peoples’ History Museum (www.phm.org). The People's History Museum is truly unique. A national museum charting the history of the struggle for equality and democracy in the UK, it's perfectly suited to the radical city of Manchester.
Salford Quays and Media City. This is a large redeveloped former industrial area and inland port. There is now a thriving art complex, The Lowry with a theatre, shops and chain restaurants.
Whitworth Art Gallery (www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk). Recently refurbished and re-opened about 20 minute walk from the campus
Shopping
Arndale Centre is a large shopping centre in the town centre
King Street is the place for upmarket and designer fashion outlets
Northern Quarter is the upcoming area with new shops opening (and probably closing!!) all the time
Trafford Centre is a huge out of town shopping centre with restaurants, bars, shops large and small.(www.visitmanchester.com/articles/shopping/intu-trafford-centre/)
Sport
Both Manchester City and Manchester United play in the Premier League. Fixtures for September 2015 are not yet available. In both cases, acquisition of tickets could be a problem
