Canvas Events is taking its venue concierge service north. After a year spent sourcing venues for international brands right across the UK, not just the capital, the team behind the service has decided to give one city a dedicated focus of its own: Manchester.
The reasoning comes down to scale. Greater Manchester's business events sector brought in more than £1 billion for the local economy in 2024, spread across upwards of 51,500 conferences and business events attended by 3.9 million delegates, putting it among the biggest markets for corporate events anywhere in the UK outside London. For a concierge service already fielding requests from international clients booking UK-wide, it's the obvious next city to focus on properly, rather than handle case by case.
“We've been placing international clients into venues across the UK for a while now, and Manchester kept coming up. It's one of the biggest business events markets in the country, and it deserves the same level of attention we give London. Extending our focus there properly, rather than just fielding requests as they come in, felt like the obvious next step.”
— Jacob Ortiz, Venue Concierge, Canvas Events
A track record built one brief at a time
The move into Manchester isn't a leap of faith, it's built on twelve months of doing exactly this elsewhere. Since launching as a free venue-finding pilot, the concierge service, known internally as Matchmaker PRO, has worked through hundreds of venue briefs, placing clients in spaces for conferences, Christmas parties, fashion shows, brand activations, product launches and nightlife events. Every review the service has received has come back five stars.
One booking sums up what that looks like in practice: securing The Old Vic for J&J Snack Foods, the company behind ICEE and Dippin' Dots, for its first ever UK pop-up.
“Jacob was professional, responsive, and incredibly helpful in navigating all the logistical details, ensuring everything was aligned with our requirements. His proactive communication and calm, solution-oriented approach made what could have been a complicated process feel smooth. Highly recommend Jacob and the Canvas Events team for anyone planning an event in the city.”
— Denzel, J&J Snack Foods
Momentum heading into Christmas
The Manchester push lands at a busy point in the calendar. Alongside the expansion, the concierge team is widening what it offers for the 2026 Christmas party season, adding group package sourcing and direct introductions to vetted suppliers across entertainment, production, AV and event management, so clients aren't juggling multiple contacts on top of finding a venue.
One booking is already on the books for December: a 200-guest Christmas party at an exclusive activity bar that's new to the market and not yet open for direct booking, secured through the concierge team's existing venue relationships.
“Venues for December get booked up months in advance, and planners are often juggling several suppliers on top of finding a space. Bringing group packages and vetted supplier introductions into the same service means we can now handle more of that from a single point of contact.”
— Jacob Ortiz, Venue Concierge, Canvas Events
The service remains free to use for corporate clients, brands and agencies planning an event, whether that's in London, Manchester or Amsterdam. So, if you're planning a Christmas party for your team or clients, our Manchester concierge service can find (and often unlock) venues before they're even open for direct booking. Start your Manchester Christmas party search.
About Canvas Events
Canvas Events was founded in 2013 by Sascha Michel as a venue-sourcing platform for corporate clients, brands and agencies, connecting them with event spaces across London, Manchester and Amsterdam at no cost to the planner, venues pay a commission instead. Its concierge arm, Matchmaker PRO, launched in 2025 and has since supported hundreds of corporate bookings spanning conferences, product launches, Christmas parties and brand activations.
Contact
Jacob Ortiz, Canvas Events
jacob.ortiz@canvas-events.co.uk
