Manchester’s Growth Engines: Sector Clusters Powering Jobs of the Future at MIPIM 2026

Manchester will showcase the strength of its innovation economy at MIPIM 2026 with a dedicated panel exploring how the city-region’s sector clusters are driving employment growth and creating new investment opportunities.

Taking place on Thursday 12 March, 3.15pm–4pm (CET) at the Manchester Stand, the session – “Manchester’s Growth Engines: How sector clusters are powering jobs of the future” – will bring together leaders from across the city-region’s economic ecosystem.

Panel speakers

The discussion will be moderated by Sam Booth, CEO of Pro‑Manchester, and will feature:

• Joe Manning, Managing Director at MIDAS
• Sam Darby, Development Director at Bruntwood SciTech
• Mark Robinson, Director of Economy and Place at Rochdale Development Agency

Manchester’s growth story

Manchester is widely recognised as one of the UK’s strongest growth opportunities and is projected to see the fastest employment growth among UK cities between 2024 and 2026.

This growth is being powered by a range of high-value sector clusters, including:

• Advanced materials
• Advanced manufacturing
• Digital and technology
• Life sciences
• Creative industries
• Green economy
• Construction
• Professional services

Together, these sectors are driving demand for commercial space, innovation districts, talent hubs, and regeneration schemes across the city-region.

The session will explore how these clusters are fuelling employment growth, shaping the future of Manchester’s economy, and creating investible opportunities for developers, occupiers and investors.

Watch live

All Manchester Stand sessions at MIPIM 2026 will be streamed via LinkedIn Live, enabling colleagues and partners who are not attending in person to follow the discussions.

The session can be watched live here:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/7432777193140695040/

The full Manchester at MIPIM programme can also be viewed here:
https://invest.marketingmanchester.com/manchester-at-mipim/programme

Updates and live coverage will be shared via the MIDAS LinkedIn channel.