Introduction
CHS Group has appointed Stuart Mitchell, managing director of specialist agency Catch the MICE, as buyer engagement and partnerships consultant for the first edition of CHS Manchester. The new show, scheduled for 30 September 2026 at Manchester’s AO Arena, represents an expansion of the CHS brand and a notable development for the UK meetings and events marketplace.
Background and industry context
CHS Group is best known for its long-running CHS Leeds exhibition, which focuses on connecting event planners with venues, destinations and suppliers. Over the past decade, the organiser has positioned its events as focused buyer–supplier marketplaces, targeting corporate, agency and association planners looking to source venues and services for meetings, incentives, conferences and events.
The decision to launch CHS Manchester reflects several converging trends in the UK events industry. Manchester has grown into a high-demand meetings and convention hub, supported by a strong hotel pipeline, major venues and transport connections. At the same time, organisers are placing greater emphasis on curated buyer programmes, data-driven matchmaking and partnership-led models to justify attendance and demonstrate measurable outcomes for exhibitors.
Buyer engagement has become central to the commercial performance of trade exhibitions and hosted buyer events. With budgets under scrutiny and planners able to source options digitally, show organisers are under pressure to deliver high-value interactions, qualified leads and clear return on investment. This has paved the way for roles and consultancies focused specifically on buyer strategy, content relevance and stakeholder partnerships.
Key developments: Appointment and role scope
Within this context, CHS Group has confirmed that Stuart Mitchell will oversee buyer engagement and partnership strategy for CHS Manchester 2026. Mitchell is managing director of Catch the MICE, a business that works closely with corporate and agency planners, venues and destination marketing organisations across the UK and internationally.
According to CHS Group, his remit will centre on attracting and nurturing the right mix of buyers to the inaugural Manchester event and designing partnership frameworks that align commercial objectives for exhibitors, sponsors and supporting organisations. The consultancy will focus on:
- Buyer acquisition and qualification: Defining target buyer segments, from corporate meeting planners to incentive specialists and association organisers, and shaping outreach strategies to bring them into the event.
- Engagement and experience design: Advising on formats, content themes and networking structures that encourage meaningful conversations between buyers and suppliers.
- Partnership development: Working with industry partners such as destination marketing organisations, hotel groups and agencies to support co-created activations and audience development.
- Commercial alignment: Ensuring that exhibitor and sponsor goals are reflected in buyer programmes and that performance can be tracked through engagement metrics and post-event reporting.
The choice of AO Arena as the host venue underlines CHS Group’s intent to differentiate the show experience. Primarily known as a live entertainment arena, the venue’s use for a trade-focused event signals experimentation with alternative event environments and layouts that can support both exhibition and networking activity.
Industry impact
The appointment is notable beyond CHS Manchester itself, as it illustrates several broader shifts across the UK events landscape:
- Growing emphasis on curated buyer communities: Hosted buyer and invitation-only programmes are increasingly seen as essential to driving exhibitor satisfaction. Assigning a specialist consultant underscores how central this has become to show strategy.
- Blurring of roles between agencies and organisers: Agencies like Catch the MICE, with direct access to planner networks and insight into their sourcing behaviour, are being brought into the core design of exhibitions rather than simply supporting as external marketing channels.
- Regional diversification of major events: The move into Manchester reflects a continued shift away from an over-reliance on London, creating additional platforms for regional venues and suppliers to access national and international buyers.
- Experimentation with venue formats: Deploying an arena for a B2B trade show highlights how organisers are reconsidering traditional exhibition halls in favour of flexible spaces that can host plenary sessions, exhibition zones and experiential activations under one roof.
For UK destinations and venue operators, CHS Manchester adds another touchpoint to showcase infrastructure and services to a concentrated audience of qualified buyers. For international stakeholders, the show provides a lens into how UK-based organisers are redesigning trade exhibitions with a stronger focus on buyer experience and value.
Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers
Mitchell’s appointment and the strategic direction for CHS Manchester have several implications for event planners, exhibitors and technology vendors.
For event planners and buyers:
- They can expect more targeted, curated experiences, where participation is based on relevance and buying potential rather than simple volume.
- Networking and meetings programmes are likely to be structured around clear outcomes, using agendas and tools that support efficient discovery of new venues, destinations and suppliers.
- Data capture and follow-up processes may become more sophisticated, supporting better post-event evaluation and supplier comparison.
For exhibitors and destinations:
- There will be increased attention on the quality of buyer audiences, not just headline attendance figures, requiring closer collaboration with organisers on profiling and qualification.
- Partnership models may evolve to include co-created content sessions, hosted buyer initiatives and multi-channel campaigns that extend beyond the show floor.
- Measurement frameworks will likely incorporate lead quality, meeting outcomes and pipeline impact to justify investment.
For event technology providers:
- The focus on buyer engagement opens opportunities for platforms that support matchmaking, pre-scheduled meetings and recommendation engines.
- Analytics and reporting tools that track engagement across the event lifecycle will be in demand to visualise the value delivered to both buyers and suppliers.
- Mobile apps, digital wayfinding, and onsite check-in solutions will be important to manage curated programmes within a non-traditional venue such as an arena.
As CHS Manchester develops its format, there is potential for increased use of hybrid or digital components—such as virtual matchmaking, on-demand content and extended exhibitor directories—to sustain engagement before and after the live event.
Conclusion
The selection of Stuart Mitchell as buyer engagement and partnerships consultant signals CHS Group’s intention to build CHS Manchester 2026 around a well-defined, high-value buyer community. Hosted at the AO Arena, the event is positioned to test new approaches to venue use, partnership structures and curated networking in a regional UK hub.
For event professionals and technology providers, the development highlights the growing importance of strategic buyer programmes, data-led audience design and cross-industry collaboration. As the inaugural edition approaches, stakeholders will be watching how effectively CHS Manchester can convert these strategies into measurable outcomes for both buyers and suppliers in an increasingly competitive events marketplace.