IPM Place Symposium 2026 to Explore the Future of Place Management, High Streets and Communities

The Institute of Place Management will bring together academics, policymakers, practitioners, local authorities, Business Improvement Districts, community organisations and researchers from across the UK and internationally for the IPM Place Symposium 2026 on Wednesday 10 June at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School.

At a time of major change for places – including devolution, high street transformation, health inequalities, cultural regeneration and neighbourhood governance – the symposium will provide a space for academics and practitioners to share ideas, research and practical experience that is shaping the future of policy and the place management discipline.

The event will feature keynote speaker Sean Anstee CBE, Vice-Chair of Manchester Metropolitan University and Director of Devon and Torbay Combined Authority, discussing the role of universities and devolution, alongside a wide-ranging programme of presentations, panels, and networking opportunities. As part of the programme, attendees will also have the opportunity to meet the editors of the Journal of Place Management and Development (JPMD) and learn more about publishing research and practitioner work in the journal. The symposium will also include a panel discussion on The Civic University: How Do We Work Together?, bringing together representatives from local government, academia, and practice to discuss collaboration between universities, places and the IPM Network.

Programme

Wednesday 10 June 2026 | 09:00–17:15 (GMT)
Manchester Metropolitan University Business and Law School
All Saints Campus, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6BH

A printer-friendly version of the programme is here.

For the book of abstracts, presentation summaries and speaker biographies, please click here.

Please note that this event is now fully booked. To be added to a reserve list, please contact ipm@mmu.ac.uk.

09:00 – 09:30	Registration and Refreshments
09:30 – 09:45	Welcome Address, Dr Chloe Steadman Manchester Metropolitan University
09:45 – 10:45	PLACE EXPERIENCE Chair: Dr Chloe Steadman Gemma Ranford, Wychavon District Council Laughter on the High Street: How Rik Mayall-Inspired Art Helped Take a Volunteer-Led Festival from Strength to Strength Natalie Raben, Manchester Metropolitan University Investigating Triggers and Barriers to Intergenerational Interactions in Public Spaces Dr Louise Platt, Manchester Metropolitan University Processions and Parades in the North West: A Shared Vision for Care	HEALTH IN PLACE Chair: Professor Steve Millington Prof Stefan White, Manchester Metropolitan University Location and Equity in Ageing Positively: The Greater Manchester Ageing in Place Pathfinder Nadia Broccardo and Donald Campbell, Team London Bridge BID A Healthy Placemaking Approach for London Bridge Dr John Pearson, Manchester Metropolitan University Places for the Prevention of Future Deaths: The Use of Digital Twinning to Address Urban Air Pollutio
11:00 – 12:00	Keynote Presentation Sean Anstee CBE Vice-Chair, Manchester Metropolitan University and Director of Operations for Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority Universities and Place Leadership in a Time of Devolution Chair Alex Byars, Director of Business Engagement and Partnerships
12:00 – 13:00	Lunch Break	Dr Nikos Ntounis, Editor in Chief, Journal of Place Management and Development  Chris Wade, Practitioner Editor, Journal of Place Management and Development    If you are interested in publishing your work in JPMD please drop in to meet our editors and learn more about the process. Feel free to bring your lunch!
13:00 – 14:00	HIGH STREETS Chair: Dr Lucy Montague Prof Kim Cassidy, Edge Hill University Placing Community, Innovation and Culture at the Heart of Town Centre Regeneration Wayne Young, North Tyneside Council From Frontier to Future: Reimagining Wallsend’s High Street Dr Ilze Mertena, Manchester Metropolitan University High Street Micro and Small Businesses: Place, Networks and Experience	CULTURE AND PLACE Chair: Dr Jenny Kanellopoulou Cllr Hannah Robinson-Smith, Salford City Council From Grassroots Grit to MediaCity Metropolis: How Salford’s Cultural Placemaking Puts People at the Centre Giulia Meroni, University of Milan Narratives and Representations of the 2026 Winter Olympics Legacy on Urban Regeneration in Milan Jean Ball, Eventful Places ‘Fun is not frivolous’
14:00 – 14:15	Comfort Break and Room Change
14.15-15.15	DEVOLUTION AND PLACE Chair: Prof Cathy Parker Chris Wade, People & Places The Evolving Role of Place Management in Neighbourhood Governance Sophie Alexander, British BIDs The Value and Impact of Business Improvement Districts Bethan McCaw, Greater Manchester Combined Authority Interim Delivery Team Director, GMCA How Greater Manchester is Using Devolved Powers to Shape Places	TOURISM AND PLACE Chair: Dr Maarja Kaaristo Prof Tim Edensor, Manchester Metropolitan University A Fluid Memorial Site: Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Alison Duckworth, Epona Marketing What Role Should Tourism Play in the Kind of Place We Are Trying to Become? Ioannis Papageorgiou, Rhodes Project SCE Tourism and Sustainability Governance in Rhodes: The Vicissitudes of the ‘Holistic Approach’
15:15 – 15:45	Coffee Break Refreshments provided
15:45 – 16:30	Panel Discussion THE CIVIC UNIVERSITY: HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER? Panel Members: Chris Gregory – Heartflood Prof Cathy Parker Laura Hickman-Sparks, Institute of Sport Tom Stanyard Economic Growth Manager, Rushcliffe Borough Council
16:30 – 17:15	Closing Reflections: IPM at 20 Prof Cathy Parker – Co-Founder of IPM Dr Nikos Ntounis – Researcher at IPM Manchester Metropolitan University Ian Harvey – Head of IPM
17:15 onwards	Join us for drinks and canapés as we celebrate IPM’s 20th anniversary and conclude the Place Symposium 2026.