Large scale retail conference coming to town

Rochdale is to welcome to the town centre leading retailers, town centre and shopping centre managers and many other business people to a business conference based on the way retail is changing over the coming three to five years.

Retail REvolution is a two day business conference that will be made up of keynote speakers, question and answer sessions and a charity black tie event in aid of The Christie.

Organiser, Martin Ballard, is hoping to bring together leading industry decision makers as the latest stage of the redevelopment of the town centre comes to an end with the completion of the works to the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre. Martin said: "It’s a perfect time to bring business people to the town to show them the progress we’ve made over the past few years, and can really help to put Rochdale back on the map."

Rochdale Town Hall is the chosen venue for the North West’s newest large scale business conference, which is to be held on Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May.

The conference will be held in the Great Hall but all of the features of the building are to be used, including holding a debate in the old courtroom on day two.

The event will be hosted by BBC Click presenter, Kate Russell, and keynote speakers include leading London economist and Rochdale Hornets president, Paul Ormerod and former Virgin Atlantic Director responsible for the Games Makers programme at the London Olympics. The event will also welcome back to Rochdale Dan Thompson, three years after he came previously and advised on where town centres were heading then.

Mr Ballard added: "The conference is supported by the Association of Town & City Management and has a credible speaker line-up, which is still being added to. We fully expect a significant audience to come and take part in the conference, and I feel it’s a great opportunity for us to show retailers who are currently not represented in the town what we have to offer."

In the middle of the two day event there is a Black Tie Gala Dinner in aid of The Christie, and more specifically for their Brain Tumour Research in an effort to continue the fundraising done by local man Ken Russ and his family. The event will be headlined by the thinking man’s comedian, Simon Evans, fresh from appearing on the likes of Live from the Apollo and his own radio show.

Tickets for the event can be purchased through:

Eventbrite or www.redcapemarketing.co.uk

...where you also find full proceedings for the event.

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