UN-CONVENTION MANCHESTER
Un-Convention Manchester returns on the 22nd and 23rd October 2026.
Our 116th music conference and showcase will once again bring together hundreds of pioneering artists, managers, labels, promoters, and festivals from over 50 towns and cities across the UK to explore the current state of the sector, build networks, and develop ideas and actions for a more prosperous, diverse, and equitable music industry, alongside performances from some of the finest new artists from across the country.
Early Bird Tickets for this year’s event are available here, priced at £50.00 plus booking fee for Full Event passes, and £42.50 plus booking fee for Conference Only passes.
For this year’s conference we are delighted to be welcoming a host of industry innovators and pioneers.
Bella Union's co-founder and Managing Director Simon Raymonde will be joining this year's record label panel, along with Dirty Hit's Cherish Kaya; Rhian Emanuel, Managing Director of Because Music UK; and Ollie Hodge, ex-Columbia and Polydor A&R, who now runs independent label Some Action.
Sugababes' co-manager Matt Johnson joins our management panel led by the MMF's Annabella Coldrick, which also features Ali Raymond, who has overseen the career of Arlo Parks, as well as Getdown Services manager Alice Boeglin.
Goc O'Callaghan, co-founder and director of ArcTanGent, alongside Kevin Moore, festival director of Y Not, and Dougie Brown, festival producer of Belladrum, will be joining the AIF's John Rostron to look at best practice in the UK festival sector, whilst Music Ally's Joe Sparrow and CMU's Chris Cooke will be leading us through the latest developments in AI.
We'll once again be looking at the development of regional music scenes, with insight from Leicester's Dr Yasin El Ashrafi BEM, founder of HQ Familia; Jamell Ackford, director of culture at Trinity Bristol; Rachael McEntee, who runs The Snug in Atherton, the first venue purchase by Music Venue Properties; and Jez Collins, founder and director of the Birmingham Music Archive.
Also featuring in this year’s programme are speakers including Blur’s Dave Rowntree, Tom Kiehl, CEO of UK Music, Bev Whitrick, COO of Music Venue Trust, Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE, David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artist Coalition, and many more.
We already have hundreds of people who create and champion music in towns and cities across the UK coming together for this year's event. If you would like to join us in Manchester on the 22nd and 23rd of October, then full passes are currently available for £50..
About Un-Convention
Founded in 2008, Un-Convention is a series of music conferences, showcases and events that have brought together thousands of artists and music professionals, both nationally and internationally over the course of 115 events on 5 continents, to share ideas and discuss the future of the music sector.
As well as our music conferences and showcases we also work to develop regional music scenes, support music export and exchange, and run a UK-wide touring network. To find out more visit the OUR WORK section of our website. In addition, we also hold quarterly networking events in Manchester, Details of these can be found here.
We are proud to be a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL
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