BCO Conference | Bookings are OPEN for Manchester 2022

 

OUR TIME IS NOW: RESET THE OFFICE     The recent disruption to how we live and work has accelerated a move to alternative ways of thinking about our workplace. We now have an unprecedented opportunity to readdress the role of the office in our lives, and shape how buildings can encourage innovative and fresh thinking, while introducing greener solutions. The issues of climate change and sustainability are becoming more important than ever, leading to increased scrutiny of the office’s environmental impact. As we look to the future, the entire sector has an important role to play in providing buildings and working environments that are better for our planet.         Our host city: Manchester Manchester is a city that has helped shape the world. Whether it is in industry, science or culture, this vibrant city has always pioneered new ways of working and thinking and has, in doing so, transformed itself into a modern cosmopolitan powerhouse.   Recast for the 21st century as the original modern city, Greater Manchester has experienced a contemporary resurgence. This was marked culturally by the acclaimed reopening of the Whitworth art gallery, international arts centre HOME, and the world-leading Manchester International Festival. This resurgence also saw a property and investment boom that has outpaced the rest of the country, and through major changes to its governance and infrastructure, Manchester has been positioned as the central focus of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ agenda.   Young people are flocking here to take advantage of its thriving economy, unrivalled student experience and smart jobs in the science, creative and digital sectors. Greater Manchester is truly worthy of its accolades, as being the UK’s most competitive, economically productive, livable and vibrant region.   As host city for the 2022 BCO Annual Conference, where better to engage with and debate the future attributes of the office, and to grasp this opportunity to re-evaluate and reset?     Book your tickets         What to expect? To slot into delegates' busy working lives, the mid-week conference will run from Tuesday 14th to Thursday 16th June.   • The conference begins with the BCO Drinks Reception on the Tuesday evening at Manchester Cathedral, one of the city’s event spaces of choice to host rock concerts, fashion shows, brand launches, intimate fine-dining and grand gala dinners over the years.   • The Conference Plenary Sessions will take place at Manchester Central, where we will engage with keynote speakers covering development, occupation, economics, politics and futurists.   • Building Tours will provide an opportunity to see the best in Manchester and gain a glimpse of what is to come.   • The Conference Seminars will provide an alternative option to the building tours, in which we will explore key and emerging topics and trends that influence office design. • The BCO NextGen events programme for young professionals within the sector will provide activities that sit alongside the main itinerary, to add value to the conference experience and encourage greater participation from this important community within the BCO.     • Prior to the conference, the BCO Cycle Challenge will set off from London, arriving in Manchester 3 days later in time for the drinks reception. The event will raise funds for CALM and SHOUT 85258, our partner charities for the conference.   • The BCO Golf Cup will take place at The Mere, a championship course set in Cheshire parkland to the south west of Manchester city centre.   • The Conference Party will take place on the Wednesday evening at Hatch, close to the city centre and conference hotels. Here, we will celebrate within a street environment, enjoying hospitality through pop-ups as well as entertainment into the night.     Manchester, its culture, and all it has to offer will provide the perfect setting for the office community to network, engage with and explore the opportunity we all hold to influence the workplaces of the future. We hope to deliver a truly diverse and inclusive event that offers something for everyone.   I look forward to welcoming you all there on 14th June 2022.     Download the conference brochure

BCO 2022 Conference: leading our industry towards a more sustainable future

The full programme for the conference will soon be revealed once bookings open on 19 January 2022. As we look forward to welcoming many of you to our upcoming annual conference, Chief Executive of the British Council for Offices, Richard Kauntze shares his motivations for the long-awaited in-person event, which will provide an unprecedented opportunity to revaluate and redefine the role of the office as we know it.         Last year Greater Manchester’s inaugural Green Summit saw the city’s mayor, Andy Burnham outline ambitious plans for a region where “all businesses need to become green businesses”. As issues of climate change and sustainability are pushed higher up the agenda across industries, including our own, what better city to host the BCO’s next annual conference than Manchester?     The three-day event will provide an exciting opportunity for industry experts to exchange thoughts upon the key requirements for future workplaces, of which creating a more sustainable world will play a critical part.     Although the recent COP26 climate change conference has accelerated the sustainability debate, extended lockdowns had already brought renewed scrutiny of the office’s environmental impact - particularly the carbon cost of commuting and the need to improve energy inefficiencies.     Our sector is already working hard to make offices greener, to drive new technologies and modern approaches to the workplace that can overhaul how Britain constructs, designs and equips its buildings - something which will be crucial to any post-Covid ‘green rebuild’. But, as ever, there is much more to be done.     It won’t be easy, but by working together towards this common goal, I believe our industry, and all the talent it employs, can achieve truly remarkable growth towards a more sustainable future for British offices.     In my mind, the key to success lies in our ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and innovative practices, which I look forward to discussing with you throughout the conference.    Richard Kauntze  Chief Executive, British Council for Offices      The conference is taking place 14-16 June 2022 in Manchester. Register here to receive BCO's e-newsletters  to receive a notification when the full programme is revealed and bookings open!  #BCOconference #BCOManchester