Bruntwood – Thrive Conference

We produced Bruntwood’s all-employee conference at Manchester’s Albert Hall, welcoming over 600 guests back to a familiar venue with a day built to feel completely different from previous years, energising from the very first touchpoint.

370+

Attendees
  • Conferences
  • Talent Hosts & Entertainment
  • Content Production
  • Theming & Decor
  • Employee Engagement

”"Thrive was a brilliant one to work on, we loved bringing that mariachi welcome to life and watching guests' reactions as they realised what was happening before they'd even got through the door. Tony Walsh's performance was a genuinely special moment in the room. It's exactly the kind of project that reminds you why events like this matter."

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Bruntwood – Thrive Conference
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The Brief

Bruntwood returned to the Albert Hall for their all-employee conference, an event that had been postponed from the Christmas period due to Covid, with over 600 guests attending. Having held the event at this venue before, the challenge was to make it feel genuinely different this time round, while keeping the day engaging, energising, and full of unique experiences throughout.

We opened the day with a mariachi band welcoming guests from the street into the venue, creating a surprise and delight moment from the very first touchpoint and setting an energised tone before the conference had even begun. Inside, Bruntwood commissioned Tony Walsh, the UK’s widely acclaimed professional poet known for his performance of “This is the Place” following the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, to write and perform a bespoke adaptation live at the event, a natural fit for a client committed to culturally thriving cities.

Make Events led production across the full day, from the welcome moment through to a multi-session conference programme, working with Bruntwood to weave entertainment and a street food lunch session between sessions. The venue was dressed with branding that carried seamlessly from day into evening, and we facilitated a post-conference networking session filled with branded games, food stalls, live music, and photo opportunities to keep guests engaged right through to the end.

Thrive gave Bruntwood’s team a conference that felt genuinely new despite returning to a familiar venue, delivering the energy and engagement they were looking for from the first touchpoint to the last. The bespoke poetry commission and the mariachi welcome created standout, talked-about moments, while the networking session extended the day’s energy well beyond the final session, leaving guests feeling looked after throughout.

A note from our team

“Thrive was a brilliant one to work on, we loved bringing that mariachi welcome to life and watching guests' reactions as they realised what was happening before they'd even got through the door. Tony Walsh's performance was a genuinely special moment in the room. It's exactly the kind of project that reminds you why events like this matter.”

Heather RidgeHead of Events
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