Nobu – Manchester Groundbreaking Event

The groundbreaking of Nobu Manchester marked the beginning of one of the city’s most ambitious luxury developments. Bringing together global founders, senior stakeholders and international media, the event needed to reflect the prestige of the Nobu brand while celebrating Manchester’s industrial heritage and future potential – all within a live construction environment. The event was voted as the Event of the Year 2026 at the Conference and Events Awards.

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200+

Attendees
  • Brand activation
  • Experiential events
  • Theming and decor
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The Brief

Nobu Manchester planned a landmark groundbreaking event for press and industry, welcoming founders Robert De Niro, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Nobu CEO Trevor Oxhall as part of their European visit.

The event had to take place on a fixed date and be hosted on the exact site where the development would rise – a challenging location beneath Manchester’s historic viaducts, with no existing power, water, heating or infrastructure.

This wasn’t just an announcement, it was a launch moment. The goal was to generate real momentum. Amplifying the development, creating powerful sales and marketing content,and delivering a globally relevant moment that felt authentic to both the Nobu brand and the city of Manchester.

We designed a fully temporary, high-impact event environment that brought Nobu’s refined aesthetic into an industrial setting. Drawing inspiration from Nobu’s interiors, the creative direction balanced understated luxury with raw architectural character, allowing the site itself to become part of the narrative.

Every element, from guest arrival through to press interviews, was carefully planned to deliver a seamless, premium experience while accommodating the complexities of a live building site.

We built the environment from the ground up, installing power, heating, covered structures and guest facilities to create a seamless experience within an industrial setting. A curated guest journey led to a dramatic show space featuring luxury staging, an 8m LED screen and a striking three-metre architectural model.

The event opened with Japanese drummers and unfolded through a tightly managed live programme of speeches, a groundbreaking moment and press activity. Complex logistics — including VIP management, security and executive travel — were handled behind the scenes to ensure every moment felt effortless and on-brand.

Nobu Manchester officially broke ground in November 2025, marking the start of a £360m, 246-metre development comprising the UK’s first Nobu Hotel, Nobu Restaurant and Nobu Residences, developed by Salboy and built by Domis.

The event achieved worldwide press coverage and positioned the development as a defining addition to Manchester’s skyline. It successfully blended global brand prestige with local heritage, delivering a powerful visual and narrative moment that generated excitement, media attention and long-term marketing assets, while demonstrating what’s possible when bold creative vision meets technical delivery in the most challenging of environments.

A note from our team

“This is the kind of event Make Events live for - designing an event in a place an event shouldn’t happen. Being handed a cold, open-air tunnel beneath a viaduct and asked to turn it into a luxury Nobu experience was a huge challenge, and that’s what made it so special! We took the juxtaposition of the industrial brick work and evidence of a building site and fused it with Nobu’s refined branding, luxury finishes and a subtle nod to Manchester. The initial inspiration came from those candle lit concerts in cathedrals and churches where the amber light glows against the stone and brick work and we were thrilled with the result.”

Holly MooreFounder & CEO
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