Gemma Blades, Create Growth Programme Manager at GM Business Growth Hub, talks to BEYOND about Greater Manchester’s long history of creative talent, collaboration and innovation.
GM Business Growth Hub are a Lead Local Partner for BEYOND 2025.
What do BEYOND and Oasis have in common? I think it could definitely, maybe be the sentiment of this quote from Noel Gallagher (Manchester Evening News, 2025):
“Every time I come back, I feel that same buzz”…
After a fruitful 2024 conference, BEYOND is returning to Salford to reunite international creators and innovators under one roof, with themes that reflect the heart of our city-region’s strengths: Innovation Districts, the Creator Economy, and CreaTech.
GM Business Growth Hub is excited to again be joining forces with the University of Salford, MediaCity UK, MediaCity Immersive Technology Innovation Hub, and Salford City Council as a Lead Local Partner of BEYOND 2025.
Why Greater Manchester? A magnet for digital, creative and tech talent
Let’s be honest, I’m biased. But Greater Manchester has long been a hub for home grown and adopted talent, a hub to trailblazing digital studios, internationally acclaimed film producers and creators, musicians, performers and cutting-edge tech start-ups, all keen to make the most of the area’s deep-rooted culture of collaboration.
Retaining and investing locally: The path to sustainable growth
While Greater Manchester has always attracted national and global interest, we’re not losing focus on investment within our regional digital, creative and tech sector. And GM Business Growth Hub plays a pivotal role in this. We bring ‘no strings attached’ expertise and connections that translate ideas into sustainable growth. Through robust collaboration, supportive infrastructure, and targeted programmes like Create Growth, we empower you to capture value and keep driving growth in the region.
But what does that really look like?
Support local supply chains: By encouraging collaboration between the eclectic mix of local businesses, from immersive media, music and post-production studios to digital marketing agencies, performing arts and fashion companies, combined with a massive freelance
community, we can keep investment within Greater Manchester.
Leverage innovation districts: These areas, such as HOST at MediaCity, provide bespoke space and community for digital, creative and tech founders and researchers to connect and grow.
Champion collaborative projects: Through joint ventures and partnerships, we help businesses win national and international contracts, building wealth and skills locally. In 2024 the GM Business Growth Hub spearheaded a large-scale CreaTech event, alongside Cloud Imperium Games. This brought together industry partners, academics, leading universities, and DCT businesses, to celebrate and reinforce the region’s status as a launchpad for innovation.
Our global outlook: Rooted in local strength
With the support of our Innovation Team and initiatives like the Create Growth programme, we ensure Greater Manchester remains the go-to destination for creative entrepreneurs and investors. Consistently championing local talent on the international stage, in 2025 we have taken delegations to SXSW in Texas and London, and Web Summit in Lisbon.
With our friends at GMCA, we welcomed a delegation from the Austin, TX music industry, forging connections with the world-leading creative city and sharing best practices. These engagements highlight our dual commitment: fostering local excellence while building global bridges.
The future is made in Greater Manchester – let’s shape it together at BEYOND 2025.
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About GM Business Growth Hub
GM Business Growth Hub is Greater Manchester’s business support organisation. Part of The Growth Company, we help unlock potential in businesses that want to achieve more. We provide support with funding, innovation, people, sales, and sustainability. We are a community of specialists with a passion for helping businesses of all sizes and sectors, from self-employed to large enterprise, to realise their full potential. We bring deep knowledge and insight into Greater Manchester’s growth sectors, with a wide range of expertise that offers valuable perspectives on the city region’s priority frontier sectors.
Whatever your business is, we can help. We work together with you at every stage of a business’s growth journey. Whatever your needs are, we provide the right support for you to succeed.
GM Business Growth Hub is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Further information:
GM Business Growth Hub Greater Manchester’s business support organisation | GM BGH