Getting to the venue
The conference will be held at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester. The museum website provides excellent directions on how to get to the venue.
The best option to get to the venue is by train, with the closest railway station being Deansgate, which is a 10 minutes walk away. The venue is a 15 minute walk from Manchester Oxford Road station, 25 minutes walk from Manchester Victoria station, and 30 minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly station.
The free Metroshuttle bus service stops at all city centre railway stations. All three Metroshuttle services will bring you within a 5 minute walk of the museum.
Visit the Transport for Greater Manchester website for more information about travelling by train to Manchester.
If you need to travel by car, then note that car parking is only provided at Park Avenue RCP car park(8 Albion Street, M1 5NZ), and costs £6 when you tell them that you are visiting the Museum of Science and Industry.
There are only two spaces for Blue Badge holders on Lower Byrom Street, next to the main entrance of the museum.
Wifi
To connect to the Wi-Fi, select the “SMG-Guests” network and enter the username: Events and password: Events.
Registration
Registration opens at 10.00 on 15 September. Enter through the main entrance to the museum, head past the museum’s reception desk and through the doors on the left. Use the stairs or the lift to get to the second floor and you will see the registration desk once you come out of the stairwell.
Conference dinner
The conference dinner will take place on the top floor of BlackDog Ballroom New Wakefield Street (BlackDog Ballroom NWS). The address is 11-13 New Wakefield St, Manchester M1 5NP and it is 15 mins walk from MOSI.
Please note that there are a few BlackDog venues in Manchester, so please ensure you are going to the correct one!
Map
International Attendees
If you are travelling from outside the UK, then you have many options for getting to Manchester.
Arriving at Manchester Airport
The city has a large internatonal airport (Manchester Airport). There is a train station at Manchester Airport. A shuttle bus service is available to take you from the airport terminals to the train station, or you can easily walk to through the airport and follow the signs for the train station. There are direct rail links from the airport to Manchester Piccadilly railway station in the city centre, from where you can get a train to Deansgate railway station. The cost of a single ticket from Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly is around £5. Taxis are available from the train stations to take you to the venue or your accommodation, which should cost no more than about £12. Follow the signs for the taxi rank. Only black cabs, also known as hackney cabs, are licensed to take passengers without a booking in advance, so ensure you use one of these. It may also be possible to walk or take a bus from the train station to your accommodation, depending upon where your accommodation is located.
Arriving at a London airport and continuing to Manchester by coach
If you arrive in London by air and proceed to Manchester by coach, in most cases you will first have to travel by underground train to Victoria coach station in the centre of London. Remember to allow yourself enough time to collect your luggage, pass through immigration and travel across London. Information on transport in the London area can be found on the Transport for London website.
Coaches from London to Manchester take approximately five hours. Manchester has one main coach station, Manchester Central on Chorlton Street. Coach travel within the UK can be booked online in advance on the Megabus and the National Express websites.
Arriving at a London airport and continuing to Manchester by train
If you arrive in London by air and proceed to Manchester by train, in most cases you will have to travel by underground train to Euston railway station in the centre of London. Remember to allow yourself enough time to collect your luggage, pass through immigration and travel across London. Information on transport in the London area can be found on the Transport for London website.
Manchester has three main train stations: Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road. You can find information on train times and book train tickets on the National Rail website.
Arriving at Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Terravision coaches from Liverpool Airport to Sackville Street and the Shudehill Interchange in Manchester city centre depart every hour. The journey takes approximately 65 minutes and a single ticket costs £7. Coach tickets can be bought from staff at the coach or booked on the Terravision website.