TA '18 – Getting Ready

Negotiated rates

The preferred hotel for the Technical Assembly is the Holiday Inn Manchester – MediaCityUK, a short walk from the Technical Assembly meeting venue. A block booking has been made for this hotel, giving TA participants access to better rates.

Single/Double room: Price: £99 per night, including breakfast, Wifi and VAT

To make a reservation please use the negotiated rates link above or use group code EUR if reserving directly from the Holiday Inn Manchester-MediaCity UK website.

Cancellation & modifications are permitted up to 24 hours before check-in date and by 16:00. After this cut-off date and time, 100% of total stay will be charged.

In the case of No-Show: 100% of total stay will be charged.

All cancellations must be done with the hotel directly, preferably through the Holiday Inn website.
Delegates will receive a booking confirmation email from the Holiday Inn, with the contact details if they wish to cancel/modify their reservation.

Other options

Premier Inn Salford-Media City

Hotel Football: near Manchester United’s Old Trafford Football Stadium, a 10 minute walk from Media City.

Premier Inn Old Trafford: also near the Football Stadium, with ample parking.

The Midland: Landmark 4-star hotel in the city centre.

Jury’s Inn Manchester: Close to the Bridgewater Hall, with car parking nearby.

All delegates will need a valid passport to be able to enter the United Kingdom, and delegates may also need to apply for a short stay visa for the UK, depending on their nationality. 

Delegates can check if a visa is required through the UK’s Visa and Immigration department website.

Delegates may need to speak to the nearest Embassy of their home country, or their government’s immigration department, for advice on applying for a UK visa. 

If you require a ‘letter of invitation’ for your visa application, please contact:

Airport & transfers

Manchester International Airport is located 11 miles south of Manchester city centre and 12 miles south-east of MediaCityUK. The postcode for SatNav is M90 1QX.

There are three Terminals and airlines operate from different ones. You can check which Terminal your airline uses on the airport website.

You can download maps for each Terminal here.

Train

There is a train station at the centre of the airport, about a 10 minute walk from Terminals 1 and 3.

Trains run between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly train station every 10-15 minutes, 7 days a week, and journeys take around 20 minutes. 

Tickets can be bought at the train station, or pre-booked through National Rail Enquiries.

Tickets bought on the day of travel can be expensive, so try to book in advance if possible. 

Tram

The airport tram stop is located close to the train station, near Terminals 1 and 3.  Trams run around every 15 minutes between Manchester Airport and Victoria train station, via Cornbrook tram stop, where you should change for trams going to MediaCity.  The last tram departs around 11pm on weekdays, and may end earlier on weekends. Check the TfGM webpage for current timetables.

You should allow at least 1hr 30mins to travel between MCUK and the airport by tram, and at least 2 hours travel between the city centre and the airport. See "Travel by Tram" for more details on using the Metrolink tram system.

Private taxi hire, ‘black’ cabs and Uber

Arrow Cars are the airport’s private taxi hire partner, and have customer service desks in the Arrivals areas of each Terminal, as well as the train station. Arrow taxis can be booked online, by app, and phone.

Hackney cabs, also called ‘black’ cabs, can be found at taxi ranks at each Terminal.  Most black cabs only accept payment in cash; some accept debit cards.  Ask your driver what payment they accept, and if they can provide a business receipt, before boarding.

UBER taxis are not permitted to collect or drop off passengers at the airport.

Car hire at the airport

Most car rental companies at Manchester Airport are based out of the Manchester Airport Car Rental Village, which can be reached via dedicated, free of charge buses that depart from each Terminal every 10 minutes.  Passengers should not attempt to walk there, as there are no pavements.

Companies operating here include Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Europcar, Budget and Enterprise.

Railway connections

You can plan your train journey and buy tickets via National Rail Enquiries.

Manchester is served by three train stations:

Manchester Piccadilly is the main station and connects Manchester with major cities across the UK.  Train operators include Virgin Trains, Northern, TransPennine and Grand Central.

Manchester Victoria connects with the north of England including Liverpool.  Trains are operated by Northern or TransPennine.

There is also a smaller station on Oxford Road, which connects to north Wales, Liverpool, Chester and Leeds.

It's easy to board Metrolink trams at either Piccadilly or Victoria. Both stations have Metrolink stops inside them. 

Some trains also stop at Salford Crescent and Salford Central stations and it's easy to connect to The Quays by bus from there (either number 50 or 53).

Conference venue

Dress code

• Welcome reception on Wednesday 6 June: business casual
• Farewell dinner on Friday 8 June: casual and comfortable.

Weather

Manchester is often called ‘the Rainy City’ and it receives an average of 86.71cm of rainfall every year. However, it is sheltered by high hills to the north and east so the city normally has mild weather conditions, with summer temperatures between 19-28 degrees Celcius (66- 82 Fahreneheit). Higher ground, such as in the Peak District, will be much cooler and windier, even on sunny days. 

Summer weather in the UK can change quickly from hot and sunny one day, to cool and wet the next. Visitors should bring a rain-proof coat or jacket, umbrella, sturdy shoes and at least one medium-weight jumper, as well as lighter clothes for warm weather. 

Currency

The currency in the UK is British Pounds Sterling (GBP), with denominations in pounds (£) and pence (p), e.g. £3.99.

The highest value coins are one pound (£1) and two pound (£2), 50 pence (50p) and 20 pence (20p). The lower value coins are 10 pence, 5 pence, 2 pence and 1 pence (2p and 1p coins are also called ‘coppers’ as they are copper coloured).

Bank notes in the UK are now all made of thin plastic, with clear ‘windows’ in the note. Do not accept older paper notes, as they are no longer legal. Notes come as £5, £10, £20 and £50. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes

Credit cards provided by Visa and Mastercard are accepted in most stores, however American Express cards are not. Payment through Apple Pay and Google Pay smartphone apps is now accepted at some major retailers.

Exchange rates

The value of the pound (GBP) against the dollar (USD), Euro (EUR) and yen (JPY) has remained at a low level since June 2016, due to continued uncertainty around negotiations as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. Delegates should check the latest exchange rates with their preferred bank or bureaux de change before travelling and/or check exchange sites such as http://www.xe.com/

Most major banks in the UK, including HSBC, Barclays, NatWest and Santander, as well as the Post Office, offer bureaux de change services in their branches.

Local customs

Manchester is a friendly city. It is common for men and women to call each other ‘love’, even if they are complete strangers! You will also hear locals saying “Ta!” or “Cheers!” which mean ‘thank you’.

Crime and policing

The emergency services contact number for the UK for police, fire and ambulance is 999.

MediaCityUK is patrolled by private security staff 24/7 and has a low crime level as a result.

Manchester city centre, in common with many major cities around the world, has more of a problem with opportunistic crime, such as pick-pocketing.  A small number of beggars can be very direct or aggressive when asking for money; most however will just sit in near shop doorways and ATM cash dispensers.  Visitors to the city centre are advised to not carry large amounts of cash; to keep bags with them at all times and avoid putting wallets, phones or electronic devices in coat or trouser pockets.  It is also illegal to give cash to beggars or homeless ‘rough sleepers’, although you may wish to offer a hot drink or food as an alternative.

British police wear black helmets and uniforms, with high-visibility yellow jackets.  Train stations are policed by the British Transport Police, who wear similar uniforms. There is a higher police presence in the city in the evenings and at weekends.