The Downtown Den Podcast

Season 5. Episode 5. | Hospitality | Hyatt Regency & INNSiDE By Meliá

In this season of the Downtown Den podcast, we are joined by some of the leading personalities from across the hospitality sector.

In this episode DIB boss Frank McKenna chats with Sarah Matts from Hyatt Regency in Manchester and Annabel Lax from INNSiDE By Meliá Manchester.

In this episode Sarah & Annabel discuss their careers in hospitality, why the enjoy working in the sector and their ambitions and thoughts on the future of hospitality.

Find out more about Hyatt Regency Manchester.

Find out more about INNSiDE By Meliá Manchester.

This season of the Downtown Den podcast is sponsored by The Hospitality Hero.

Season 5. Episode 4. | Hospitality | Sefton Collection

In this season of the Downtown Den podcast, we are joined by some of the leading personalities from across the hospitality sector.

Next up, we have Conor O'Donovan CEO of the Sefton Collection.

In this captivating discussion with DIB boss Frank McKenna, Conor explains how he got involved in the industry, his highs and lows and what he learned from the experiences.

Conor also discussed the future of the Sefton Collection and his thoughts on where the industry is heading.

This season of the Downtown Den podcast is sponsored by The Hospitality Hero.

Season 5. Episode 3. | Hospitality | The Hospitality Hero

In this season of the Downtown Den podcast, we are joined by some of the leading personalities from across the hospitality sector.

Next up, we have Steven Hesketh the CEO of the Savvy Hotel Group and The Hospitality Hero.

In this fascinating discussion with DIB boss Frank McKenna, Steven shares his career journey from the beach hotels of Australia to the countryside hotels of North Wales and his involvement with one of the UK's fastest growing festivals DevaFest.

Steven also discusses the roles of Accommodation Bid's and how they can help the future of the hospitality industry.

This season of the Downtown Den podcast is sponsored by The Hospitality Hero.

To find out more about DevaFest visit: www.devafest.co.uk

For tickets for The Great Art of Hospitality Conference visit: www.tickettailor.com/events/downtowninbusiness/1895312

Season 5. Episode 2. | Hospitality | Hope Street Hotel

In this season of the Downtown Den podcast, we are joined by some of the leading personalities from across the hospitality sector.

Next up, we have Jan Morris from Hope Street Hotel, in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter.

In this captivating conversation DIB boss Frank McKenna, Jan shares her career and journey in hospitality, some of the advice she would give to anyone looking to join the hospitality industry and explains her role in the hotel.

This season of the Downtown Den podcast is sponsored by The Hospitality Hero.

Season 5. Episode 1. | Hospitality | Fazenda

In this season of the Downtown Den podcast, we are joined by some of the leading personalities from across the hospitality sector.

First up is Tomas Maunier, Managing Director at Southern Wind Group, the company behind the Fazenda chain of restaurants.

In this fascinating conversation DIB boss Frank McKenna and Tomas discuss his journey into the hospitality industry, some of the lessons he has learned along the way and his vision and plans for the future of Fazenda.

This season of the Downtown Den podcast is sponsored by The Hospitality Hero.

Downtown Den Special | Employment Law Update

Downtown Boss Frank McKenna, chats with Victoria Brown from oneHR Software and Claire McGuinness from High Performance Consultancy to discuss all the latest in the world of employment law.

Watch the latest peopleHUB webinar from High Performance Consultancy were they provide a thorough employment law update on the Employment Rights Bill. Hosted by Claire, she broke down what's coming from Autumn 25 through April 26 and beyond - highlighting what employers need to do now to stay compliant and minimise risk. Watch here - https://youtu.be/GXKHjlpmvbw

For more information visit: https://hpc.uk.com/

DIB Meets... Aston University

Downtown in Business boss Frank McKenna recently caught up with Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at Aston University.

In this episode, Frank and Aleks discuss Aston’s upcoming 60th anniversary in November and the important contribution that Aston and other universities make to the local economy.

They also talk about DIB’s upcoming events with Aston University, including the Parliamentary Reception and the Changemakers Live Summit. These events can be viewed here.

DIB Meets... City of Liverpool College + The Game Assembly

Downtown in Business caught up with The City of Liverpool College and The Game Assembly to discuss their partnership for an academic course that will provide students with internationally-renowned, industry-ready skills for a career in the games industry.

The two-year higher education course has three specialist pathways – Game Programmer, Level Designer and Game Artist. TGA replicates the structure and expectations of a professional game studio, fostering a collaborative, industry-standard environment alongside peers from other disciplines.

For more information visit: downtowninbusiness.com/liverpool/2025/03/13/the-city-of-liverpool-college-announces-partnership-with-global-leader-in-games-education

DIB Meets... United Wolves Productions

Downtown in Business boss Frank McKenna chats with Michael Wolf, Founder of United Wolves Productions.

In this episode Michael and Frank discuss who United Wolves Productions are, what they do, the background to the business, how they are helping other companies from across the DIB network and much more.

To find out more about United Wolves Productions visit: www.unitedwolvesproductions.com

DIB Meets... Muse

Downtown in Business boss Frank McKenna chats with Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse.

In a short discussion, Phil tells us all about the history of Muse, their culture of placemaking, partnerships and making a difference in the communities in which they work and more.

To find out more about Muse visit: museplaces.com