THE Mere was a hub of activity as it welcomed some of the world’s key manufacturing leaders for a four-day conference earlier this month.

Manchester-based charity The Manufacturing Institute staged The Enterprise Excellence Conference at the Mere Golf and Spa Resort from September 30 to October 3.

The conference, which was a celebration of the charity’s 20th anniversary, featured a line-up of delegates from award-winning manufacturers, including Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Unisys, Boston Scientific and Lundbeck.

George Osborne MP greeted the delegates with a special video message welcoming them to Tatton - ‘the best place on earth’ – and praised The Manufacturing Institute for its dedication to educating, inspiring and improving manufacturing.

Manufacturing Institute CEO Julie Madigan said: “It was a fantastic celebration of manufacturing past, present and looking to the future.

“Our delegates travelled from as far afield as Australia and Holland to share their stories and experiences with their fellow manufacturers. It’s been a great way to mark the past 20 years and we’re looking forward to the next 20 years of The Manufacturing Institute.”

Two days of the conference were dedicated to speaker sessions, with Dr Ania Servant, research fellow at the National Graphene Institute at Manchester University, and Bas Van Abel, the founder of the world’s first ethical mobile phone company Fairphone, taking centre-stage.

Delegates also visited key manufacturer sites across the North West including Unilever, Leyland Trucks and Bentley Motors, and the conference concluded with a wind-down golf tournament on The Mere’s championship course.