The Downtown Den Podcast

Britain's cities and towns feature many distinguished buildings of historical significance. Sadly, in too many cases they have been left to decay. Latest estimates suggest nearly half a million buildings lie idle, boarded up, slowly falling apart. Downtown in Business and PJ Livesey have written to ministers and parliamentarians calling for a change in how these buildings and assets are unlocked f...

In this latest episode of the Downtown Den podcast, DIB boss Frank McKenna chats with Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Liverpool, Cllr Carl Cashman.   In a wide-ranging discussion Frank and Carl discuss a variety of topics including city centre car parking charges and its effect on the hospitality sector, the UK’s political leadership challenges and his ambitions for Liverpool and his desire to...

Welcome to Downtown Den. In today's Meet the Partner episode, we're joined by Anna Salisbury and Michael Smeaton from Glenville Walker 's litigation team. When your business hits a rough patch, or a property lease starts causing headaches, you need more than just legal advice – you need partners who'll stand by your side and turn complex problems into clear solutions. Anna and Michael share their...

Downtown in Business invited the Leader of Liverpool City Council, Cllr Liam Robinson into the Downtown Den to chat all things MIPIM 2026 with DIB boss Frank McKenna. In this discussion Liam shares why attending the premier global real estate and urban planning summit, is important to Liverpool and the wider city region. Liam explains why it is important the the regions private and public sectors...

DIB boss, Frank McKenna caught up with Sean Keyes and William Baldwin from Sutcliffe to discuss the upcoming MIPIM 2026 property festival. In this brief podcast, they discuss what MIPIM means to a company like Sutcliffe, what they are hoping to achieve in Cannes and share their advice on how best to get the most out of MIPIM 2026. downtowninbusiness.com/mipim

Simon Krol and Daniel Tebay from leading construction company, Krol Corlett, join Frank McKenna on the Downtown Den to discuss the upcoming MIPIM 2026 property festival. First time MIPIM attendees Simon and Daniel, explain why they are attending MIPIM and what opportunities they hope to find on the international stage. Visit the Downtown in Business MIPIM microsite. www.downtowninbusiness.com/mipi...

The Chief Executive of the Liverpool Business Improvement District, Bill Addy, joins Frank McKenna on the Downtown Den to discuss the upcoming MIPIM 2026 property festival. They explore why MIPIM remains a crucial platform for Liverpool, the opportunities it presents for investment and collaboration, and how the city is positioning itself on the international stage.

Understanding Shareholders Agreements from the Experts at Glenville Walker As part of Downtown Den’s Meet the Partners, Frank McKenna caught up with Michael Smeaton and Anna Salisbury from Glenville Walker to get advice for our members about Shareholders Agreements and why we need them. Going into business with a partner can feel like the start of something brilliant. You're aligned on the vision,...

Enjoy a recap of Liverpool Business Improvement District's budget reaction webnar from last November 2025. On Budget Day (Wednesday 26 November 2025), Liverpool Business Improvement District hosted a special webinar with a panel of industry experts to provide immediate analysis and insight. Liverpool Business Improvement District Chief Executive Bill Addy was joined by Katelyn Dutton from Sedulo,...

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 ambi...

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 o...

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 i...

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 i...

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 lea...

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 2...

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 t...

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 structu...

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

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

Downtown in Business boss Frank Mckenna chats with CEO of Avrenim Group, Simon Harris. Simon explains what Avrenim is, the net zero agenda, GB energy, how they help and advise their clients and much more. Find out more about Avrenim on their website: avrenim.co.uk

Downtown in Business boss Frank Mckenna caught up with Joanne Henney, CEO at Nugent, Simon Krol, Director at Krol Corlett Construction and James Jaycock, Insurance Broker at Butterworth Spengler to discuss what and who Nugent are. Krol Corlett and Butterworth Spengler are headline sponsors of this years Nugent Gala, taking place on 7th November 2024. You can access tickets at: https://wearenugent....

Downtown boss Frank McKenna caught up with Rob Valentine, Region Director - Birmingham & West Midlands for Bruntwood SciTech. Bruntwood SciTech is the country’s leading developer of city-wide innovation ecosystems, and the largest dedicated property platform for the UK knowledge economy.  Alongside a 50-year track record in the property industry, Bruntwood SciTech bring a wealth of experience...

Downtown boss Frank McKenna caught up with Ryan Etchells and Elliot Vure from Together. Ryan and Elliot share the history of Together, how they have been able to help businesses access money and what they can do for clients. Find out more about Together and how they can help you access funding on their website. togethermoney.com

Downtown boss Frank McKenna caught up with Warwick North West Managing Director, Greg Johnson. Greg shares a whistle stop history of Warwick and his rise to Managing Director, some of his challenges along the way and his vision for the future, not just for Warwick but the wider business region too. Find out more about Warwick North West on their website. www.warwicknorthwest.co.uk

As we round out 2023, the latest guest in the Downtown Den 'Leaders' series is Dave Brewitt the Owner and Chief Executive of Hope Street Hotel and Owner of Carpenter Investments. In a compelling conversation with DIB CEO Frank McKenna, Dave shares his career journey from teaching in Birkenhead to founding one of Liverpool's finest hotels, From sharing his entrepreneurial tips to plans for the futu...