A Manchester networking group that has brought together thousands of people is marking an incredible 10 years in business.
Created in 2013 by co-founders Rich Tyrrell and Andrew Bennie, Manchester Young Professionals is an inclusive and accessible network for people in their 20s and 30s who work in the city, designed to connect like-minded individuals while offering key contacts and development opportunities.
From welcoming just 20 people at their debut event in 2013 to packing out over 100 venues across Greater Manchester and selling 14,422 tickets to date, their offering includes an average of 2 events a week at popular social gatherings at ‘hotspot’ locations such as Albert Schloss and Firefly, creative classes and rapidly growing health and wellbeing experiences.
Whilst bringing together young professionals, MYP also takes pride in supporting the local economy, as these partnering businesses benefit from a surge in visibility and revenue as event hosts.
Looking back on everything they have achieved in the past decade, Rich commented: “It’s been an incredible ten years.”
“We’re incredibly proud of all we’ve done and what the team have achieved – for something that started from this feeling of isolation after moving to Manchester and to see it grow into a group that brings people from all over the city together. It feels really special.”
As well as a packed social calendar, MYP also offers a mentoring programme to equip Manchester’s young workers with the skills they need to succeed, matching budding talent with more established professionals.
Alexia Holt, marketing manager, 27, who took part in the scheme back in 2021 was paired with Alex Di Guiseppe, the EU Senior Brand Manager at Kellogg’s. Alexia commented:
“It was a big honour to learn from him. This led to my eventual recognition, nomination and win of a Most Confident Performer for that fiscal year – it was one of my proudest achievements and I will always thank Alex and the mentoring scheme for the experience.”
With the aim of making Manchester a more sociable, engaged and progressive city, co-founders Rich and Andrew are keen to give back to the city they love so much. Their events also better lives beyond a professional capacity, they have raised an incredible £32k for multiple local and national charities such as Forever Manchester, Beechwood Cancer Care, Manchester Mind and The Prince’s Trust.
Through the years of the pandemic, MYP were keen to keep their community spirit alive and created a running club which is now over 1,000 members strong.
It’s one of many MYP schemes that has invigorated people’s passions – something that 25-year-old Abbie Smyth, from Corby says has helped her rediscover her love for running.
“I got into running during lockdown, but after the world returned to normal I struggled to find the spark again – it wasn’t fun to run laps around the city alone.”
“The MYP run club gave me the opportunity to meet new people and it felt enjoyable again… We recently ran the Manchester 10k together and we’re now planning to challenge ourselves to the Manchester Half Marathon in October!”
With their vast variety of events, MYP are keen to welcome even more Manchester residents. Having started as a small operation solely run by Andrew and Rich when they first moved to Manchester, the operation has now grown into a 14-member team who work tirelessly to get people from different backgrounds involved and excited about their industries.
“Our volunteers are champions for MYP within their industries,” explains Rich.
“They’re integral to our process and spreading the word about events to get people from different backgrounds and sectors involved – which is part of the reason we’re growing day by day.”
As they celebrate their achievements, MYP holds an exciting vision for the future: expanding their reach beyond Manchester’s borders and sharing their successful model of community-building and positive change to cities worldwide.
After an incredible decade of making a positive impact, inspiring passions, and raising substantial funds for charitable causes, it looks like it’s onward and upwards for Manchester’s Young Professionals.
