The Manchester Publicity Association (MPA) will be celebrating its centenary in 2020, as it marks 100 years of championing the region’s Media and Creative industries.
The not-for-profit membership organisation was founded in 1920 by media pioneers in Manchester and has welcomed hundreds of agencies as members in the century since.
With over 2,000 members, the association is the largest of its kind in Europe and offers members a host of knowledge sharing, networking, social and fundraising opportunities including the prestigious ‘MPA Inspiration’ awards ceremony each year.
The association will be launching an official ‘100 years’ campaign commencing in January 2020, and using the unique platform the centenary will provide to bolster its charitable fundraising efforts.
While the majority of the year will be focussed on NABS fundraising, throughout March, the MPA committee and its members will raise money for Prevent Breast Cancer, the Manchester-based charity who uniquely support research into preventing women against breast cancer.
Christian James, chair of the MPA, said: “It’s a personal honour to be Chair of the association in it’s centenary. Manchester is the best place on the planet to be working with or in the Media, Digital and Creative sector and the centenary is an opportunity for us to get that officially recognised.
“Fundraising is at the heart of what we do, and so we’re all really looking forward to coming together and donating our time and money to both NABS and Prevent Breast Cancer. Manchester is a city with a big heart, so we’re confident that our connections and friends across the region will dig deep and club together to support us.”
The growing organisation has recently welcomed a clutch of new board members, as it looks to diversify its board and membership.
These are: Lucy Boland, Agency Director of Accord Marketing; Lisa Morton, CEO of Roland Dransfield; Laura Milakovic, Senior Account Manager at Accord Marketing; Jonathan Ashworth, MD of Mighty Giant; Sean Keyes, Manchester & The North Lead, Twitter UK; Erika Ingham, CFO, Mediacom; Marcus Hadfield, Chief Strategy Officer, Apadmi; Nick Entwistle, MD of One Minute Briefs; and Martha Moore, Account Manager at Roland Dransfield.
“It’s fantastic to welcome these esteemed practitioners to the MPA board, whose knowledge and expertise will doubtless help the association to continue growing and diversifying.”
