30th Anniversary Manchester Bombing Event

Manchester will mark 30 years since the 1996 bombing that transformed the city and had a lasting impact on the insurance industry, urban regeneration, and approaches to resilience across the UK.

The 30th Anniversary Manchester Bombing Event, delivered in partnership with the Insurance Institute of Manchester and supported by Inconnection, will take place on 16 June 2026 at Treehouse Hotel Manchester. The event will bring together professionals from across insurance, risk management, claims, reinsurance, architecture, and urban development to reflect on the incident's legacy and the lessons that continue to shape the industry today.

Hosted in the Cedar Suite at Treehouse Hotel Manchester, the programme has been designed to explore the bombing's impact from multiple perspectives, including city regeneration, risk management, terrorism insurance, claims handling, and resilience planning.

The morning will begin with guest arrivals and breakfast networking, accompanied by a rolling video screening in the hotel's Flix cinema space. Attendees will then be welcomed by Emma Ackers, President of the Insurance Institute of Manchester, before a special reflection and remembrance poem delivered by Dave Steele, The Blind Poet.

The keynote programme will feature leading figures whose professional experiences connect directly to the themes of the event.

Ian Simpson, Founding Partner of SimpsonHaugh, will open the speaker programme with The Regeneration of Manchester, reflecting on the city's reconstruction following the bombing and the role urban planning and architecture played in shaping modern Manchester.

Julia Graham, former CEO of AIRMIC and former Head of Risk at Royal Insurance, will provide a personal and professional perspective in Experiencing the Incident and Managing the Aftermath, sharing insights into the immediate response and long-term implications for risk management.

Following a networking break, Jonathan Gray, Chief Underwriting Officer at Pool Re, will examine how political violence and terrorism have influenced the insurance market over the past three decades. His session will explore changing terrorist threats, evolving risk landscapes, and the development of terrorism insurance and reinsurance solutions in the UK.

The final keynote will be delivered by David Watts, Senior Executive Adjuster at McLarens Loss Adjusters, who will discuss the evolution of claims handling for political violence and terrorism incidents and how industry responses have adapted since 1996.

The event will conclude with a panel discussion, From Impact to Insight: Lessons from Manchester for Risk, Insurance and Resilience, facilitated by John Batty, Director of Technical at Bridge Insurance Brokers. Panellists will include Jonathan Gray, David Watts, Julia Graham, and Tanya Shelley of Aviva, who will explore the key lessons learned from Manchester and their relevance for future resilience and preparedness.

Accredited with four hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), the event offers attendees an opportunity not only to learn from leading experts but also to reflect on the broader significance of the anniversary.

For Inconnection, supporting events such as this reflects the importance of creating spaces where industry professionals can come together to share knowledge, reflect on pivotal moments in history, and contribute to conversations that help strengthen resilience across businesses, communities, and cities.

Thirty years on, the Manchester bombing remains a defining chapter in the city's story. This event will provide an important opportunity to remember, reflect, and consider how the lessons of the past continue to inform the future.