Hits Radio’s Gemma Atkinson and Right Honourable Mayor Andy Burnham among first speakers announced for Tuning In North 2024

The first speakers for Radiocentre’s Tuning In North event at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 4th June have been announced and include: Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester; Andy Carter, MP for Warrington South; Gemma Atkinson, Presenter for Hits Radio; and Dipesh Patel, Head of Acquisition Marketing for Tesco Mobile.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham will take to the stage to outline his priorities for media and creative industries in the North as he begins his third term in office.

MP for Warrington South and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Commercial Radio, Andy Carter will also be speaking at the morning event. He will provide insights into the current political landscape and discuss key developments such as the forthcoming Media Bill as well as the recent BBC radio announcements on new station launches and the introduction of advertising on some podcasts.

Hits Radio Presenter Gemma Atkinson will join Bauer Media Group’s Commercial Chief Operating Officer, Claire Foster in a session exploring the importance of connection, why it’s under threat, and how innovation and AI are changing things.

The line-up also includes Goodstuff’s Head of Audio, Sam Austin who will take part in a session with Charlie Cadbury, Founder of voice assistant-focused advertising agency Say It Now, about how they are working together to take advantage of the shift to voice engagement in audio.

The conference will be opened and chaired by Radiocentre’s CEO Matt Payton and will also feature a session from Planning Director Mark Barber and Head of Insight Donna Burns who will delve into Radiocentre’s new landmark research project ‘Radio: The Performance Multiplier’.

Tuning In North begins with a networking breakfast at 8:45am followed by presentations from 9.15am to 12.15pm. Tickets are free to radio and audio professionals, brands and agencies based in the North but are limited so reserve your ticket now to guarantee a place.

More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. The list of confirmed speakers so far is:

• Right Honourable Mayor Andy Burnham
• Andy Carter MP & Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group for Commercial Radio
• Gemma Atkinson, Presenter, Hits Radio
• Claire Foster, Commercial Chief Operating Officer, Bauer Media Group
• Sam Austin, Head of Audio, Goodstuff
• Charlie Cadbury, Founder, Say It Now
• Matt Payton, CEO, Radiocentre
• Mark Barber, Planning Director, Radiocentre
• Donna Burns, Head of Insight, Radiocentre