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 learned along the way and his vision and plans for the future of Fazenda.

This season of the Downtown Den podcast is sponsored by The Hospitality Hero.

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 25 through April 26 and beyond - highlighting what employers need to do now to stay compliant and minimise risk. Watch here - https://youtu.be/GXKHjlpmvbw

For more information visit: https://hpc.uk.com/

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 the Parliamentary Reception and the Changemakers Live Summit. These events can be viewed here.

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 structure and expectations of a professional game studio, fostering a collaborative, industry-standard environment alongside peers from other disciplines.

For more information visit: downtowninbusiness.com/liverpool/2025/03/13/the-city-of-liverpool-college-announces-partnership-with-global-leader-in-games-education

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.org/gala/

Find out more about Nugent by visiting their website: https://wearenugent.org/

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 in creating and developing strategic partnerships with UK regional cities, universities and NHS Trusts.  

Find out more about Bruntwood SciTech visit their website. bruntwood.co.uk/scitech/

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