The Data Front

In October I headed to Manchester Central for the first ever Data Decoded MCR, a new two day festival for data and AI people.

The event took over Manchester Central on 21–22 October, with five parallel theatres, a busy exhibition floor and a steady stream of talks on everything from AI strategy and engineering to governance, leadership and culture.

It felt different to a lot of conferences I go to. Less sales pitch, more real talk. The organisers describe it as a movement rather than a traditional, profit driven conference, and that absolutely came through in the mix of sessions and speakers. A proper ‘northern’ affair; echoing why I love this region so much, why I moved and made it my home 18 months ago.

The audience was a proper cross section of the UK data community. I spoke with people from sport, recruitment, public sector teams, start ups and scale ups, all trying to make sense of the same questions. How do we keep up with AI? How do we build platforms that actually get used? How do we help people feel confident with data, not overwhelmed by it?

My own session, in the AI, Analytics and Intelligence Theatre, sat in the leadership and strategy space, looking at how people, culture and technology need to move together if you want adoption that lasts. I shared some of what I have learned from running large & small scale enablement programmes, but also from the conversations I have been having with analytics Centres of Excellence across different industries. The stories are remarkably similar, whether you are supporting thousands of retail users or a much smaller specialist team.

One thing I really enjoyed about Data Decoded was the focus on making data “for everyone”, not just the senior job titles. The theatres were busy, but the energy carried on into the corridors and coffee queues. Lots of side conversations, lots of note swapping, plenty of “we tried that too, here is what happened”.

I usually speak in London, so it was a real treat to spend time with the North West data community on their home turf. Manchester Central is a great venue, and the city has a very grounded, practical feel which matched the tone of the event. I left with a notebook full of ideas, an expanded network and a long list of those I want to follow up with.

If you are working anywhere near data, AI or analytics, and especially if you are building a Centre of Excellence, Data Decoded MCR is one to keep on your radar. I am already looking forward to seeing how it grows in 2026, both up North & in London.

---