Networking - It's What We Do Best

“The sun ALWAYS shines for Housing Manchester,” I declared confidently the week before our latest WISH networking event and live podcast recording. Famous last words - it absolutely poured! But the rain didn’t dampen our spirits. In fact, the gentle patter on the canopy at Dear Sailor added a unique atmosphere to our first ever live-streamed episode of the If I Had One WISH podcast.

We were thrilled to welcome the wonderful Tracy Harrison, CEO of the Northern Housing Consortium as our inaugural livestream guest. She was insightful, candid, and utterly brilliant. If you missed it, you can catch the full 45-minute conversation here.

Here’s a quick flavour of what we covered:

• Regeneration – Let’s not just build new, let’s buy homes and invest in what we already have.
• Collaboration – We won’t hit 1.5 million homes alone. We need each other.
• Delivery – Enough talk. The time to act is now.
• The Power of the Network – Women do this so well.
• Gender-lensed approaches – Truly understanding the needs of women in our sector.

After that, you'd think we deserved a lie down - but no! It was straight into our ever-popular WISH Manchester networking lunch, where I was proud to launch our ‘See Her’ campaign. The room buzzed with warmth, generosity, and curiosity. Huge thanks to our sponsors, and to everyone wearing their See Her badges with pride (if you’d like one, they’ll be coming to an event near you!).

We couldn’t have hosted this fabulous event without the support of our fantastic partners, Connectin Events and Novus Property Solutions. Penni Pennington, Event Management Specialist at ConnectIn said:

“At ConnectIn Events, we're always proud to support WISH at the Housing Conference and this year was no exception. Finding the perfect venue to elevate the guest experience is what we do best, and Dear Sailor certainly delivered! A vibrant lunchtime of meaningful networking, brilliant energy, and most importantly – women championing women. Already looking forward to next year!”

What I love most about WISH networking events - whether in Manchester, Edinburgh, London, or Newcastle - isn’t just the food (though it’s usually excellent). It’s the smiles. The atmosphere is welcoming, the conversations inclusive, and the connections real. Come on your own, and it won’t be long before someone strikes up a chat.

This is the Power of the Network. It’s built on positivity, purpose, and people who show up.

Thanks to everyone who came along. If you missed this one, keep an eye out - we’ll be back at the Housing Community Summit this September. You won’t want to miss it.

Crystal Hicks, WISH President