Accountex Summit Manchester 2026: The North’s Biggest Accountancy Event Just Got Bigger

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Accountex Summit Manchester is back for its eighth edition, taking place on 15 September 2026 at Manchester Central. This year’s event is set to be the biggest and most exciting to date, bringing together the tools, knowledge and connections that accounting and finance professionals across the North need to stay ahead.

2026 marks an exciting new chapter for the event, with the FD Show joining Accountex Summit Manchester for the very first time.

‘I found my next software solution before lunch’

There will be more than 135 software and service providers on the exhibition floor, including huge names like Sage, Xero, FreeAgent, Wolters Kluwer, TaxCalc, Bright, Intuit QuickBooks, IRIS and Dext, alongside up-and-coming brands such as Link My Books, Finquery, Moss and Advantage. Attendees will have everything they need to evaluate, compare and invest in the solutions that will future-proof their practice or business.

AAT will be on hand at the show, on stand K17. Their team will be answering questions and providing more information on their association, community and opportunities.

‘I left with a notebook full of ideas and a head full of inspiration’

The free CPD-accredited seminar programme, delivered across five theatres including a new addition, the Showcase Stage, will tackle the issues defining the profession in 2026 – from AI adoption and Making Tax Digital to compliance and the future of leadership.

Portfolio Director Caroline Hobden added: “We’re proud to bring this year’s seminar programme to Manchester, giving accounting and finance professionals across the North direct access to expertise, education and thought leadership that they can take straight back to their practice or business.”

Standout sessions include:

• AML Essentials: The fundamentals that matter with Aranjeet Gill (ACCA), David Potts (AIA) and Jane Mellor (CIOT/ATT). The panel will share the most common AML compliance failures and how to prevent them.
• HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap with Jonathan Athow, Director General for Strategy and Policy, HM Revenue & Customs, will deliver the first year of HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap and what’s coming next.
• HMRC Making Tax Digital – Where we are now and where we are heading with Craig Ogilvie, Director of Making Tax Digital, HM Revenue & Customs. Craig will cover the roll-out so far and the next phase launching 6 April 2027.
• An update on Companies House reform and accounts changes with Henry Vaile and Sarah Whitehead, Companies House. The pair will discuss the phased implementation of reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
• Future talent: Why different people will be tomorrow’s leaders with Mo Kanjilal, Edge Of Difference. The seminar will explore how AI and changing attitudes to work are reshaping leadership in accountancy.
• I let AI do every role in my accountancy practice. I don’t recommend it with Alexis Kingsbury, host of the De-stress Your Business podcast. Alexis deliberately pushed AI to run every role in an accountancy practice to stress-test where it really helps and where it breaks down. In this candid session, Alexis will share what happened, and why firms so often struggle to make AI-driven change stick. 

‘This is what senior finance leaders in the North have been waiting for’

The FD Show will be joining Accountex Summit Manchester for the very first time. With its own dedicated theatre and space, the FD Show will give finance directors and senior finance professionals a tailored experience, alongside fintech suppliers and a free CPD-accredited seminar programme packed with the insight and practical content FD Show attendees have come to expect.

End the day on a high

The post-show drinks event returns, giving attendees, exhibitors and speakers the chance to relax, reflect and continue the conversations that started on the show floor.

Secure your free place

Accountex Summit Manchester incorporating the FD Show 2026 takes place on 15 September 2026 at Manchester Central.

Book your free ticket here.

This content is brought to you by Accountex.

Accountex is Europe's No.1 Accountancy & Finance Conference and Expo.