Pushing the Boundaries of OOH Advertising Following the launch of The Manchester Screen, the largest combined banner and digital billboard in the UK, we speak to Katie Smith, owner of the new site, about how the billboard came to be, and her ambitions going forward How did you first get involved in the signage and out-of-home (OOH) industries? While my career began in newspaper and magazine sales, I found my passion for OOH during my many years working for major media owners, and media and social agencies in the North West and London. I’ve always been in creative and client-facing roles, working across brand activations and campaigns where outdoor was this massive, under-leveraged opportunity. I remember the moment I realised people still talk about the billboards they walk past – they stick with them far longer than a social scroll. That’s when it clicked for me – this isn’t just signage, it’s a stage for culture, the kind of impact no other channel can quite replicate. Can you talk me through how your acquisition of The Manchester Screen came about? When the screen first went up, I thought wow. I was asked to get involved at early stages of the original launch, but it wasn’t the right time for me. But it soon struck me that it was underutilised, and the potential was underappreciated. The opportunity crossed my path again in 2021, and I got involved with the operational running and sales of the screen; this is where my relationship with it formally began. As I started understanding where the wins and growth were, the building owner saw how my vision fitted the wider opportunities, and after trialling different operational media owners and teams, in April 2025 I was formally offered the joint venture with the building owner for the ownership of the screen which expanded across not just the screen but the whole of the site. How did the concept of transforming The Manchester Screen into the UK’s largest combined print and digital billboard come about? I suppose it was born out of my desire to think big; and to think beyond the billboard. Over the years the screen has gained some serious traction. We were seeing the impact it had on a campaign’s overall success, as an opportunity to create a moment and talkability through its size and scale. The social buzz around the screen went way beyond the impressions for the site itself. So, I had the vision to build on this and, thanks to the co-operation of some really forward-thinking brand owners, we started experimenting with the space around the screen. We began with the roof, and our roof murals and roof popups ups sparked even more talkability and were the ideal test case for expanding the screen. Victoria Warehouse is an iconic building and the ideal canvas and activation space that gives brands the freedom to do whatever they can imagine. Can you talk me through the thinking behind Beyond the Billboard and how it adds value to The Manchester Screen? Beyond the Billboard is our way of stepping up from advertising space to advertising ecosystem. People don’t just look at screens anymore – they engage, interact, and experience. Beyond the Billboard allows brands to activate in a 360º way – print, motion, AR, experiential moments, and content capture – all in one living space. It extends the campaign beyond a glance. That’s where value is realised now, in memory, in shareability, in the stories people tell after they encounter a brand. With 1,140sq m of OOH impact and over 6,000sq m of activation space, we’re not thinking small. Our team is always on, experienced, energised, and relentlessly committed to making ideas work. No commercial red tape, no endless approval layers, just us, our clients, and the results we deliver together. ▲ Katie Smith with The Manchester Screen ahead of its integration with JD Sports 30 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 263 - February | March 2026 Q&A: KATIE SMITH, THE MANCHESTER SCREEN
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