Word from the Chair
Belated New Year wishes to you all. Hopefully you will have had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas and New year break and have returned to work refreshed and revitalised, ready to face the challenges that lie ahead. The omens, forecasts, predictions, whatever you wish to call them are, by and large, extremely bleak for business and the economy. Firms will have it tough, some will not survive and many will cut jobs. It makes for depressing reading. However, a New Year should always bring with it new hope, new opportunities as well as new challenges. No one can deny that this is going to be a tough year but let's face it, the world is not going to stop. There is still business to be won and there will still be opportunities to seize upon - although no doubt each and every one will be more competitive and harder fought. And maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. Perhaps the current economic climate will make us all hungrier for business, make us work harder and better when seeking out those opportunities and we will all have to be stronger as we face the challenges ahead. As a city I also believe that Birmingham is in a good position to navigate its way through this economic storm. We have a talented, robust and skilful business community with a fine reputation to build on. The city, with major objectives for its future development now in place and detailed initiatives such as the Big City Plan will, I am sure, come through the next year and beyond a more vibrant and resilient place. Let’s not pretend that 2009 is going to be easy - but as we embark upon the New Year it is essential that we view what lies ahead with confidence and strength. In Barack Obama's inauguration speech, the new President of the United States said: "The challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this: They will be met." These were words not just for America, but for us all.
News & Events
A 'Knight' to remember
As we lament the freezing winter and the tightening of purse strings this New Year, Birmingham Future will provide a night to look forward to; taking a trip back to the Middle Ages for its Annual Chairman’s Ball, reviving chivalry and other customs of old. The Chairman’s Medieval Banquet will be held at the Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston, on Friday 20th February, and will play host to all things olde English. Heart FM’s resident jester Ed James will be on hand as compère, whilst knights, maids and wenches will all be in attendance. Entertainment on the evening will be provided by Warwick Castle, featuring everything from Medieval minstrels through to duelling knights, as we celebrate the past year with dinner, drinks and dancing. Birmingham Future will be raising money for Birmingham Community Foundation on the night with a prize raffle draw. The money raised will go to Birmingham Future’s own fund, the Future Foundation, which aims to support education, employment and training community projects. The evening will be a Black Tie Ball, but don't let that stop those of you with a flare for fancy dress expressing your creativity and themeing. Knights and Kings, wenches and jesters; all are welcomed! The night will continue with a Medieval pilgrimage to an after-party held at Sence Bar in the Arcadian, promising a night of merriment to rival the legends of Medieval times. Tickets cost £55.00 + vat (£63.25incl) per person, and those with a merry band of followers can make a table booking at a reduced rate of £500.00 + vat (£587.50incl). To make a booking, contact Isabel Drabble on 0121 632 2204 or email isabel@birminghamforward.co.uk but hurry, as tickets are almost sold out.
Tickets on sale for BYPY!
The wait is almost over! Tickets for Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY), Birmingham Future's glitzy awards ceremony, will go on sale on Monday 2nd February, priced £850 + VAT per table or £85 + VAT per person for single tickets. BYPY, which recognises the individual achievements of the city's young professionals, will return to the ICC on Thursday 4th June and this year the event will be bigger and more spectacular than ever. If you would like to attend the event we would recommend that you reserve your table early as BYPY has a history of selling out months in advance. To reserve your place please contact Martina Fajksova at the Birmingham Future office via email martina@birminghamforward.co.uk or by phone 0121 632 2203. And don't forget, if you think you or someone you know could be 2009's BYPY winner then why not put yourself or them forward? BYPY recognises outstanding personal achievement and has nurtured some of the city’s most promising young professionals into tomorrow’s leaders. The coveted award is also a real coup for businesses with an award winner on board. Entering is simple. Fill in the nomination form which you can download here. The deadline for entries is Friday 27th February 2009. There are six categories open to all those under 35 who work in a professional service capacity in the Birmingham postal code area and are available for interview on 26th March 2009, if successfully shortlisted. There is more information about how and why you should enter or nominate a colleague here.
Annual Members' Survey
Thank you to all of those who recently took part in the Birmingham Future Annual Survey, we have had some great feedback from everyone who took part and are currently collating and reviewing the responses. A summary of the results and action points that the Birmingham Future Leadership Team is going to take from the survey will be published over the forthcoming weeks - so watch this space! Congratulations to Claire Magill from Else Commercial Solicitors who won a three-course meal for two at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the free prize draw.
Colmore Business District BID update
A decision on the future of the Colmore Business District has taken one step closer as all eligible voters in the BID area received their ballot papers. Following a build up period in which the objectives for the BID have been developed and consultation with eligible firms and property owners have taken place, the ballot papers were distributed on Monday 19 January. Eligible voters will have until 5.00pm on February 27th to cast their vote. 500 companies employing almost 24,000 people fall within the BID area, which is one of the city’s most famous and established business areas. Colmore Business District plays a key part in the Big City Plan which is currently under consultation. Ballot papers will be independently collated and scrutinised by Electoral Reform Services and the result will be announced on March 2nd. If the BID is successful it will commence on April 1st 2009 and run for a period of up to five years. For the vote to be successful it must secure a majority in favour both in terms of those who vote and by the rateable value. If the Colmore Business District BID is successful it will join two other existing BIDs in the city, the Broad Street BID and Retail Birmingham. Read more by clicking here.
A Day in the Life of Graduate Apprentice Mayur Murali
New year brings with it the expectation of resolutions. My new year's reformations are to be a healthier me, and to try something new everyday. I see several problems with the former – notably my dislike of exercise and my love of sugar and saturated fats. Every year, this theme of self-improvement strikes at precisely 12.01am on the first of January, and rarely is it adhered to. I myself am no different. Already I have succumbed to the twin sins of the mid-morning pastry break and the post-dinner chocolate gorge. Fortunately, the Graduate Apprentice, which is a never-ending stream of firsts, has allowed me to stick to at least the second of these resolutions. Continued here.
AMEX Cards
As an additional service to our members, we are pleased to announce the Birmingham Future office can now accept AMEX card payments for all events and membership bookings.
Forthcoming Event: Meet & Mix lunch with Helga Henry on Monday 2nd February 2009 @ The Living Room
We are delighted to welcome the current chair of Creative Republic Helga Henry. Creative Republic is an independent organisation that seeks to reflect and represent the views and aspirations of the creative and cultural sector in the West Midlands. They have a wide membership including designers, photographers, performing arts companies and professionals who support the creative industries. Helga, also the General Manager of Fierce Earth, will let us have her thoughts about Birmingham's talent in the creative sector and indeed how the creative industries are making a difference in the city. You can book your place via the Birmingham Future website.
Forthcoming Event: Your Voice Counts! Big City Plan Workshop
From 6 - 8pm, Monday 2nd February 2009 Highbury Hall, 4 Yew Tree Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8QG Following the Big City Plan briefing held last summer, we are excited about the possibilities for contributing to the plan that will shape the future of our city. We want as many of you as possible to learn all about the Plan and more importantly for you to have your say. Birmingham Future have therefore teamed up with Creative Republic to run a joint workshop about the Big City Plan. This is our chance to ensure that the voice of Young Professionals in the city are reflected in the plans for the future. There is no charge for attending as the venue is being provided by Birmingham City Council but please RSVP by signing up here so we can provide sufficient refreshments. For those wishing to do a few minutes “homework” to get up to speed before attending, some useful pre-reading website links will be available. More details can be found at www.bigcityplan.org.uk.
Forthcoming Event: BID Retail update on Thursday 26th February 2009 @ The Mailbox
On 1st April 2007, Birmingham’s second Business Improvement District (BID), ‘Retail Birmingham’, was begun. Almost two years later, and with the UK’s economy spiralling into recession, Birmingham Future’s City Centre team is holding an event to look at what is happening to the £1.3million BID budget across our shopping district. Alan Chatham, owner of The Mailbox and Chair of Retail Birmingham Ltd and Jenny Inglis, City Centre Director of Birmingham’s City Centre Partnership will shed light on the project. They will provide a thorough background to the BID and show why it is so important to our city centre. This is a great opportunity to come along and hear what practical changes have been implemented since the Retail Birmingham BID commenced and how the money is being spent. Alan and Jenny will also look at how the global recession is impacting on the city’s retailers as well as how the BID is helping retailers during the recession. They will reveal the successes of Retail Birmingham and the Style Birmingham campaign, and there will be a few previews too as they reveal what initiatives and campaigns we can look forward to in the city over the next 12 months. You can book your place by visiting the Future website.
Out and about with Lise-Ann Brennan
The Puppini Sisters Christmas Special, Birmingham Town Hall, Victoria Square To stop me whining about a lack of festive cheer, my friend Gemma took me to the Town Hall on the 10th December to see the Puppini Sisters Christmas Special in an effort to get me in the Christmas Spirit. Now despite my office being less than 100yrds from the Town Hall I had never, prior to this evening, been further than their little cafe but now I know what I'm missing I can assure you I will be making a nuisance of myself at the Town Hall more often in 2009!! Continues here.
Birmingham Future, One Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BD Telephone: +44 (0)121 632 2200 Fax: +44 (0)121 632 2201
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