Welcome to Birmingham
The popular ‘Welcome to Birmingham’ event series returned for its second year last month.
Welcome to Birmingham equips young professionals in the District with essential business skills and networking opportunities, empowering them to grow their careers and expand their professional network.
Recognising the demand for an all-encompassing programme for new professionals in the city centre, we shaped the Welcome to Birmingham series based on feedback from our partners and local businesses to ensure it met their needs.
This year’s events were in high demand and quickly sold out. The series forms part of a broad range of projects we run, all aimed at making the District an outstanding place to work and play.
We reflect on some of this year’s top highlights and how we are helping to build a successful business community in the District.
Partnering with our neighbours
Building upon the success of last year’s series, we curated ten events to cater to the diverse needs of Birmingham’s young professionals, partnering with local businesses from across the District as host locations, including HAYS, Alberts Schloss, BT, and The Florence.
Due to popular demand, the series featured new sessions, such as Group Mentoring and Leadership Development, and the return of events like Network and Drink. Several sessions were led by TAG Network Midlands, a networking community focused on personal and professional growth, who specialise in upskilling their members.
By collaborating with our neighbours, we allowed young professionals to explore the diverse businesses and sectors operating in the District and develop skills essential for early career progression.
Dennis Morris, Founder and CEO of TAG Network Midlands, commented: “Engaging with new and young professionals is crucial for their career development, knowledge sharing and personal growth. Networking allows individuals to build relationships and connections, which can lead to opportunities for collaboration and career advancement.
“Young professionals can broaden their horizons, promote continuous learning and facilitatea culture of innovation which will enrich the city. Overall, it is essential for organisations to invest in individuals that will form these relationships for a fulfilling and successful professional journey, not to mention develop leadership and communication skills invaluable for their professional growth and personal development.”
Focusing on wellbeing
The professional world can feel pretty relentless sometimes, so it is essential that workers across the District are equipped to care for their mental health to ensure they are at the top of their game. Pressures outside the workplace due to the current cost-of-living crisis also put additional stress on us all.
Therefore, we put wellbeing front and centre of our Welcome to Birmingham series this year, running events such as Guided Meditation and an interactive Cook-along to give young professionals time to recharge. By providing colleagues with the skills to protect their wellbeing, we are helping to build a resilient workforce in the District that can better handle whatever life throws at them.
We host wellbeing activities and develop workplace health resources throughout the year. Most recently, we created several blogs in partnership with Birmingham Mind, discussing topics such as ‘Supporting mental health in the workplace’ and ‘Mental health and the cost of living crisis’.
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Unlocking the potential for career growth
Welcome to Birmingham showcased the District’s vibrant business ecosystem and served as a gateway for young professionals to explore the many career possibilities the District offers. Attendees were able to connect with like-minded professionals, gain valuable insights, and discover how to leverage these opportunities to excel in their future careers.
We spoke to several attendees about what they gained from this year’s programme and what it means for their professional development.
Colby Woodall, Graduate Construction Project Manager at Gleeds, said: “Welcome to Birmingham is a great initiative to bring new professionals together. It was great to learn more about the BID, as well as meet others starting their career like myself.
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success for us and our city. “
Looking to the future
With the return of the Welcome to Birmingham series being so popular, it once again demonstrated the importance of our commitment to supporting professionals in the District.
The official launch of the BID4 Business Plan will take place on Thursday 22 June. On Thursday 28 September, Colmore BID will initiate a postal ballot where eligible voters can have their say regarding the BID’s fourth, five-year term from 2024-2029. The last day of the ballot will be Thursday 26 October, and the results will be announced on Monday 30 October.
A favourable ballot outcome will enable us to actualise our vision for the area, with local businesses investing £6.5 million over five years. This will include a range of projects and initiatives to continue to build and grow the District’s business community and support the District’s young professionals.