DQ.2 - Birmingham Edition by Downtown in Business

B I R M I N G H A M - E D I T I O N -

WE’RE ALL TECHIES NOW KIM LEARY

THE POWER OF NETWORKING HANNAH FLOYD

GET READY TO GET LUCKY CRAIG MOORE

AWARDS ARE BACK. CHEERS TO THAT. CITY OF MANCHESTER BUSINESS AWARDS 2021 23rd June 2021 CITY OF BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS AWARDS 2021 15th July 2021 CITY OF LIVERPOOL BUSINESS AWARDS 2021 7th October 2021

GET YOUR TICKETS: WWW.DOWNTOWNINBUSINESS.COM

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BIRMINGHAM EDITION CHAIR’S MESSAGE

06 KIM LEARY 07

WE’RE ALL TECHIES NOW KIM LEARY THE POWER OF NETWORKING

11 HANNAH FLOYD

BIGGEST RECESSION BOUNCE BACKS IN PROPERTY PRICE SINCE THE LAST MARKET CRASH JAMES FORRESTER

22 DOWNTIME BIRMINGHAM

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED

15 FRANK MCKENNA

BIRMINGHAM BASED HOTELIERS

17 LAUNCH SWITCH HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT RYAN DOYLE

GET READY TO GET LUCKY

18 CRAIG MOORE

EDITOR: ABBY GOLDIE DESIGNER: JACK HUNTER

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CONTRIBUTORS: FRANK MCKENNA KIM LEARY HANNAH FLOYD JAMES FORRESTER CRAIG MOORE HOLLYWOOD MONSTER WESTERN UNION BUSINESS SOLUTIONS NATIONAL EXPRESS AZETS PARK REGIS WILKES BRUNTWOOD WORKS BLUEPRINT INTERIORS BROCK CARMICHAEL STRIPEHOMES GROWHOUSE ACORNS HOSPICE LOOPIN

CHAIRS MESSAGE 2020: the year that we all scurried to set up shop from our living rooms and discovered words like “unprecedented”, “pivot” and “zoom”. Like all of us, it’s certainly not how I expected the year to pan out. Yet here we are in 2021 having eaten everything in the cupboards and drank everything from the fridge. Whilst speaking to DIB members one thing is clear though - we are all experiencing this pandemic in very different ways. Some sectors are booming whilst many others are closed and really struggling. It can make conversation awkward if you’re doing really well but don’t want to upset those that aren’t. There are however opportunities on the horizon and as the days get lighter a feeling of hope is taking hold. The Commonwealth Games are steaming ahead and although some have cast their doubt on whether the games will goahead Cllr Ian Ward is “staying optimistic” and with the fast-paced vaccine roll-out continuing in earnest he has every right to be. I for one can almost hear the splash and cheering as our champions dive off the dive tower, which has just been completed at Sandwell Aquatics Centre, another big milestone for the Games team. A Birmingham based company has also been awarded the contract to develop and produce around 1,500 merchandise products, which will go on sale in the next couple of months. The Games will also be recruiting up to 300 people to work in the retail outlets and they are currently advertising over 1000 jobs on their website, promising to give a much-needed boost to the West Midlands economy. For those that attended the Future City 2040 DIB event held in February, you will have already heard about the exciting plans that Birmingham City Council is developing. I urge everyone to take a look at Our Future City Plan to discover more about the project and to see what the transformation of our City could look like in 2040. It’s a really ambitious and quite phenomenal plan. As I’m also Chair of Birmingham Tech CIC it will come as no surprise that I’m a huge advocate for tech in our region. What I love about technology is that it is constantly evolving. Like Madonna, the undisputed queen of reinvention, as the world changes we must change with it. I strongly believe that companies who can embrace technology will come out fighting. You only have to look at the stock markets to see tech funds doubling YoY. Yet Birmingham sits at number 11 in the Investment table having received only £87mn in funding (in comparison Cambridge the lead outside of London received 1.4bn in 2016 and London received 30bn in the same period). We need to be louder and we need to do more to share and promote our achievements. The eyes of the investors have to be turned this way. We have the most startups outside of London but we also have the lowest scale-up rate. It’s why we decided that the next logical step for Birmingham Tech was to launch a scale-up accelerator specifically designed for tech companies looking to secure investment, expand into new markets and who already turnover circa £250,000 p/a. It’s currently estimated there are 4,000 tech companies based in Birmingham and with an initial cohort of 10, as we grow and deliver more online content our reach will grow exponentially. We already have 60 hours’ worth of on-demand content that’s ready to watch now. As a leader, one of our biggest challenges is looking after our team’s well-being. Whilst running Squibble nurturing our culture has always been high on my agenda. We’re in the world of selling creative ideas and you can’t do that if you’re having a bad day and feeling unmotivated. Lockdown 3.0 has certainly brought this challenge to the forefront. How do you motivate your team when you can only peer at each other through Zoom? In a recent conversation with a DIB member, they said “as leaders, people look to us for the answers but it’s ok to say I don’t have them, none of us have experienced anything like this before”. This statement is true and we should continue to support one another and make time to ask how each other is feeling. Birmingham does have a lot to look forward to. If we can just hang on that little bit longer. Be Bold Be Brave #StrongerTogether KIM LEARY CHAIRPERSON, DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM IN BUSINESS

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WORDS BY KIM LEARY CEO, SQUIBBLE Do you remember, back in 2017, when the nation was entertained (or shocked) by Professor Robert Kelly whose child had ambushed his live interview? Who would have thought that a few years later it would be the norm for children to casually join our meetings? Zoom forward 4 years and it’s likely that the COVID-19 recovery will be digital. It has often been cited that in the first 8 weeks of the pandemic we accelerated consumer and business digital adoption by 5 years. This is huge and sets the precedent for what’s to come. For us, at Squibble, the switch to working from home was a fairly swift one and within 48 hours we’d replaced our typical face-to-face meetings with online delivery supported by a simple tech stack that enabled us to carry on with limited disruption. It would have been a bit of a worry if we couldn’t adopt new technologies, right? Working in a web design agency means that we’re a lover of all things tech and particularly in my role as Chair of the board for Birmingham Tech CIC. The challenge for most business owners and their employees was far greater though, particularly if you’re used to having an IT department on-hand. WFH presented an entirely new set of problems. How do large corporations or banks continue to support their customers without all the security protocols present at home? Especially if said employees did not consider themselves ‘techy’. There’s no denying the fact that it’s been a huge upheaval for businesses up and down the country, not to mention for the children and their missed schooling.

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But aside from the obvious tech boom with Software as a Service (SaaS) products like Zoom, Slack and Netflix there are already huge consumer shifts that are likely to stay. This means our budding relationship with tech is only set to grow. Ecommerce sales have also seen a huge surge with UK online sales growth hitting a 13-year high at +36.6% year-on-year for 2020. Even after the first lockdown ended these figures remained constant with a small 6% drop. If the numbers are to be believed, it’s fair to suggest that our short-lived adoption of digital could signal what the future holds. For businesses, this means we need to continue our quest with giving consumers access to our products and services online, and not only this we need to consider where the tech advances are taking us. So what are the fastest-growing tech industries worldwide? • • • • •

Virtual Reality Security Fintech Artificial Intelligence Biotechnology

According to Tech Nation, “Specialised tech roles are particularly in demand, like network security jobs for which salaries increased 69% on average this year to £85,894. Given the nationwide shift to remote work which relies on digital networks, specialised security professionals are more necessary for businesses than ever before.” They also state that “As the sector continues to grow it’s important to ensure that there are

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opportunities for everyone and that a diversity of skills and perspectives can contribute to UK innovation. Around 37% of employees in the digital economy are in non-digital roles, such as HR, marketing, legal, and compliance.” There are lots of exciting headlines that we can take from the tech sector. The UK currently has 80 unicorns (private companies valued at $1 billion or more), which is more than any other European country. Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds and Oxford have surged ahead of pre-covid investment funding and this can only be seen as a vote in confidence for UK’s innovation. We only have to look at the heroic achievements the UK has taken with the Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine, where the previous work of Prof Sarah Gilbert enabled her to develop the vaccine in less than a few weeks based on her existing research in 2014 for Ebola. Gerard Grech, chief executive, Tech Nation, said:

within the pizza market? But for Domino’s, they’ve seen eye-watering growth over the past few years and it’s because their business strategy has technology at its core. Today Domino’s is seen as one of the early adopters of technology within their sector. They were quick to respond to consumers’ demands. Increasingly diners wanted seamless delivery with a few taps on their app and delivery straight to their front door. In fact, online orders now far surpass orders taken over the phone. However, a decade ago its share price languished at $2.83. Both consumers and investors were obviously underwhelmed by what the business had to offer. Since the introduction of their mobile ordering and tracking system share price drastically increased and is now hovering around $400 and the company’s market cap stands above $17 billion. Even pre-COVID their share price was at $290.

“The UK’s tech businesses have faced one of the biggest upheavals in a century, and still pulled in more than $15bn.”

So what changed? Domino’s started to call itself a tech company. Out of the 800 people working at Domino’s headquarters, 400 work in software and analytics.

There is a clear correlation between high-growth companies that position themselves as tech-driven. Let’s switch to pizzas, I know much less awe-inspiring than vaccines, and you’re probably thinking how can there be any technological innovation

So what does all this mean for business leaders? How can we utilise tech in our own business? If you can’t invest in developing your own product then why not consider using technology partners. There is a rich ecosystem of successful cloud

technology companies that can help to streamline and automate your business. Despite the initial fears, WFH has opened the door to endless opportunities for employees, employers and entrepreneurs alike. For those that are willing to rip up the rule book and step out onto the precipice competitive advantage can be gained. This pandemic has shown us that anything is possible. I’m sure many business owners would have disregarded the possibility of allowing their staff to work remotely, pre-COVID, but we’ve proven that it can be done. As a result, many employers are finding that staff are more productive and more importantly CAN be trusted. This should enable us all to consider a new way of working in the future. It’s not unrealistic to expect that employees will want to continue in some form with a hybrid approach to WFH. Business owners will need to consider how this can be continued. There’s no shortage of apps to help, here’s an article with 33 ways to use technology in your business. Now is the time to gain momentum. The need to integrate technology within our companies is not going to relinquish. Given the fact that the tech sector has, so far, been largely unaffected by the pandemic it’s likely it could be the catalyst that propels the damaged UK economy out of its 300-year low decline. DQ.2 BIRMINGHAM EDITION

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THE BUSINESS CLUB WITH OPINIONS Subscribe to the DIB weekly bulletins and receive early access to our DQ Digital magazine and keep you up-to-date with news, views and opinions from the world of business and politics. As well as, details of Downtown’s outstanding 2021 events programme.

Don’t miss out, sign up to receive our email bulletins and have early access to the DQ Digital Edition at: WWW.DOWNTOWNINBUSINESS.COM

WORDS BY HANNAH FLOYD DIRECTOR & CO OWNER, PI SQ LTD Having been asked to write about the power of networking it has been necessary to stop and reflect on my networking past. Upon reflection I calculated that I have been networking now for 12+ years and it dawned on me what a huge impact networking has had on my life. So, if you are not utilising the power of networking to positively impact your personal and business life – what is stopping you?! I have networking to thank for the position I am in today and I wholeheartedly believe that. I also have networking to thank for some incredible businesspeople that I am now very proud to call my friends. I have been lucky enough to work in an industry where networking is a given, the wonderful world of commercial property. Starting my career as an Area manager for Regus in my early years to move into business development around 6 years ago and networking has been key to every increase in salary or promotion because my network was my net worth. Now that I have started a new business, networking has been the most invaluable asset to grow my business and brand awareness. Without the incredible and supportive network of people that I have formed in my time I am certain that the business (which was set up in the middle of lockdown series one) would not have hit the ground running as it has and for that I am so grateful. The relationships that we build during networking are key to our business and by making this priority you will not only gain more contacts but also gain more sales and I believe every role is responsible for sales, not just BDM’s or sales exec’s. Back to basics here but how do we build any meaningful, worthwhile, and long-term relationship? Through trust. That is how a good business is conducted, not just focused on a quick sale, and conducting transactions but to get to the trust you must get to know the person first then there has to be a mutual liking. This is not going to be achieved by meeting a person once, its built over time and several meetings in varying situations, that’s where networking comes in. In today’s highly competitive world being a confident and effective networker sets you apart form the crowd.

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“... make it about how you can help people and not what they can do for you.” The prospect of putting yourself out there can be daunting for some but it is important to remember that it does not always have to be in a formal setting, choosing the right networking events for what you feel comfortable with is also important because if you’re not comfortable its completely counterproductive. I remember years ago I attended a rather regimented networking event which I was not comfortable with and I sat in a corner, on my own drinking a coffee – a complete waste of my time and so I learned early on to seek out the more relaxed networking because those fitted with my personality. There are still many people/ businesses out there that see networking as a jolly, schmoozing people, nice dinners, and lunches (I know my friends and family see it that way, I swear they did not think I did any actual work pre lockdown) but aside from all of that, networking is a core skill and there is an art to it. Of course all of that has kind of gone out of the window recently as we find ourselves in a time where our only way of networking is online via zoom/teams which is somewhat more difficult, but I have found this a great support network personally you, so it is important we still continue to find new ways of keeping in touch but online networking is a whole new art that we have had to learn and adapt too very quickly. DQ.2 BIRMINGHAM EDITION

Downtown in Business has been a large contributor of my networking journey as well as managing to win Female Networker of Year in 2019 I was lucky enough to be nominated for Young Entrepreneur of the year 2020. For obvious reasons that award ceremony hasn’t happened yet, but I am sure when it does, we will make up for lost time. Groups such as Downtown are so important to be a part of, going back to that trust element, when we find a group that we are committed to and have fantastic people and businesses involved in it, that can only work in our favour. And so, leads me to my final thought, you will reveal networking’s true power when you do one thing; make it about how you can help people and not what they can do for you. For this you need to be authentic, you can’t just simply say that you’re there to help people unless you mean it and unless you experience genuine joy out of helping others. Networking for me firstly is about how I can help someone else achieve their goal because I get no better feeling that helping others and secondly if my business grows because of that, fantastic! Once you have come to fully understand the above, I truly believe that the power of networking is life changing.

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WORDS BY FRANK MCKENNA GROUP CHAIRMAN & CEO, DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS We have lost many things during the past twelve months. Too many have lost loved ones. Many have seen their jobs, livelihoods or businesses go to the wall. There has been an explosion in anxiety and mental health challenges. School children have fallen behind in their studies. The economy has tanked. Yet, as is often the case in a crisis, many of us have had an opportunity to reflect on what to appreciate in life. Our family. Our friends. Our work colleagues. And the ability to meet up,

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socialise, engage, and enjoy one another’s company. For a short period of time back in the early days of this hugely damaging COVID-crisis, there was a vocal movement who were trying to tell us that cities were dead; that the office was a thing of the past; that everyone now wanted to work from home; that staying in was the new going out. A year later, and those assumptions are looking about as far fetched as a Donald Trump coronavirus remedy.

“OUR CITIES WILL BOUNCE BACK AND WITH THEM OUR ECONOMY WILL TOO.”

The fact is that twelve months down a long and winding road, we are all desperate to reconnect to our workplaces, our cities and even to our bosses.

close and personal and believe that this is someone who you can not only sign a contract with, but someone you can get on with too.

Of course, there will be a more relaxed attitude about presenteeism and the demands for teams to be at their office desks five days a week. But that was happening anyway. There will also be an increased demand to deliver good on investment into cleaner, more efficient public transport systems. Some of the inequalities that have had the spotlight shone on them in recent months must also be tackled by our senior politicians, in partnership with business and other stakeholders.

It’s what makes Downtown in Business a success. Its why we have facilitated literally hundreds of millions of pounds worth of deals during the past eighteen years. And the confidence the business community has in the vaccination roll out and a return to normal is demonstrated by the huge spike in membership we have enjoyed in the first quarter of this year.

However, the one thing that has not changed and will not change is our animal instinct to meet up, to socialise, to network. As grateful as I am to Zoom (and DIB has hosted more events on this platform than any other organisation in our industry), and as much as I have enjoyed the opportunity of lounging around in casual gear for most of 2020 and into 2021, I am convinced that I am in the majority when I say that I cannot wait to get a haircut, get my glad rags on, hit the town and get the party started all over again. And I’m not just talking about having the first draft Guinness at the Restaurant Bar & Grill, the long awaited Fazenda, a night out in Birmingham, a visit to the capital or a stay in one of my favourite hotels and spas. The virtual world may have been okay for staying in touch and staying informed. But I don’t know anyone who has done a Million- pound deal on a Zoom call.

As the business group who hosted the ONLY major live event (post-March) in 2020, one of the few who hosted a series of in-person lunches when restrictions allowed during the Pandemic and the organisation that shouted long and loud about the need for businesses to be supported through this traumatic time, we are well prepared to help you hit the ground running with a comprehensive range of activities for the remainder of 2021. Our cities will bounce back and with them our economy will too. DIB is pleased to be involved with so many fantastic companies who, we know, will be doing everything they can to make that happen – and we will do everything we can to support you. Prepare yourself for a year of working hard and playing hard. I look forward to seeing you at a ‘live’ Downtown event very soon. It’s time to get back to business.

Because, in the end, people do business with people. And before we shake hands, or fist pump, on a deal, we want to have looked into the whites of their eyes, gotten up 16

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Birmingham based hoteliers launch Switch Hospitality Management WORDS BY RYAN DOYLE GROUP DIRECTOR OF SALES, PARK REGIS BIRMINGHAM In 2020, one of the toughest times for the hospitality industry, a team of senior managers previously managing two hotels in Birmingham, were (like all others) faced with the biggest challenge that they would ever face in their careers, Covid-19. The challenge was compounded as their hotels were Corporate & Events hotels in the city that immediately lost all of their occupancy In April 2020. Throughout the pandemic, the team have diversified keeping their hotels open and in profit. This commitment to the industry and their owners has brought three additional projects for the team to manage, hence Switch Hospitality was born! The newly launched management company brings together over hundred years of management experience from the Park Regis team and has been created with a collection of the most experienced industry experts in their fields. The defining difference being all the team are entrepreneurs who thrive in every challenge and opportunity they face. Mediocrity and “that’s the way it has always been done” are alien terms to us. DQ.2 BIRMINGHAM EDITION

The group’s philosophy centres around providing the best service to their clients every time and creating innovative solutions across all sectors. The team have continued involvement with their largest project, which ensures that they are always up to date with industry developments in a live environment. It also crucially allows their clients to see real, measurable performance. Switch Hospitality Management are currently managing properties branded under Park Regis and IHG franchise, private office space as well as a new opening in the pipeline for 2021. Their diverse services include asset and hotel management, support services, brand selection and due diligence. During these difficult times it is with pleasure that we can share some good news! Out of adversity a new management company was formed that is growing, protecting owners’ assets, and generating profits. The business has a unique philosophy hence its success, that they are keen to share with new owners who do not have those results currently.

GET READY TO GET LUCKY WORDS BY CRAIG MOORE DIRECTOR, CJM ASSOCIATES Very few people talk about luck in business. But there’s a saying, luck is a dividend of sweat, Hard work doesn’t make you lucky though, it just puts you in a good position to take advantage of good luck when it lands, or survive bad luck when it arrives. Harvard Business School professor, Jim Collins, even wrote about the role of luck in business and worked out that there’s pretty much an even amount of good luck and bad luck that affects most businesses. The ones who win the most out of being lucky were the ones who were prepared for it. For years now we at CJM have operated as strategic partners to our clients, often filling an interim FD role while they grow. Often this means seeing people through the good times, like explosive growth, a sale or an acquisition. But it also means we help prepare for the tougher times too. Those businesses that get lucky, or survive bad luck can usually attribute it to having put in solid foundations through hard work and planning properly, for both good times and bad. Hopefully business is beginning to return to something close to normality. People will return to the city and networks start to flourish again. We feel particularly

fortunate to be a business that operates in Birmingham. As places go this second city of ours is a welcoming one. For all its selfdeprecating humour and under-rated charm, it’s a phenomenal place to do business. There is genuinely nowhere easier to make connections, introductions and friends. We feel particularly lucky to be supporting Downtown in Business this year with the City of Birmingham Business Awards. It’s vital to support each other, support the city and support businesses, particularly ones that help businesses do business. Partnering like this gives us the opportunity to do our bit. The nature of the event has changed several times over the course of the past year. The team have made plans to put together the original event, a socially distanced, an online event and now finally, we’ll hopefully be back to some kind of ‘in person’ event. Just because we can work remotely, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for every situation and now, because of an incredible amount of hard work, we’re going to finally get to have the event everyone deserves. Just lucky, I guess.

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PROUD SPONSORS OF #COBBA21

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Biggest recession bounce backs in property price since the last market crash

WORDS BY WORDS BY JAMES FORRESTER TOM BOWER MANAGING DIRECTOR, HEAD OF MARKETING, BARROWS AND FORRESTER BARROWS AND FORRESTER GROUP & STRIPEHOMES

Despite fears of a property market crash due to Covid, house prices are at an all-time high and the latest research by property developer, StripeHomes, has revealed which pockets of the market are currently fighting fit based on house price growth since the last market crash.

BIGGEST MARKET DECLINES Back in Q3 of 2007, the average UK house price peaked at a high of £189,503. However, when the market crashed, property values fell consistently before bottoming out at £155,701 during the first quarter of 2009; an -18% drop. The market crash was felt the most in Northern Ireland where the average property price declined by -38%, while the South East (-19%), South 20

West (-18%), East Midlands (-18%) and East of England (-17%) also saw some of the largest declines.

BIGGEST MARKET BOUNCE BACKS However, over a decade later the average UK house price now sits at £240,349 having climbed 54% from when the market bottomed out in 2009, with property values now 27% higher than their pre-recession peak.

LONDON London has seen the greatest revival of all UK regions. The capital saw house prices fall by 16% during the recession. Today, the London market has bounced back to an average value of £490,620, 96% higher than the recession low of £250,068 and

65% higher than its pre-recession peak of £297,254. No surprise then, that the best bounce back property markets are largely located within the capital. Waltham Forest has seen the largest bounce back since the recession, with house prices now 118% higher when compared to their 2009 low and 97% more than their pre-recession peak in 2007. Haringey, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Islington, Lewisham, Hackney and Newham have also seen property values increase by more than 100% since the recession. Hackney has seen the largest improvement when compared to prerecession highs, with house prices now 97% higher compared to their 2007 peak.

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OUTSIDE OF LONDON

YET TO BOUNCE BACK

The East of England (74%), South East (72%), South West (55%) and East Midlands (55%) have also seen the largest increases in property values since the recession, with house prices between 27% and 43% higher than their pre-recession peaks.

Just Northern Ireland has failed to recover, with house prices climbing just 2% since the recession, although they remain -36% below their prerecession peak.

Cambridge has seen the largest recovery outside of London, with house prices bouncing back 94% since 2009; now 62% higher than their pre-crash peak. Some of the other largest recoveries outside of the capital include Bristol (91%), Oxford (86%), Epsom and Ewell (85%) and Hertsmere (85%).

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While house prices in the North East have also climbed 13% since the market bottomed out in 2009, they also remain -4% below their market high seen in 2007. Managing Director of StripeHomes, James Forrester, commented: “There will be generations of UK homebuyers who will have known nothing other than upward house price growth, but those slightly longer in the tooth will have experienced at least one decline in

the value of their bricks and mortar during their lifetime. However, the resilience of the UK property market and the cyclical nature of house price growth means that the market has well and truly bounced back, with all but a very small segment reaching new house price highs. Not only have the ghosts of the financial crash been laid to rest but house prices have far exceeded their pre-recession peaks and this demonstrates that, by and large, the property market remains the safest investment you can make during your lifetime.”

DOWNTIME BIRMINGHAM

Brock Carmichael are a RIBA chartered architectural practice, combining 45 years of architecture, planning, urban design and interior design, with an international award-winning track record of regeneration, cultural, leisure, education, commercial and residential building projects. For over 45 years Brock Carmichael have been delivering value and business success for clients, based on tried and tested architectural principles. Central to their approach is close collaboration with clients so that, from the very first briefing, they have a clear idea of their needs, concerns and aspirations for the project – regardless of size or function. Internally, they pride themselves on an honest, transparent culture, one where everyone has a voice. They encourage collaboration and design innovation to

develop solutions. Their company culture is a positive one, one that benefits not just employees but clients too. They are Investors in People accredited with a focus on personal development and fostering creativity. They have an internal wellbeing group that ensures the office is both healthy and happy. The group works on sustainability, topical CPDs, internal fitness events, nutritional advice and more. In 2011 Brock Carmichael established a local presence in Hong Kong and formed a joint venture vehicle called the Octagon Partnership, this operates throughout China from locations in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. For more information visit their website or get in touch: www.brockcarmichael.co.uk

Hollywood Monster are one of the largest signage contractor and wide format printers in Birmingham, with contracts all throughout the UK.

It’s a story based on two families and businesses coming together and changing the way signage and graphics are used.

We are a bold and creative signage and graphics company that delivers Monster Impact for businesses worldwide to make them stand out. How do we make bold, creative signage and graphics? Well our team always go above and beyond expectations.

We use our knowledge and confidence to push the boundaries of signage and graphics for businesses in the construction, retail, development and events industries.

We never settle for ordinary or okay, we strive for awesome

No matter what kind of project we work on, we treat everyone the same and pride ourselves on giving everyone the full Hollywood Monster experience.

Hollywood Monster was officially born in 2009 with the merger of two sister companies Hollywood Signs and Monster Digital. We have a history and legacy within the signage, graphics and printing world that stretches back 30 years.

We’re a bold company that delivers awesome and engaging projects. We are the difference between okay and awesome! Our confidence isn’t based on ego. It’s been enhanced over time after delivering big results time and time again for our clients.

Why are we so confident in our own abilities? It’s because we work hard together and have developed a team of skilled experts who have been with us since Hollywood Monster was born Our passion, imagination and teamwork allows you to get the results you need. We are all about big impact, bold advertising and building partnerships using sustainable choices. We inspire people; we’re not just here to just make signage and graphics, we’re here to deliver Monster Impact!

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Azets is an SME focused international accounting, tax, audit, advisory and business services group, with 160 offices across the UK and Europe, over 6,500 employees and 600 Partners. It is the UK’s largest regional accountancy and business advisor to SMEs and the 9th largest accountancy business in the UK. The Azets client experience is based on delivering a highly personalised service, though its local office network and its proprietary digital workplace technology, “CoZone”. A unique cloud-based portal, CoZone offers SMEs a market leading digital solution, with instant access to information about their business that simplifies workflows, increases operational productivity and supports a more productive client relationship. Across its network of offices, Azets supports c.120,000 clients across the UK and Europe. Clients include enterprises, SMEs, large scale business, public sector and private clients, across multiple sectors. DQ.2 BIRMINGHAM EDITION

Acorns Children’s Hospice has been providing specialist palliative care to children and psychosocial support to families across Birmingham, the Black Country and wider West Midlands region for over 30 years. The charity cares for families who often face intense challenges in their day-to-day lives, challenges that have intensified significantly during the pandemic. Acorns CEO, Toby Porter explains. “I recently heard an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in which the mother of a clinically vulnerable child shared what life has been like for her family during the pandemic. “The uncertainty, fear of the unknown and the anguish over making decisions that could potentially put her son at risk of infection, such as sending her children to school, are common for many parents during Covid-19, not least for those caring for a life limited child. “Over the last 12 months we’ve heard similar concerns from parents whose families are supported at our three hospices, many of whom have been isolating at home now for almost a year. “Our priority has always been the children and families supported by Acorns. In this third lockdown,

we have maintained our services and continued to provide highest quality care and support, despite unprecedented constraints. It is an achievement of which everyone at Acorns can be proud. “Acorns front-line care staff and Family Services Team have been showing not just their usual skill and empathy, but incredible courage, flexibility and commitment. Everyone at Acorns is so proud of the level and quality of service we have been able to deliver so far during this emergency. “There is hope on the horizon. The nation’s vaccination programme is underway in earnest and a third vaccine, Moderna, has been approved for use in the UK. At the time of writing over 25% of the population have received their first dose. Among them are our dedicated hospice teams, who thankfully have had access to vaccinations. “While it is impossible to predict how the next year will unfold, we will remain flexible and responsive to the needs of the children and families we support as we continue to deliver our vital children’s hospice care to the best of our ability.” To find out more about Acorns, visit www.acorns.org.uk

Blueprint Interiors is an office design and fit out consultancy – with a difference. We are work place consultants first. Focused on ensuring the health and wellbeing of the ‘people’ working in the environments we define, design, project manage and fit-out. We transform work spaces, tailoring every feature to support businesses activities and brand values. We’ll take care of the entire process – from initial design consultancy to project management and fit-out. As well as beautiful workspaces our aim is to ensure you also see tangible commercial returns from happy and motivated people, who feel their health and well-being is being looked after.

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We support organisations who struggle to access the platform or funding that they deserve. LoveBrum exists to engage, empower and support community organisations working with the most vulnerable and isolated people in our community. Every penny raised from individual memberships and fundraising stays in Birmingham and goes straight to the chosen causes. We encourage everyone to get involved and unite businesses and individuals across Birmingham. We also provide additional, non-financial support to these organisations on an ongoing basis. For most of our causes, this additional help has been of more value than the financial aid. We are committed to providing business support for every cause. This can vary depending on the organisation but we aim to help whenever we can, providing support with social media, website development, marketing, advice on future funding, and much more. We are passionate about sharing updates on how our causes are progressing so our supporters can see the impact of their donations and regularly share their good news DQ.2 BIRMINGHAM EDITION

stories, new projects and events, as well as requests for volunteers across our platforms. As part of our #OneBrum campaign launched in response to the pandemic and its devastating impact on the community, we partnered with 6 incredible projects helping to tackle the effects of COVID within Birmingham. This included the All Saints Youth Project. All Saints Youth Project, based in Kings Heath, is run by staff and volunteers, providing free activities and support for all young people, young adults with disabilities and their families, working with 350 young people and 200 families a year. They aim to listen to young people, support them through difficult times, give them new opportunities, help them to build healthy relationships and have some fun. 50% of their young people have learning disabilities and behaviour issues and when they reach 21 they can join the Inclusion+ group. Support for the families throughout this pandemic has been so important, and funds from #OneBrum have enabled All Saints Youth Project to keep offering their vital services

to those in need. Through online meetings and activities, telephone calls and texts, delivery of activity and well-being packs, referrals to food banks and other resources, zoom meetings, 1-1 meetings outside, counselling sessions and doorstep visits, they have kept in regular touch with over 150 young people and their families. During the summer and autumn, they ran a successful threeweek holiday scheme, outside and social distancing for 30 young people and 20 young adults, and are now looking forward to being able to offer these services on-site when they can. Corporate support is essential though. With your partnership, we can continue to play a vital role in making Birmingham even better and you can play a central role in tackling inequality, reducing isolation, and directly supporting the most vulnerable members of our community. To learn how you can get involved and make a difference, please get in touch with Ian Brown: ian@lovebrum. org.uk  www.lovebrum.org.uk

Western Union Business Solutions enables companies of all sizes to send and receive cross-border payments and manage foreign exchange. With deep expertise in moving funds around the globe, access to over 130 currencies, and a global financial network spanning more than 200 countries and territories, we help companies spend less time managing international financial transactions and more time growing their businesses. We have extensive experience working with clients in a variety of sectors, including import and export, wine and spirits, agriculture, mining, and non-profit. We also offer customised solutions for legal, financial and educational institutions. Western Union Business Solutions is one of the world’s leading providers of cross-border business payments. Western Union Business Solutions operates through locally licensed affiliates in more than 30 countries. If you would like further information or support, contact partners@ westernunion.com for a free consultation or to open a free, no obligation trading facility. Additionally, to receive relevant economic insight on a daily or monthly basis, please sign up for the Daily Market Analysis and/or the Monthly Currency Outlook by clicking here. 26

National Express West Midlands works with many businesses and organisations throughout the region to provide exclusive bus travel discounts for their employees. Thousands of employees in the region are enjoying cheaper travel on the region's largest bus network and changing their long-held travel habits. People are making real efforts to reduce their carbon footprint - and making that modal shift from car to bus travel is one of the quickest, cheapest and easiest ways to do this. National Express West Midlands’ exclusive travel discounts are a real benefit of employment. They also go towards meeting the CSR targets of our clients, who range from SMEs to the largest employers in the region. Businesses are planning ahead for the implementation of Birmingham's

Clean Air Zone in June 2021. National Express West Midlands is working to advise and support these employers through the process of behaviour change, and saving their employees money in the switch to public transport. Is your business doing what it can to support its employees into making positive changes to their travel habits and encouraging a healthier lifestyle? National Express West Midlands can work with your business to do just that - it just takes one conversation to get the ball rolling. For more information, call or email: Richard Cawton richard.cawton@nationalexpress. com 07833 286 871

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StripeHomes is a North East and Midlands property developer who are proud to work in the communities where we can make a real difference across the property and economic landscape and we would love the opportunity for you to be part of our journey. We’re a team of experienced property specialists with over 20 years’ experience across the sector in the UK and Europe. Our aim is to build affordable and high quality accommodation to local markets for residential, build to rent, commercial and student sectors.

Launching in March 2021, Loopin is intelligent software that delivers real-time employee moodmeasurements, insights and mentoring directly to organisations and their teams - bridging the gap between digital engagement and employee wellbeing in the workplace. Loopin integrates with internal communication platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams, and helps organisations to understand how their people are feeling. Our platform measures the mood of the workforce by asking employees how they feel each day. Employees are able to see their own and their wider team mood measurements, while managers receive comprehensive insights, so they can understand their people better and develop effective leadership strategies. Uniquely with Loopin, our platform is also a convenient and affordable way for organisations to access

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world-class coaching for their people. Employees can access online mentoring and coaching materials in leadership, performance, development, and wellbeing. Loopin sees this combined approach as the future of creating the cultural transformation organisations will need to survive within an ever changing workplace. Loopin’s aim is to promote a culture of authenticity, integrity and trust within organisations - which in turn creates a better sense of community where people can express their honest emotions. Loopin helps to unlock a 'speak-up' culture, to improve employee retention, and to bring people together. To contact us or book a demo please visit: www.letsloopin.com

We strive to make sure people have high quality accommodation with the right facilities in prime locations – we want to make a significant contribution and difference to the major cities and towns across the North and Midlands where we operate. Our focus is on working, investing and developing in the north of England and the Midlands as we’re incredibly passionate about giving back to the communities where we have worked, lived and been educated in. We want to build and create the right communities to live in which is a key principle across all our work. Currently we are building Quayside View Studios a 118 unit student scheme on the River Tyne, 5 Cross Street a luxury boutique residential development as well as a number of housebuilding schemes across the Midlands. For more details visit www. stripehomes.co.uk 27

The Wilkes Partnership is an awardwinning, full service law firm with offices in Birmingham city centre and Solihull. Our offices in Ward End and Hodge Hill belonging to Carvers Solicitors (part of the group) enable us to provide an excellent service to clients across the city and surrounding areas. To us, faultless legal knowledge is a given. Our teams, for both businessrelated and private client matters, comprise of experts in their field who can guide clients through complex and time critical issues safely, and according to their schedule. We are recognised by the legal directory Legal 500 as being one of the top firms in the city.

However it’s our unrelenting focus on client service that sets us apart. From the very first contact, we aim to earn the trust of our clients by developing a relationship based on clarity in our communications, transparency in our activities, and innovation in our approach. Being a full service firm means that different teams within The Wilkes Partnership can work together if a client is facing multiple issues. Our Corporate and Commercial Teams often work alongside each other drawing in expertise, for example, from our Employment or Planning Teams should the need arise. This level of flexibility helps clients to streamline their relationships, taking on The Wilkes Partnership as

their “one-stop-shop” for first class business legal advice. Our Private Client offering is equally comprehensive. From Residential Conveyancing to Family Law, and Court of Protection to Wills and Probate, The Wilkes Partnership has a class-leading reputation that is envied by many in the legal services industry. One recent client sums up the team in just a few words: “This is an innovative and forward thinking team, with high-quality lawyers who are interested in practical solutions”. If you need a legal adviser, The Wilkes Partnership can help. Take a look at our website for full details of offering, or contact us at law@wilkes. co.uk or on 0121 233 43333. DQ.2 BIRMINGHAM EDITION

Bruntwood Works balances work and life, blending spaces that encourage interaction and create community. Our focus is around two key areas, creating unique workspaces and providing thriving retail and leisure spaces. Both are design led, people driven and socially responsible. We continue to be firmly embedded in our towns and cities, with a strong presence in the Midlands, North West and Yorkshire. As well as a unique opportunity to broaden the influence of Bruntwood Works, we know the more diverse, culturally rich, healthy, educated, connected, sustainable and fulfilled our communities are, the greater our towns and cities will become. Bruntwood Works, part of the Bruntwood Group has over 40 years of successful experience in creating spaces for business in Birmingham, with four properties located in the heart of the city centre, perfect for commuters and city dwellers alike.

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2021 is set to be an exciting year for Growhouse with major developments in the pipeline. Not least the publication of a book that Ian Harrison is writing alongside one of the biggest names in executive coaching. The book ties into Growhouse’s commitment to working with businesses to deliver better outcomes through improved leadership and better employee experience. This year saw the first cohort of businesses become part of ‘A Great Place to Work’. The twelve-month project explores ways in which businesses can drive forward their growth whilst enabling the people working in them to thrive. The current cohort includes businesses that have teams of between 20 and 150 people. Meanwhile, planning is under way for a one-day conference that will explore employee engagement in the independent veterinary sector. The team at Growhouse also continue to support business leaders with 1-1 performance coaching. Creating confidential spaces for leaders to reflect on their own performance and to put in place well thought out plans to move their businesses forward. As life begins to emerge from the limitations of the last twelve months Growhouse is looking forward to getting back to delivering their particular style of conversation

based workshops and training sessions. Growhouse Director Ian Harrison says “I can’t wait to be back in a room with a small group of people exploring together how they can be better leaders. Our workshops and training sessions are not driven by the expert who tells you how you must do stuff. We use our expertise to share thoughts that start conversations in which people find their own ways to improve and grow.” When asked about the plans for 2021 Ian said: “We’re really excited. The book should be published in the middle of the year and we are planning launch events in Birmingham and London. We want to do more than just a drinks reception. Plans are coming together to be able to give some real value to those who come along. About the same time, we are hoping to be able to announce a significant addition to the services we offer.” The future for Growhouse will be focussed on working with businesses and their leaders to develop the skills and the culture that will enable people to thrive and deliver great business results. As Ian put it, “It’s very clear that for a business to prosper in today’s marketplace it needs to be a great place to work. That means developing leaders who communicate well, and who have the skills to get the best out of people. It also means developing a great culture in which people feel that they are part of creating something special.”

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