In recent years, Birmingham has emerged as a vibrant and exciting city in which to live and work. The outdated image of Birmingham as an industrial wasteland, cocooned within a spaghetti junction of motorways is no longer true.

Regeneration of the city centre, the arrival of new businesses and the creative impetus of the city’s three universities has made Birmingham a serious rival to London. Added to this, the office space Birmingham has to offer is increasingly attractive as new business parks and mixed used developments can meet the needs of today’s employers. International organisations, particularly in the service industry, are opening offices in and around the city on purpose-built sites run by Goodman and other commercial developers.

One of the many reasons why Birmingham makes such a great place to work is its superb transport links – the city is at the centre of the UK’s rail and motorway networks, and has an international airport on its doorstep.

The huge National Exhibition Centre is close to the airport, and both are easily accessible from Birminghamcity centre. The Midlands location is ideal for getting around the UK, whether you are taking the M6 north, the M5 southwest or the M40 south. It is also a hub for coach transport. National Express has its headquarters here.

There are so many options for going out after work that you’ll be spoilt for choice. Birmingham has everything the social drinker, gourmet dinner, dedicated clubber, music lover or culture vulture could ask for. The population of Birmingham is comparatively young and this, combined with the perennial influx of students, gives it an edgy, fashionable vibe. Nightclubs around the Broad Street area and hotspots, such as The Mailbox, give the London club scene a run for its money. There is plenty going on in the Jewellery Quarter too.

World class theatre and ballet is staged at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Birmingham Hippodrome, and other cultural beacons in this sprawling metropolis include the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery; and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in nearby Edgbaston. There is an interesting mix of cultures in Birmingham too, with 16.5% of the population having been born outside the UK. Some of the biggest cultural events in Birmingham are Mela festivals, Caribbean carnivals as well as an annual jazz festival and comedy festival.

Birmingham’s Bullring has been transformed from a run-down eyesore to a world class shopping area featuring a futuristic Selfridges store and hosting many other big retailers. The only problem is the temptation to spend all your money as soon as you earn it. Birmingham also has an excellent market area in the city centre, with stalls selling everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to colourful ribbons and silks.

Of course, one of the most important things about the place you work is the location and attractiveness of the workplace. Birmingham’s grimy old factory sites are being replaced and renovated with high quality developments and there is plenty of commercial stock available for companies moving into the area. Some of these are in new developments around Birmingham’s vast network of restored canals and waterways, whilst others are set in landscaped sites on the edge of the city. More and more people are seeing the benefits of working in Birmingham, the UK’s second biggest city.