The RICS recently hosted its annual gala dinner for the region’s leading quantity surveyors and construction professionals at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham.

Over 590 RICS members and key players in the construction industry attended the black tie event, where the highlight of the evening was a speech by guest speaker Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Explorer and Mount Everest conqueror Sir Ranulph is one of the world’s top inspirational business motivational speakers and he captivated the Midland’s audience with his motivating speech about how he set records while battling through the world’s most hostile terrains.

RICS West Midlands regional chairman Ian Pitt said: “Our annual construction dinner was very well attended, particularly given the testing market backdrop. The evening was a great success and it was very pleasing to see so many fellow professionals in attendance.

“The dinner provided an ideal opportunity for reflection on what has undoubtedly been a turbulent year for the construction industry, but overall, the outlook going forward appeared to be one of cautious optimism.”