* Photo caption above: Beverley Nielsen, of Birmingham City University; Claire Farrell receives the Most Creative Exhibit award from Prof Mary Carswell; Birmingham Post editor Alun Thorne hands over the prize for Best Emerging Brand to Cafe Blend founder Sophie Highland.
Some of the region’s best known companies – and some of the newest – were celebrated for their excellence at the finale of the inaugural Birmingham Made Me EXPO.
A special awards brought the week-long event at the Mailbox to a close which had been organised by IDEA Birmingham, a collaboration, of academia and business and led by Birmingham City University.
The winner of the Best Collaborative Design between Education and Business was the 2012 Hydrogen City Concept Car, while Cafe Blend won the Best Midlands Emerging Brand category.
The Best Midlands Innovation and Radical Design prize went to Acme Whistles, while AGA was voted the Best Midlands Brand having won a public online vote.
Organiser Beverley Nielsen, director employer engagement at Birmingham City University, said: “We’re thrilled with the response to the inaugural Birmingham Made Me Design EXPO, a business- education collaboration highlighting the world-beating brands being produced and designed in Birmingham and the Midlands – as well as the strides being achieved in innovation through university and businesses working together.
“Having co-ordinated this expo through our team at Birmingham City University we have been delighted to welcome more than 150 exhibitors to our 12 design zones.
"With thousands of people having visited from the public, education and business we are getting across the message about the importance of designing and making things to economic growth.
“We would like to thank all the founder members involved in IDEA Birmingham, the think tank behind the Birmingham Made Me Design EXPO, The Mailbox for hosting this event, the speakers at our more than 30 fringe events, the curators involved in creating the 12 design zones, the event management team at Birmingham City University and the support of key businesses, including especially the much valued support of Ian Callum as Founder Chairman Idea Birmingham and Director of Design at Jaguar.”
* Photo caption right: From top - Simon Topman, of Acme Whistles, receives the Best Midlands Innovation award from Birmingham Library's Brian Gambles; Kay Alexander with best overall exhibit winner Graham Powell, of Obsessionistas; Cogent Elliott's Tim Pile present Aga chief executive William McGrath with the award for Midlands Best Brand.
