Marketing Birmingham is inviting creative agencies to register their interest in pitching for its new leisure tourism marketing campaign worth in excess of £300,000.

It is being developed to encourage more people to come to Birmingham and stay for longer when they are here.

Visit Birmingham is the buzz phrase, "aimed at bringing together the different aspects of the city's lifestyle offering with a consistent city message in order to support the visitor economy".

A spokesman said: "Integrated creative agencies are invited to register their interest in pitching for the design and implementation of the campaign across a range of channels including press, outdoor, literature and film, with an initial value in excess of £300,000 over the next twelve months.

"There will also be a requirement for a media agency, which could be combined or separate from the creative one.

"The campaign will also compliment the redevelopment of Birmingham's official tourism website www.visitbirmingham.com following the appointment of digital agency TAK!"

Dave Hodgson, marketing director at Marketing Birmingham, added: "Now that we have successfully established a series of successful lifestyle marketing campaigns including the award-winning Birmingham Bites, we are taking a wider strategic approach in order to build on the success we have achieved through a broader leisure tourism push.

"The focus of our work remains the same, we need to improve perceptions in order to move the city forward. We need to tap into people's emotions and how they want to live their lives in order to influence their choices.

"More than 30 million people visited Birmingham in 2006, spending £2.5 billion and demonstrating the importance of tourism to the local economy. Birmingham is a world-class city with leading food, arts, entertainment, shopping and sports. It is a young and cosmopolitan city and the natural meeting place.

"When people come here they love what they find, this campaign is about building on these existing messages and persuading more people to visit.

"Our research team have carried out extensive profiling on the types of people that visit Birmingham and we have utilised this to establish target groups for the campaign to reach. All the tools are in place, we now need an enthusiastic creative team to help us bring them to life."

Agencies wanting to register their interest should do so before February 7.

The project is part backed by the European Regional Development Fund.

Meanwhile creative businesses in the West Midlands have been given a boost after it was announced a regional funding body would be receiving additional money from Europe.

The Advantage Creative Fund (ACF), a venture capital fund set up to support developing businesses, was given extra backing this year by the European Regional Development Fund.

It invites applications from a wide variety of creative companies looking for funding from £10,000 to £250,000 and is particularly targeting established businesses with turnover in excess of £250,000 who are now looking to hit the next stage of their business growth.

Fund managing director David Edmonds said the announcement was not only a measure of the fund's success, but a recognition of the success of the West Midlands's creative sector. He said: "ACF is delighted to have received this extra funding for allocation during 2008. Venture capital can often be a frightening option for businesses looking to fund their next stage of development.

"But ACF has the infrastructure and expertise to guide and support applicant companies through the process.

"As a venture capital fund, we are also very commercially patient and fair when deciding on the companies we will partner.

"ACF already has a wide range of investments in companies from within the creative sector and with the extra funding we now have to allocate during the year, we are targeting existing businesses where our support and financial backing can make a real difference to their development.

"I would appeal to companies who are identifying the need to have additional investment to fund their growth to talk to ACF and to start the process sooner rather than later. There has never been a better opportunity for the creative sector in the West Midlands."

He added it was important companies looking for funding came forward soon, as the ACF is required to invest its current funds by the end of the year.