Marketing Birmingham is delighted to be supporting the Birmingham Post Business Award for Creative Industries, an award which recognises those companies that harness creativity and talent to produce successful businesses.

The creative industry is acknowledged by NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, as a key promoter of economic growth with two million people employed in creative jobs across the UK. The West Midlands creative industry represents around four per cent of the total UK workforce.

As the strategic marketing agency for the city, Marketing Birmingham’s vision is to strengthen Birmingham’s position as a leading global event city, knowledge capital and international city of choice that delivers a world-class visitor experience.

Functioning as a public/private partnership, Marketing Birmingham engages closely with public bodies such as Birmingham City Council and Advantage West Midlands alongside private sector “champions” and commercial members spanning the leisure and business sectors within the region. Throughout our campaigns, we encourage a “Team Birmingham” approach, aligning resource and expertise to deliver high-profile campaigns and projects which cement Birmingham’s reputation as a city of international appeal.

In relation to the creative sector, this can be witnessed through the support Marketing Birmingham has provided in its work over the past two years with Pitch Consultants, specialist recruiters for the creative industry, to develop the B-Hive scheme.

The scheme has enabled more than 30 of the city’s graduates to gain a foot on the ladder of the industry. This will ensure that Birmingham retains its best graduates, standing the city in good stead to reap the rewards of its highly-acclaimed universities.

The attraction of a thriving creative sector cannot be underestimated in terms of economic and cultural growth across inward investment, tourism and the arts. Its importance is highlighted in Birmingham’s bid for City of Culture 2013, which has drawn together a wealth of creative talent and originality from grassroots to big-name corporations. Should we succeed, the title would create over £200 million in additional direct visitor and programme expenditure alone, a move anticipated to generate thousands of new jobs in the creative sector.

The indirect impact of the creative industry on the wider economy must also be highlighted. As a driver of innovation throughout the wider business community, the predictions in how the next generation will be conducting their working lives are centred on new jobs in the creative industry. Birmingham is working together to recognise this through events such as Hello Digital, which has proven successful in attracting key industry figures to the city while providing a platform for home-grown talent.

Birmingham’s reputation as a world-class city has been built upon its heritage as the birthplace of ideas.

A rich creative industry will continue to form an integral part of the city’s future.