Earlier this year as we marked the halfway point of our BID4 term (2024-2029), we commissioned an independent mid-term review to better understand how we’re performing, what challenges our levy payers are facing, and what priorities we should focus on during the remainder of our 2024-2029 term.
Led by independent BID Consultant Lisa Gibbs, the review combined a district-wide survey with a series of facilitated roundtable discussions, providing businesses with the opportunity to share honest feedback on our work and future direction.
We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to participate. The response has given us valuable insight into what we’re doing well and where we can improve.
Awareness and engagement
The review found that 95% of respondents are familiar with Birmingham Colmore and our work, with more than half describing themselves as either very familiar or extremely familiar with the organisation.
Among the areas where awareness was strongest were our cultural and creative events, Colmore Life magazine, business networking opportunities, safety and security initiatives, and public realm improvements.
It’s fantastic to see that Colmore Food Festival emerged as one of our most recognised and highly valued initiatives, alongside Colmore Life and our seasonal events and installations.
What you value most
Many respondents told us they value the role Birmingham Colmore plays in bringing businesses together, creating opportunities to network, learn and collaborate, while also helping to enhance the overall experience of working in and visiting the district.
The review highlighted that businesses engage with Birmingham Colmore in a variety of ways, with attending events, reading Colmore Life, following our social media channels and receiving our newsletters ranking amongst the most popular.
Future opportunities
While the findings were overwhelmingly positive, the review also identified several opportunities for us to strengthen our offer over the next two-and-a-half years.
Businesses told us they would like to see:
- More visibility the services delivered via our Community Operations Team.
- Additional networking and social opportunities.
- Continued investment in safety and security.
- More events and activations across the District.
- Greater awareness of sustainability and accessibility initiatives.
- Stronger communication around the full range of BID services.
Feedback also highlighted the importance of tackling wider issues affecting Birmingham, including economic uncertainty, city centre footfall, talent retention, homelessness, safety and Birmingham’s wider reputation.
Championing Birmingham
One of the strongest themes to emerge from the review was the desire for Birmingham Colmore to continue championing Birmingham as a place to work, invest, visit and do business.
We know from our conversations across the city (across public, private, education and voluntary sectors), that everyone recognises Birmingham’s perception is not where it needs to be. We are addressing this alongside several organisations in the city and look forward to sharing more on this soon.
Businesses shared a number of ideas around promoting the district, supporting the hospitality sector, creating more opportunities to attract people into the city centre and sharing more positive stories about Birmingham’s success.
These ideas align closely with our own ambitions and will help shape future campaigns and activity.
Next steps
The review confirms that Birmingham Colmore is regarded as a well-established and highly valued organisation that continues to deliver for businesses across the district.
Just as importantly, it has provided us with a clear roadmap for the second half of our term.
We’re already reviewing the feedback and identifying opportunities to respond to the suggestions raised, whether that’s increasing awareness of key projects, strengthening engagement with businesses, promoting our sustainability work more widely or creating new opportunities for businesses to connect.
The review has given us confidence that we’re on the right track, but also valuable insight into where we can go further.
Most importantly, it reinforces something we’ve always believed: Birmingham Colmore is strongest when it is shaped by the businesses, organisations and people it exists to serve.
Thank you once again to everyone who contributed. We look forward to continuing the conversation and sharing how your feedback helps shape the future of Birmingham Colmore.
Commenting on the findings, Nicola Fleet-Milne, Chair of Birmingham Colmore, said:
“The results provide a hugely encouraging endorsement of the work being delivered across the District, and we’d like to thank everyone who took the time to take part. It is particularly pleasing to see such high levels of awareness and engagement so soon after our rebrand to Birmingham Colmore.”
“Equally important are the ideas, challenges and opportunities that businesses shared with us. From promoting Birmingham more positively and increasing networking opportunities, to raising awareness of our sustainability work and Community Operations Team, the feedback gives us a clear direction for the remainder of the term. We are already working through the findings and look forward to sharing updates on how this feedback is helping shape future activity.”
The full findings will be used to inform Birmingham Colmore’s ongoing programme of investment, engagement and strategic activity across the district.
For more information about our work, visit colmorelife.co.uk/projects/.
