A Triumphant Trio

Posted on January 23, 2012

Three Brindleyplace venues successfully scooped awards at the seventh annual Best of Broad Street Awards last week.

The popular awards better known as the BOBS celebrate the achievements of the venues, staff, management and personalities that make Broad Street and the surrounding area the entertainment hub of the West Midlands.

Hosted by Foxy and Giuliano, from brmb’s breakfast show and Broad Street BID manager Mike Olley, the awards were celebrated at a glamorous ceremony at The International Convention Centre where guests were entertained by vintage cabaret group The Pin Ups.

Winners from Brindleyplace included family favourite The National SEA LIFE Centre for Best Themed Venue, second time winner Nuvo for Best Entertainment Performance and long standing independent Number Nine the Gallery for the Birmingham Post readers’ Best Art and Entertainment Venue.

Lee Benson, director and owner of Number Nine the Gallery commented: “What can I say? It came as a real shock. I was just sitting there after a nice meal, expecting to go home right at the end of the ceremony and we were announced as winners.

“I’ve always supported artists from Birmingham and the wider West Midlands area and flown the flag for Birmingham for over 12 years here at Brindleyplace. It was such a great feeling to be honoured and recognised by readers of the Birmingham Post. I’m absolutely delighted to receive this award and thank all my supporters over the past and coming years.”

Kate Fittall, Marketing and PR Manager at Brindleyplace commented: “It’s fantastic to see that both smaller independent venues such as Number Nine the Gallery and Nuvo are recognised alongside national attractions such as The Sea Life Centre. Congratulations to our winners and all those who won awards on the night.”

Best of Broad Street Awards Winners

Birmingham Post readers’ best arts and entertainment venue – Number Nine The Gallery
Birmingham Mail readers’ best overall venue – Symphony Hall and ICC
Bid manager Mike Olley’s award for outstanding contribution to Broad Street – West Midlands Police CCTV camera operator James Moreton
Richie Award for outstanding contribution and excellence to Broad Street – former Ronnie Scott’s front of house staffer Carmine Sannio
Best door crew – Walkabout
Best door supervisor – Rafal Brzenski, of Rococo Lounge.
Best neighbourhood police officer – Pc Steve Malborn
Best police officer – Pc Abdul Rohoman
Safe night out award – Rococo Lounge
Best re-entry (business repositioning) – Bliss
Best independent bar – Oh Velvet
Best entertainment performance – Nuvo
Best restaurant – Pushkars
Best manager – David Cox, of G Casino
Best chef – Simon Bishop, of Branded Bull
Exceeding customer expectation award – Mark Dovaston, of G Casino
Best front of house – Rai Singh, of Pushkars
Best themed venue – The Sea Life Centre
Best local in the city – O’Neill’s
Best house team – Figure of Eight
Bid marketing, communications and events manager Nichole Samuels’ award for favourite bar and club – Bar Risa and Highlight
BRMB best casual dining – O Bar

New Car Park Contract

Posted on January 17, 2012

The award-winning Canalside Car Park at Brindleyplace is due to receive a 21st Century upgrade, providing a boost to services and facilities.

Estate owners Hines Global REIT (Hines) and Moorfield Group (Moorfield) have negotiated a deal that will award the management contract for the 14-year-old, 903-bay multi-storey car park to leading European car park specialist Q-Park, paving the way for a host of upgrades that will bring it in line with the very best UK and European counterparts.

The improvements include: new parking equipment; installation of additional lighting and signage; and there will be enhancements to the building’s current security offering and extensive additions to the existing visitor services.

Parking tariffs, together with the existing 24-hour customer service facility, will remain in place. All current employees will have their roles transferred to Q-Park, ensuring that their jobs remain secure.

Igor Mathias and Jeremy Marchant, Hines and Moorfield, said: “Our decision to bring in Q-Park to manage the car park is part of our wider commitment to maintain and enhance the ongoing evolution of Brindleyplace. The Canalside Car Park aligns with Q-Park’s existing portfolio, and we believe that this deal represents a natural fit.”

“For many visitors to Brindleyplace, the Canalside Car Park provides their first impression, so it is essential that it projects the right sense of arrival. While the existing facility has served the estate well since its development, we felt that this was the right time to bring about some improvements that will ensure that it remains in line with the contemporary, urban feel presented by Brindleyplace as a whole both now and well into the future.”

“With their outstanding international reputation and attention to excellence in customer service, we believe absolutely that Q-Park will provide the perfect synergy with Brindleyplace, and we will ensure that our customers and tenants continue to receive a first-class experience from the second they arrive.”

Q-Park is one of the top three leading providers of parking facilities in Europe, whether wholly owned, leased, managed or in a hybrid business model. Q-Park stands for quality in parking and they are renowned for its quality approach which has been pivotal in modernising many existing locations.

Adam Bidder, Managing Director for Q-Park, said: “Often car parks are the front door to our towns, cities and shopping centres, providing both the first and last impressions. It is therefore essential that these spaces meet the aspirations of the locations in which they are sited. We pride ourselves on our award-winning quality and customer service and we’re delighted to enhance the parking offer to Brindleyplace visitors. We are looking forward to working with Hines and Moorfield in the development of the Canalside Car Park – our first city centre car park in Birmingham – and making a positive contribution to the overall perception of Brindleyplace as Birmingham’s leading leisure and business destination.”

Existing services, such as the electric car charging points and waste recycling stations, will be augmented through the addition of a number of new services. These include baby buggy and umbrella loan, and a jump starter for unexpected battery failures. In addition, the car park will carry a heart defibrillator in case of any emergencies.

For more information on Brindleyplace, please visit www.brindleyplace.com.

For more information on Q-Park please visit www.q-park.co.uk.

New Name for brmb

Posted on January 10, 2012

As part of a major strategy to grow the listenership of Birmingham’s oldest commercial radio station, brmb will be changing its name to Free Radio – Birmingham in April.

The announcement was made on Monday 9th January by Orion Media which acquired the station in 2009. The change of name will not impact on the output of the station with all peak time programming on 96.4FM continuing in its current format. The on air presenter line up including the popular breakfast show hosts Foxy and Guiliano and drivetime presenters Jo and Sparky will remain unchanged.

Orion’s strong commitment to provide listeners with local news, sport, traffic and weather information from its studios in Birmingham will also be unaffected. The station will have a continued commitment in 2012 to original and locally based journalism to ensure it continues to provide a locally focused news service on air covering the news events that are relevant to its audiences.

There are no net job losses as a result of the decision.

Since acquiring brmb, Orion Media has invested in programming, presenters and other on air initiatives and as a result has maintained audience levels in the face of significantly increased competition, whilst increasing local advertising revenue.

In the past two years the station’s annual walk for charity in which thousands of listeners have strolled miles around the city has raised £650,000 for both the QE and BCH hospitals, with this commitment to the local community set to continue

When brmb becomes Free Radio – Birmingham in April, a major marketing campaign will be launched to support the station under its new brand. Orion Media’s other stations serving the Black Country and Shropshire, Coventry and Warwickshire and Hereford and Worcestershire – Beacon, Mercia and Wyvern – will also adopt the Free Radio brand and the respective geographic locator with their own breakfast and afternoon drive time shows as well as their own local daytime news.

Phil Riley, Chief Executive of Orion Media commented: “The decision to change the name of our station after almost forty years has not been easy or one that we have taken lightly.

“We have given this a great deal of consideration and undertaken detailed research. The name brmb means a lot to me personally, not least as I started my 30 year career in radio by joining the station as a graduate trainee so I know the deep affection many people have for the name. However, the radio market has changed dramatically recently and we have to adapt and respond.

“We want to continue to develop high quality and locally focused programming for current and new listeners. Although the name is changing, the commitment we have to provide the best mix of music and presenters along with local news, sport, weather and traffic remains our number one priority. Even when we are in network mode on Free Radio, we will be broadcasting from and ensuring the station serves only the needs of the West Midlands.

“Free Radio – Birmingham will continue to be an integral part of Birmingham, not only providing great entertainment on air but also as a supporter of the communities we serve, whether it’s fundraising for local causes or as host of major events around the city.”

A Culinary Destination

Posted on January 10, 2012

Birmingham has been named number 19 in The New York Times ‘45 Places to Go in 2012’ shortlist published on 6th January, the only English city outside of London to make the shortlist.

The city’s foodie credentials and rich dining scene are named as the city’s international selling point, with local culinary talents such as Michelin star chefs Glynn Purnell, Richard Turner and Luke Tipping praised for their hand in Birmingham’s growing culinary reputation.

The announcement comes after BBC Olive Magazine named Birmingham the “foodiest town” in October last year, coinciding with the launch of the inaugural Birmingham Food Fest (14th – 23th October), a 10-day gastronomic celebration which attracted over 70,000 food lovers to the city. Over 80 restaurants took part in the region-wide festival, from Michelin stars and fine dining venues to bustling independent eateries. The festival featured an eclectic programme of over 100 food and drink themed events including Birmingham’s first Chilli Festival held at Brindleyplace.

Neil Rami, Chief Executive of Marketing Birmingham, which manages Birmingham Food Fest – noted in The New York Times listing – said:

“Birmingham has worked hard to improve its reputation as a visitor destination in recent years by showcasing amongst other attributes, our fantastic and diverse foodie offer.

“Our Michelin star chefs and fine dining restaurant scene have catapulted the city into the culinary spotlight, while the diversity and innovations of our independent eateries are ensuring the city remains at the cutting edge and offers something for everyone.

“As the only English city outside of the capital to be named in this high profile listing, Birmingham has every reason to be proud of the international attention its culinary scene is attracting.”

David Colcombe, Head of Birmingham Chefs Alliance and Chef Director of Opus restaurant, added:

“Birmingham has been steadily building a national reputation as a culinary destination – that this reputation is now going international is something we can be really proud of. This news is a great start for Birmingham’s food scene in 2012 and we will be working to build the city’s reputation further and attract even more people to experience the city’s food in 2012.”

Birmingham Food Fest has helped to build on the city’s growing reputation as an outstanding culinary capital – recently named the UK’s most foodie city and with more Michelin stars than any English city outside of London, Birmingham is a real food lovers’ haven.

Anniversaries, Awards & New Arrivals

Posted on January 4, 2012

Happy New Year to all our mix readers and welcome to the first edition of 2012.

Inside the latest issue, we reveal all the latest tenant news, including anniversaries, award wins and new faces – we even have some giant crabs invading Brindleyplace! You can also find out what’s happening across the estate from exciting events to fundraising and the highly anticipated Brindleyplace Community Games.

Food lovers won’t be disappointed as Chinese restaurant Tin Tin shares a recipe to help us celebrate the Chinese New Year. Plus we’ve scoured the estate to bring the mix readers a whole host of exclusive offers, including fitness programmes and Valentine’s ideas and we’ve got two great competitions for you to enter too.

Click here to read issue 14 of the mix.

Happy reading!