Hundreds of new jobs, new businesses and new visitors are on the horizon for Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull through a new three year inward investment and visitor marketing campaign that will raise the profile of the area as a place to do business, invest, visit and host major events.

Initially 500 new jobs will be created in the ERDF area, with the potential to generate an additional 4,500 in the wider area. Funding will also help to attract an anticipated 50 new businesses to the region and help 500 local businesses improve their performance.

The Investing in the City Region project has been awarded over £8.8 million from the European Regional Development Fund which is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, with Marketing Birmingham and its partners providing the match funding to create a total budget of over £17 million for the campaign’s activities.

Communities Minister Baroness Hanham CBE stresses the importance of support to these areas. She said:

Attracting new businesses to these areas is essential to building a prosperous future and new investment brings new jobs and opportunities for local people. The project shows a unique example of how a number of areas and can work together to improve the overall performance and economy of the local area. I am delighted that we are able to help support the delivery of this important project.”

Activity will also support the area’s economic growth by providing support services to local businesses. The campaign brings together the efforts of a number of regional partners to promote the area as a visitor and business destination, stimulating economic growth and job creation including Marketing Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Airport, Centro, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the Black Country Authorities. This joined-up approach reflects how national and international audiences view the area as a whole, rather than as individual locations.

Neil Rami, Chief Executive of Marketing Birmingham, which led the funding bid, said:

Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull have growing reputations as places to do business, invest and visit. By working with partners to coordinate promotional and business support activity we can build on this success and really focus on activities that will attract new companies, talented workers and visitors to the region.

In today’s fiscally challenging times it is important for destinations’ to realise the potential of their visitor economy and offer to the business and investor community in order to stimulate economic growth and create jobs for local people. This funding will help us do that.”

To find out more about the project, contact Tim Manson on 0121 202 5020 or tim.manson@marketingbirmingham.com