Go and sell yourself, Birmingham told

BIRMINGHAM needs to sell itself to the world, a top Midlands architect is arguing.

Graham Cartledge CBE, chairman of Benoy – the practice which designed Bullring and The Water’s Edge in Brindleyplace – called for better marketing of “brand Birmingham” and greater “one world thinking” by business leaders.

His comments came in an address to the annual lunch of the Midlands region of the Investment Property Forum.

With its headquarters in Newark, Benoy has a turnover of around £40m, employs 500 people and has bases in London, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Mumbai, Beijing and Singapore.

He said: “There needs to be a strategy for the Midlands. Start to sell brand Birmingham.”

He argued that the regions had to do more if they were to attract the world to them. Too often visiting delegations from the Far East never saw the need to venture outside London, he said.

In particular, Cartledge highlighted the limited services available at Birmingham Airport.

He said: “I spend far too much time at Heathrow. I want to fly to China and India. But the Midlands is very poorly served – why can’t I leave from Birmingham or East Midlands? Why aren’t there flights from China straight into Birmingham?

“It is about Birmingham getting connected. If we want to engage as a country with the growth countries of Asia we have to be more than just London.”

The planned runway extension at Birmingham Airport will allow for direct flights to long-haul destinations such as China and India.