CGM blog: Why banging the drum for Brum made sense

03 Nov CGM blog: Why banging the drum for Brum made sense

When we promoted October’s Birmingham Business Media Club with the theme ‘Bang the Drum for Brum’ I wondered if people would get it.

This wasn’t simply a coy catchphrase for some unwarranted regional tub thumping.

What it was really about was encouraging people to speak up, not just for where they work and live, in this case the wider West Midlands not just Birmingham, but also for what you do (your professional or industry), your business and, of course, yourself.

It was about taking action – saying something profound in differing ways – and about pride – expressing positive beliefs about where you live, what you do, your business and yourself.

Not self serving boasting, you understand – but espousing deeply held views that you truly believe in – ethics, values, standards – and the difference this can make in how people may see you – the contribution to, say, regional business pride or speaking positively about your industry.

The folks who attended got it big time.

Within the three hour confines of a Business Media Club meeting they developed many ways in which to promote their own industry, own work and their own businesses.

It was a fabulous, sharing, meeting and I’d like to thank each and every attendee for throwing themselves so heartily into the topic.

I think we all learned a lot and the smiles on the post-event photos say it all – it was fun, too!

There was also refreshing honesty. In a familiar Business Media Club way of seeing things, we looked outside in.

Delegates described how they thought outsiders may view the West Midlands: ‘Not much happening’, ‘concrete’, ‘drab’, ‘polluted’, ‘dated’, ‘rains too much’, ‘a dying region’. Oh dear.

But when asked how they saw the region there was only positivity – the area is perceived to be cultural, diverse, growing, friendly, business-minded, technological, great people, green even (in surrounding counties).

A clear divide then. So what could we (all) do to close the gap between those two perceptions?

We agreed West Midlanders need to shrug off a cloak of lack of self confidence. We needed to start shouting from the rooftops that the region is a great destination to work, visit and do business in.

Also, we just do what we do best – being friendly, reliable, helpful and trustworthy. We can mention that we are still the beating heart of UK technology and industry and we could all do our bit to employ local people and stimulate the local economy in many other ways.

But crucially, it is not for us to leave others to speak up. We should share collective responsibility – whether it is for our region, our industry or our businesses. If we don’t someone else, somewhere else, will fill the gap. It is a law of nature.

During the meeting, one of our members Mark Humphries summed it up perfectly. The West Midlands was, he said: “Centrally located with a rich diversity of cultures blended with a passion to promote its industrial heritage, knowledge and a forward thinking approach to business.”

Birmingham, West Midlands, England, Britain – you have a slogan – this one’s on us!

We’ll be doing more drum banging in Birmingham and elsewhere at our CGM Business Media Clubs. If you’d like to attend a forthcoming meeting and experience what it is about – visit CGM Business Media Club and contact us to book your seat.