Press releases

Marketing Birmingham has recruited a new Head of Marketing to drive forward its leisure and business tourism campaigns.

Emma Gray joins from An Agency Called England, and has extensive experience in destination marketing having worked at Leeds City Council and then Marketing Leeds for a total of five years.

Originally from Bulkington in Warwickshire, Emma is returning home to the Midlands after seven years and is looking forward to helping spread the word about just how much Birmingham has changed in that time.

“Birmingham today is vibrant and cosmopolitan, with plenty to offer to visitors to ensure it rivals any other UK or European city.  Perception is everything though and the work that Marketing Birmingham is doing to improve perceptions is vital to ensuring the city remains competitive and continues to attract visitors,” said Emma.

“When I left Birmingham seven years ago having worked at Birmingham Arts Marketing, people were very complimentary about Leeds and said how envious they were that I was relocating there.  Now that I’ve made the move in reverse, in all honesty the response from people has been mixed.  Those people who have been to Birmingham are full of praise for it and don’t question the move for a second, but some of those who aren’t familiar with the city still hold outdated views.  

“Marketing Birmingham conducts annual surveys which show a steady improvement in perceptions nationally, and I’m very much looking forward to making my mark and helping to improve them further.”

During her time in Leeds, Emma worked on a campaign to promote the city through an ambassador programme which saw international students incentivised to spread the word in their home countries about the merits of Leeds and its universities.  This will be of benefit when driving forward Marketing Birmingham’s recently launched Birmingham Live and Learn campaign, designed to promote Birmingham as a student city.  

“Through the ambassador programme we had one student from China who went home and gave more than 100 presentations!  Perhaps a little over-keen but it certainly proved that our approach worked and got students in different corners of the world talking about Leeds.  Birminghamliveandlearn.co.uk has got off to a great start and I’m looking forward to working with the universities to drive the campaign forward,” she said.

Emma has also worked with Hull, Basingstoke and Ironbridge on their destination marketing activities.

She added:  “The internet is by far the most powerful vehicle we have but at the moment is perhaps not being used to its full potential by cities.  Visitbirmingham.com is a fantastic tool in communicating with visitors about what they can see and do in Birmingham and I’ll be heavily involved in the next phase of its development.”

Dave Hodgson, Marketing Director at Marketing Birmingham said:  “We’re delighted to have Emma on board.  She brings with her some great experience as well as a fresh approach to Birmingham which will help us all to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.  

“The team here is continuing to grow and we’re achieving real results.  Almost 32 million people visited Birmingham in 2007, an increase of 1.5 million on the previous year.  Perceptions are continuing to improve across all areas of Birmingham’s lifestyle and business offer, and the city is securing and successfully staging high profile events throughout the year.  

“The concept of the Visit Birmingham leisure tourism campaign is that it’s no longer a secret just how great Birmingham is, the word is out, and all the stats back that up.  The fact that Emma has chosen to come back home is proof of that and I’m really pleased she’s here to help us keep on spreading the message.”

ENDS
For more information please contact:
Charlotte Beeching, External Affairs Manager, Marketing Birmingham
Tel: 0121 202 5153        Email: charlotte.beeching@marketingbirmingham.com