We’re offering film fans the chance to get up close to the big screen whilst remaining safely distanced from each other, with a series of popular movie events later this month.
Perfect for families, cult film fans and those looking for a fun afternoon out with friends, the venue’s giant Auditorium (formerly the IMAX cinema) is kicking off its series of screenings on Monday 27th July, for the first of two showings of family favourite Trolls World Tour, ahead of the Tarantino classic, Pulp Fiction, on Friday 31st July. The second Trolls World Tour performance will be shown on the morning of Saturday 1st August, followed by an afternoon screening of Sex and the City: The Movie, complete with bottomless prosecco.
How have we made it safe?
The award-winning events team at Millennium Point has been working hard to implement new hygiene and safety measures, to ensure all government guidelines are met. The Auditorium, which at full capacity can host 354 people, will be reduced to 181 seats to allow for physical distancing between cinema-goers, and all seats will be allocated in advance to pre-paid ticket holders. A deep clean will be carried out between performances and all screenings will be contactless and cash-free. Specific details for measures we have taken can be found on each booking page.
Prices and Seating Allocation
Tickets for Trolls World Tour are priced at £7.50 (plus booking fee) and the Friday night screening of Pulp Fiction includes two drinks in the £15 (plus booking fee) ticket price. Bottomless prosecco will begin an hour and a half before Sex and the City: The Movie starts, with the whole package costing £20 (plus booking fee). Ticket-holders for the Sex and the City screening will be allocated a safely-distanced table in the large and airy Platform space, to enjoy their drinks beforehand.
Why are we doing this?
As the country starts to emerge from lockdown, we wanted to put on a series of fun and affordable events that appeal to a wide range of people, from families and couples to groups of friends. Cinema is a great form of escapism and watching films on our giant screen is a truly memorable experience, which we hope will offer a safe and enjoyable way for people to spend time together.
The whole team at Millennium Point has gone above and beyond to make sure we can safely adapt our spaces. We have a huge amount of experience in running events of all sizes, and our first priority was to make the venue as safe as possible. With the range of measures that we’ve put in place, we’re excited to get our events back underway, and can’t wait to welcome visitors to enjoy their cinema experience over the coming weeks.
Where can you get tickets?
To book tickets for the of the Millennium Point cinema screening, please visit:
http://www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/trolls-world-tour-2020-film-screening-at-millennium-point/
http://www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/pulp-fiction-1994-screening-drinks/
http://www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/sex-the-city-the-movie-2008-screening-prosecco/
Screening times and prices:
Trolls World Tour (PG) – Monday 27th July – 1.45pm doors, 2.30pm start – £7.50pp inc. drink and sweets for children (plus fees) (2 – 4 tickets per booking)
Pulp Fiction (18) – Friday 31st July – 6.45pm doors, 7.30pm start – £15pp (plus fees) inc. two drinks (2 – 4 tickets per booking)
Trolls World Tour (PG) – Saturday 1st August – 10.15am doors, 11am start – £7.50pp inc. drink and sweets for children (plus fees) (2 – 4 tickets per booking)
Sex and the City: The Movie (15) – Saturday 1st August – prosecco served from 1.30pm, 3pm start – £20pp (plus fees) inc. prosecco and popcorn (2 – 4 tickets per booking)
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
After an exceptional first performance, Millennium Point is delighted to welcome back Jade & JP Acoustic Duo for another acoustic session broadcast live from our award-winning venue.
Taking place on Friday 17th July at 7:30 pm, bring your household together for 90 minutes of feel-good hits and timeless classics broadcast live from our award-winning venue straight to your smart devices.
Millennium Point has once again teamed up with popular local acoustic duo Jade Duncombe and JP Haslam, known collectives as “Jade & JP”, to present an evening of live music streamed straight to your living room. Hosted remotely and safely, adhering to the latest social distancing measures, in our award-winning venue; it will be broadcast online for people both locally and around the world to come together and enjoy.
Their first performance last month has attracted almost 5000 views on the social media network, with viewers hailing from Southern Ireland to Sweden. The duo laughed and chatted with each other and viewers within the stream while performing an eclectic mix of popular hits from an emotional rendition of The Fugees “Killing Me Softly” to a high energy cover of “Belle of Belfast City” originally by the late Kirsty MacColl.
The event will take place on Friday 17th July. To watch, please head over to the Millennium Point Facebook page at 7:30 pm on the night.
Gather your pals and join Millennium Point on 1st August for a (safe and socially distant) screening of Sex and the City: The Movie (2008) in our giant screen auditorium (formerly the IMAX cinema).
Before the movie, you and your friends can enjoy unlimited prosecco served between 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm. Then head up to our gorgeous auditorium with some popcorn to raise a glass of bubbles to the fabulous foursome and their ongoing search for love.
What’s it about?
(Video Credit: Warner Bros Entertainment)
Based on the iconic comedy-drama of the same name. Sex and the City: The Movie takes place four years after the earlier adventures of Carrie Bradshaw and her best gal pals. Carrie and her intermittent lover, Big, are in a committed relationship. Samantha, having survived cancer, has a monogamous relationship with Smith Jerrod. Charlotte and her husband live on Park Avenue, and Miranda, now in Brooklyn, feels the pressure of family life.
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristan Davis and Cynthia Nixon; the film was a commercial success on release and spawned a sequel in 2010.
When is it?
Saturday 1st August | Doors open & Bottomless Prosecco 1:30 pm | Film starts at 3:00 pm (no trailers)
Where to book your tickets.
Tickets are available for purchase through Eventbrite at £20 per person (plus booking fee). They are only available to purchase in bundles of two, three or four.
Visit our Sex & the City: The Movie page
Bottomless Prosecco
Each ticket includes access to bottomless prosecco between 1:30 pm and 3 pm. Simply turn up with your party and you’ll get a private table where our staff will serve your drinks. Further drinks can be purchased from our bar during the performance.
Wait, but is it safe?
Yes. We have taken steps to ensure the screenings are safe, clean and compliant with the latest government guidelines. This includes reduced capacity and assigned seats in our 354-seat Auditorium to ensure social distancing; rigorous and regular deep cleaning before and after each screening; fully trained staff who will be wearing PPE at all times; and a contact-free and cashless experience.
Read more about social distancing and safety measures.
Safe fun for you and your friends
This one-off screening is a perfect opportunity for you and your friends to have affordable and safe fun in Birmingham City centre. For directions on how to get to us please visit this page. Don’t miss out on booking your ticket today.
Visit our Sex & the City: The Movie page
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Gather your friends and join Millennium Point on Friday 31st July for a (safe and socially distant) screening of American cult classic Pulp Fiction (1994) in our giant screen auditorium (formerly the IMAX cinema).
Each ticket includes two drinks (bottled beer, two glasses of wine or soft drinks) as well as entry to the screening.
What’s it about?
(Video Credit: Miramax)
From the visionary mind of director Quentin Tarantino, and widely considered to be his masterpiece, Pulp Fiction follows the stories of several criminals in Los Angeles.
Two hitmen Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield are out to receive a stolen suitcase from their employer, mob boss Marsellus Wallace. With Wallace out of town for a few days, he asks hitman Vincent to take his wife Mia out. Boxer Butch Coolidge is also paid to lose his fight by Wallace with the lives of all these unrelated people brought together to produce a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled-for incidents.
Starring, in alphabetical order: Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis
When is it?
Friday 31st July | 7:30 pm (Doors Open 6:45)
Where to book your tickets.
Tickets are available for purchase through Eventbrite at £15 per person (plus booking fee). They are only available to purchase in bundles of two, three or four.
Visit our Pulp Fiction film screening page
Drinks included
Each ticket includes two drinks. Choose from bottled beer, house wine or soft drinks. Drinks will be redeemable on the day. Drinks can be purchased during the screening at our fully licenced bar.
Wait, but is it safe?
Yes. We have taken steps to ensure the screenings are safe, clean and compliant with the latest government guidelines. This includes reduced capacity and assigned seats in our 354-seat Auditorium to ensure social distancing; rigorous and regular deep cleaning before and after each screening; fully trained staff who will be wearing PPE at all times; and a contact-free and cashless experience.
Read more about social distancing and safety measures.
Safe fun for you and your friends
This one-off screening is a perfect opportunity for you and your friends to have affordable and safe fun in Birmingham City centre. For directions on how to get to us please visit this page. Don’t miss out on booking your ticket today.
Visit our Pulp Fiction film screening page
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Treat the family to a (safe and socially distant) screening of Dreamworks’ Trolls: World Tour (2020) in our giant screen auditorium (formerly the IMAX cinema), this summer.
There are two dates to choose from, Monday 27th July at 2:30 pm or Saturday 1st August at 11 am. Screenings will take place at Millennium Point in our Auditorium (formerly the IMAX).
Released to universal success online, this is your chance to see this year’s hit family film, Trolls World Tour, for the first time on one of Birmingham’s biggest screens.
What’s it about?
(Video Credit: Peacock Kids by DreamWorksTV)
Trolls: World Tour follows Trolls Poppy and Branch who discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock.
Poppy and Branch, along with their friends, set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Queen Barb, who’s looking to upstage them all and make Rock reign supreme.
When is it?
Choose either:
Monday 27th July| 2:30 pm (Doors open at for 1.45 pm prompt 2.30 pm – no trailers)
Saturday 1st August | 11:00 am (Doors open at 10.15 for 11.00 prompt – no trailers)
Where to book your tickets.
Tickets are available for purchase through Eventbrite at £7.50 per person (plus booking fee). They are only available to purchase in bundles of two, three or four. Ticket price includes a Capri Sun and 140g bag of Haribos sweets for each child attending (vegetarian alternative also available).
Visit our Trolls: World Tour page.
Wait, but is it safe?
Yes. We have taken steps to ensure the screenings are safe, clean and compliant with the latest government guidelines. This includes reduced capacity and assigned seats in our 354-seat Auditorium to ensure social distancing; rigorous and regular deep cleaning before and after each screening; fully trained staff who will be wearing PPE at all times; and a contact-free experience.
Read more about social distancing and safety measures.
Cheap family fun
These limited run screenings are a perfect summer activity to entertain the kids and give you a low-cost and safe family activity in Birmingham city centre. For directions on how to get to us please visit this page. Don’t miss out on booking your ticket today.
Visit our Trolls: World Tour page.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
With our 18th birthday on the horizon, we are taking a look back at some notable events and highlights over the years so far. Millennium Point was conceived in 1999 as the catalyst for the regeneration of the Eastside of Birmingham city centre. It was opened officially on 2nd July 2002 by HRH Queen Elizabeth II, and today is the last remaining Millennium Project remaining outside of London. Our nature as a public building, commercial events venue and charitable trust means that our building means a lot to many different people for a variety of different reasons and various times within the almost two decades of our existence.
This week we are looking at the inception of the Young Innovator Prize – what has become known today as our annual Millennium Point Trust Scholarship competition – and the closure of the renowned Giant Screen Cinema.
2014 – Millennium Point Launched the Young Innovator Prize (Millennium Point Scholarship)
Today, we’re delighted to see that there is a significant emphasis made by the government and local authorities on skills pertaining to roles in science, technology, engineering and maths (known collectively as ‘STEM’) both in education and in business (although there is still a long way to go in bridging the STEM skills gap and addressing wider issues such as inequality and diversity). Back in the early 2010s, however, this was not the case.
In 2014, Millennium Point’s Charitable Trust arm partnered with our tenants, Birmingham City University, to launch the Young Innovator Prize. This initiative was designed to encourage young people to consider careers in STEM by offering one lucky winner a fully funded undergraduate degree at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. A call was put out to school leavers across the West Midlands region and six young hopefuls were selected to compete in a live final of the competition the following March. The launch event took place in our Atrium space in December 2014, where our then CEO Philip Singleton announced the competition alongside (then) Dean of BCU’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment and engineer and popular BBC Presenter Kate Bellingham, known for presenting the BBC 1 Tomorrow’s World.
The first final was hosted by popular comedian, writer and broadcaster Robin Ince and saw then 17-year old Malik Sheryar-Karamat from Ark St Alban’s claim the sponsorship prize.
Malik graduated with 1st Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering in 2018.
In 2017, the Young Innovator Prize was overhauled to what it’s known today as the Millennium Point Scholarship. This overhaul was part of a wider refresh that the Millennium Point Charitable Trust was undergoing in order to increase the visibility and impact of the charity’s contributions back into the West Midlands region. The scholarship is still running today, with the most recent winner, 28-year old Shennice Talburt, being crowned back in March this year.
The competition will open again from September for students looking to study at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.
2015 – The Last Performance at Millennium Point’s Giant Screen Cinema.
In our 2010/2011 Birthday blog, we talked about the transition from IMAX to the Giant Screen before alluding to its subsequent closure.
Following a great 14-year-long run, The Giant Screen Cinema’s time at Millennium Point was drawing to a close, and what better way to say goodbye than with one last epic movie night?
The movie chosen for the final performance was from the world famous fantasy film series and the second-highest-grossing film of 2014 – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. With the incredible sound quality and a 70ft x 41ft cinema screen, over 100 people were able to sit and enjoyed the show.
Both iterations of the cinema as an IMAX and the Giant Screen is something that was close to the hearts of Brummies and something that many will still reference today. Unfortunately, the closure was a sign of the times with increased competition and a rapid decline in attendance, it was no longer sustainable for the charitable trust to uphold. Their legacy lives on, however, in the Millennium Point you have come to know today.
The foyer of the cinema on level 1 was transformed into the flexible open plan event space Platform. This space features an in-situ, fully licenced bar and slick audio-visual equipment including multiple HD repeater screens and PA system.
The installation of a new white screen and 4K digital projector means that the former cinema, now known as the Auditorium, is still a key attraction for client events held at our multi-award winning venue. To this day, the quality of the auditorium remains outstanding and has become the home for major events in the region such as the Birmingham Film Festival and VSFighting.
The Auditorium is available for hire right now suitable for a wide range of great events from film screenings to product launches and live performances. Find out more by visiting the dedicated page or getting in contact with our friendly events team on 0121 202 2200 or [email protected]
Concerned about hosting events? Read Millennium Point’s Client Protection Plan which outlines everything we are doing to ensure the safety and well being of your people and ours to prevent the spread of coronavirus when delivering events in our building.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
With our 18th birthday on the horizon, we thought it might be nice to take a look back on some of our key events and highlights over the years so far.
This week has an entertainment focus, as we look back at the refurbishment of our IMAX and unique art installation.
2010 – Gunther Von Hagens – Body Worlds
The Body Worlds exhibits are one of the most successful travelling exhibitions in the world.
On display since 1995, they have attracted more than 50 million visitors in over 140 cities across America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
We welcomed the unique works to Millennium Point in 2010, bringing a truly awe-inspiring and thought-provoking piece to Birmingham. The exhibitions were conceived to educate the public about the inner workings of the human body and to show the effects of healthy and unhealthy lifestyles. They aimed to inspire visitors to become aware of the fragility of their bodies and to recognize the anatomical individual beauty inside each of us.
This fascinating work is still on tour, for the latest news about this visit the official website.
2011 – IMAX Refurbishment
Slightly before it’s 10th anniversary the IMAX underwent a £400,000 refurbishment where it lost the titular branding and transformed into a state-of-the-art 4K cinema, the Giant Screen. Our IMAX screen had long been an attraction prior to its refurbishment. However, the transformation brought it up to date with evolving cinematic technology. It also meant the screen was no longer bound to the IMAX library (which was quite limited for releases at the time) and instead opened up this impressive space to a much larger audience, allowing a wider variety of content to be screened including more cinematic releases and major live events such as the Olympics.
While the Giant Screen would eventually close in 2015, both iterations of this groundbreaking cinematic experience are still remembered fondly by Brummies as part of Birmingham’s evolving cultural and technological progress at the turn of the century.
Their legacy lives on, however, in the Millennium Point you have come to know today. The foyer of the cinema on level 1 was transformed into the flexible open plan event space Platform. This space features an in-situ, fully licenced bar and slick audio-visual equipment including multiple HD repeater screens and PA system. The installation of a new white screen and 4K digital projector means that the former cinema, now known as the Auditorium, is still a key attraction for client events held at our multi-award winning venue. To this day, the quality of the auditorium remains outstanding and has become the home for major events in the region such as the Birmingham Film Festival and VSFighting.
The Auditorium is available for hire right now suitable for a wide range of great events from film screenings to product launches and live performances. Find out more by visiting the dedicated page or getting in contact with our friendly events team on 0121 202 2200 or [email protected]
Concerned about hosting events? Read Millennium Point’s Client Protection Plan which outlines everything we are doing to ensure the safety and well being of your people and ours to prevent the spread of coronavirus when delivering events in our building.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
With our 18th birthday on the horizon, we thought it might be nice to take a look back on some of our key events and highlights over the years so far. This week we look back at hosting a charitable institution broadcast to the nation and a major coup for cinema fans in the city.
2008 – The Dark Knight Cometh
The Dark Knight was deemed an instant classic on release back in 2008, with its reputation and impact continuing to grow over the years. Now rated as the fourth-best movie of all time on IMDB, the movie is the first Hollywood film to have been partly shot using IMAX format cameras.
This worked out perfectly for movie fans in Birmingham, who got to see The Dark Knight in all of its glory on our IMAX screen, one of only four in the UK at the time. Six scenes from The Dark Knight were shot in IMAX, including the now-iconic opening segment with The Joker robbing a bank.
Here’s a bonus nugget for all you comic book and movie fans out there. Over a decade later, Batman would return to our giant screen in our new 354-seat auditorium for a one-off screening of 1966 classic Batman starring Adam West. The screening was organised by local multi-media collective Geeky Brummie in partnership with Not Another Comic Con to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the caped crusader.
The Auditorium is now available to hire for private screenings. We have also launched our exciting Festive film and food package for anyone looking to put a quirky spin on their festive office party – find out more here.
2009 – Children in Need – Pudsey Does Bhangra
Children in Need is one of the biggest charity initiatives in the UK, both as a fundraising drive and TV event. We were incredibly proud to take part in 2009 with a Bollywood themed party broadcast to the nation.
Joanne Malin, taking the Children In Need helm for the first time, presented live from Millennium Point alongside BBC Asian Network’s Adil Ray and Tommy Sandhu, and of course Pudsey Bear.
Spectators were able to try their hand at dhol drumming, take part in a Bollywood dance workshop and have their photos taken in the Asian Network Bollywood photo booth, in return for a donation to Children in Need. You can find a clip of the event below.
(Video Credit: BBC Asian Network)
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
While it is an unprecedented and challenging time, we believe it’s never been a more important time to recognise how Birmingham and the wider region is attracting a diverse number of emerging event types.
Millennium Point is a city-centre event and conference venue. We’ve seen lots of different events take place within our building, from educational seminars to live music performances and everything in between. Our versatility as an events space is something that we’ve always taken pride in and as we kick off a new decade, we are seeing more variety than ever in our bookings.
Here, we take a look at some of the bookings from 2019 which brought something new to the table, making the most of our facilities and spaces in creative and dynamic ways.
A Podcasting Convention for fans, by fans
PodUK, a convention around podcasting created for fans, by fans, was a 1-day event we held in February 2019. This event saw over 200 visitors across our spaces on level 1, level 2 and our 354-seat Auditorium with giant screen. Our auditorium was used for high profile live readings from podcasting favourites and live panel discussions while our spaces on leve1 1 and level 2 were used for interviews, Q&As and workshop areas. Our favourite bit was bringing the live readings to life in our auditorium with lighting, staging and audio mixing by our AV team.
This was the clients first time delivering this event and we worked with them to bring their vision to life. Podcasts have grown in popularity over the past decade and are now as commonplace as radio and live streaming music and video. Not only are we expecting to see more live events around this popular element of culture, but we also believe that we will start to see more first time organisers come forward with confidence to bring their passions to life through these sorts of events. An all-digital PodUK is back this year bigger and better and we look forward to their return to Millennium Point in the future, check it out here.
A Boxing Weigh-in
Now, hear us out. Weigh-ins are nothing new to boxing but when we hosted Frank Warren & Queensberry Promotions Midlands Mayhem Press Conference & Weigh-in: in November of 2019, it demonstrated that more and more promoters are looking for outside-of-the-box type venues for their events. Our Auditorium was used for both the final press conference and the weigh-in for this high profile boxing event which took at the brilliant Utilita Arena Birmingham. The press conference saw high profile journalists from BT Sport, Sky Sport, BBC and more attending, with both events being broadcast live to fans.
If one of your tasks while being home is planning a press event, then head over to our events pages for more ideas on this event type.
Hackathons are here, and they’re awesome for the region
As a region, the West Midlands is a hotbed for digital and tech. We’re home to Silicon Canal, a community and ecosystem for local digital and tech; a thriving place for games development with legendary companies such as Rare (Golden Eye 007) and Core Design (Tomb Raider); and a host for more and more hackathons. Hackathons are invention marathons, bringing together digital and tech individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds and skill levels to “hack” problems, usually posed by businesses or real-world events like Covid-19 (read more about that here).
HacktheMidlands: is the name given to a 24-hour “invention marathon” hosted at Millennium Point annually. Created by students at the University of Birmingham, it brings together over 200 participants from across the region to teach and support each other while developing a range of digital and tech solutions to problems posed by businesses through challenges. After 24-hours they reconvene to share a host of inventions from apps and websites to video games and useable tech.
From a logistical point of view, our Atrium was the main space for activity with our level 1 and level 2 spaces serving as breakout areas for activities and workshops, Our Auditorium was used for larger-scale segments of the event including an opening, closing and award ceremonies.
Additionally, participates brought well over 200 laptops, PCs and smart devices most of which need a power supply and to be connected to our high-speed wifi. Hackathons are a great example of an emerging event type that is having a positive impact on the growth and development of the digital and tech industry as well as on businesses in general who engage with them. You can read more about hosting them here.
Esports tournaments are big business for the region
Here at Millennium Point, we’re a big fan of eSports. Esports are multiplayer video games played at a professional competition level and are the younger sibling of mainstream sports. Aside from writing about how it’s positively impacting sports during the current pandemic, Millennium Point is also the proud host of one of the larger tournaments in the UK.
VSFighting is an annual competition that welcomes over 550 competitors, including 50 internationally renowned players and several world champions to duke it out in Beat ‘Em Up games such as Tekken World Tour, Super Smash Brothers and Dragon Ball Fighter z in a legendary three-day event.
More than 500 games consoles including PS4, XBOX ONE, Nintendo Switch and PC plus peripherals are set-up and connected to our high-speed wi-fi all across our Atrium, Platform, Auditorium, Concourse and Connect. Tournaments and friendly matches were hosted throughout the building while high-profile matches took place in our Auditorium, complete with multiple camera set-ups, AV and space for shoutcasters to commentate on the matches. Tournaments within the event were also streamed live from Millennium Point to fans across the globe on Twitch.
Similar to the fantastic ESL One at Utilita Birmingham Arena, VS Fighting at Millennium Point brings a whole new audience and culture to the region which provides a boost to tourism and a great way of putting Birmingham on the world map for this rapidly expanding industry.
Celebrate emerging events and support the industry
That’s our list! What other emerging events can you think of that are bringing the region to a whole new level? We’re looking forward to the future when we can safely open our doors and welcome back these amazing events into our venue for you to enjoy once again. It’s never too early to plan, get in touch with us now on [email protected] and let’s start planning your next event together.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.
Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Millennium Point has been around since the turn of the century. Yet when asked “what is Millennium Point?” you will get a number of different answers depending on who you ask. That’s because since our building opened 18 years ago (19 technically but we won’t tell if you don’t!), not only were we the catalyst for regeneration in the eastside of Birmingham city centre, but we have been, done and seen a lot of different things as our time as a landmark public building, multi-award winning venue and charitable trust. To illustrate our point, here are five things you probably didn’t know about Millennium Point:
1. We are an Award-Winning Venue
Millennium Point is a multi-award winning venue, with 17 event spaces including a large 354-seat auditorium, formerly one of the first IMAX in the West Midlands region. We’re also a member of venues of excellence, HBAA certified and we are proud to have an amazing events team with over 40 years of experience combined.
2. We Mingle With Royalty
Millennium Point was officially unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll on 2nd July 2002. Following her visit, she said she had no doubt Millennium Point would be used to ‘inspire the next generation who will shape the technology and industry of tomorrow’ (you can find her full speech here).
More recently we were joined by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for our event on International Women’s Day in 2018 and were also visited by the Duchess of Cambridge during the launch of her national survey ‘Five Big Questions on the Under Fives’ in January of this year.
3. Our Charitable Trust
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is one of the only two-millennium projects still in existence today. Profits from our commercial activity as an award-winning venue and landmark public building are contributed to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust and over £5m has already been invested.
We plan to continue supporting and facilitating great projects, events and initiatives across the West Midlands that support the growth of Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and help the region thrive.
4. We’ve Featured in Various Films
Millennium Point is no stranger to the silver screen- As well as hosting the annual Birmingham Film Festival, we’ve also had our fair share of the spotlight being featured in various films, interviews and TV programmes, usually as a backdrop. One of our highlights includes being a Police Station in the first series of ‘Line of Duty’ back in 2012.
5. Our Annual Scholarship Programme
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is proud to have supported five incredible and ambitious individuals by funding an undergraduate degree for each, through the annual Millennium Point Scholarship Programme.
The sixth individual was selected in March this year and is set to start her degree in September.
There you have it! We can’t wait to open our doors once again and welcome you back for a host of new and fabulous experiences.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
