News Archives - Page 10 of 25

Millennium Point is delighted to light up green, doing our bit to support #StJohnsDay2021.

What is St John Ambulance Day?

St John Ambulance Day is all about celebrating the great work they do, while raising awareness that your support is needed to help train more volunteers and save lives. On average it costs around £100 to fully train one St John Ambulance volunteer. For every volunteer trained, they could go on to support up to 12 people, meaning more lives will be saved by this great organisation.

Our Auditorium goes green

On Thursday 24th June, we lit up our newly refurbished Auditorium in St John Ambulance’s iconic green, to show our support to all the great volunteers who work tirelessly in our community. As a mass vaccination centre, we have first hand experienced the instrumental work that St John Ambulance volunteers have done, to help protect lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is our way of saying thank you for everything they do.

How to get involved

Every contribution helps towards training more volunteers to support this fantastic organisation. There’s so many fun and creative ways you can get involved, from singing karaoke with songs that use the word “green”, to taking part in a green jelly tower competition. If you’d like to get involved or find out more, then please visit www.sja.org.uk/green.

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.

Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. We have funded many different projects across all areas of STEM, supporting learning development for young students.

Here is an example of the type of work we do, this project was funded in 2019 and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.

Who are Ahead Partnership?

Ahead Partnership is a leading social enterprise which works across the country to connect schools and children with employers to promote education and employability and raise awareness of STEM careers.

What’s the project all about?

Ahead Partnership wanted to address an issue in the West Midlands, where many students are only taught very basic STEM practices due to lack of resource. They launched a new project which features a week long STEM festival that aims to enthuse young people about STEM careers whilst they are still in education and build a stronger talent pipeline for the sector. The festival showcases the career opportunities that exist and encourages young people to make subject and study choices that open up these opportunities.

What did the Millennium Point Trust fund?

The Millennium Point Trust team were excited to get involved with this project and understood the importance of improving STEM learning for young people, while opening more doors for future careers within the industry. Our involvement helped fund the following areas of the project:

The operation and delivery of key events within the festival.
Resources and materials for the events.
Travel subsidies for schools travelling to the events.
Hire of additional equipment and resources for the events (i.e. AV equipment).

What impact has the project made?

The project had a positive outcome on over 250 students, 16 secondary schools and 2 education colleges. The students gained improvements in confidence, developed STEM learning across business and sectors, and workplace specific skills that will be valuable for their career choices.

Ahead Partnership were delighted with how the project unfolded and said: “Working with Millennium Point Charitable Trust will help us increase the pool of younger entrants to STEM occupations and to support the growth potential of businesses by promoting and furthering understanding of STEM.

“Currently, too few young people have a concrete understanding of the opportunities that exist within the West Midlands region. Employers have a very valuable role to play in developing this understanding and bringing careers alive through direct interventions with young people.

“This project will bring together education and employers, to contribute to regeneration in Birmingham, resulting in a future workforce that has STEM, entrepreneurial and creative skills to build on the City’s heritage and legacy and benefit the public through new products, services, businesses, jobs and economic growth.”

#GirlTechWM is back in 2021!

Following the success of two previous #GirlTechWM events, we’re delighted to say we are supporting once more. This year Ahead Partnership are taking the experience for Year 8 girls across the West Midlands ONLINE. This week-long festival will see young people from across the West Midlands take part in interactive workshops, guest speeches and panels to meet and ask female role models in the tech industry their questions, as well as give them a hands-on experience of what working in this sector is all about. Online means it’s safe and more accessible than ever.

About educational grant funding from Millennium Point

Educators, Charities and Not-for-Profits within the West Midlands Combined Authority can apply for up to £20,000 from Millennium Point to fund their STEM activity. For more information on how to access this funding please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants

As we continue to move towards normality resuming, local hospitality needs your support to help with their road to recovery from the pandemic. With summer on the horizon (hopefully with plenty of sun), it’s a great time to grab a pint with your friends (safely) and do your bit to help. We’ve put together a few great pubs based in Eastside Birmingham for you to explore. Get the drinks in and help Birmingham get back on track.

The Woodman

First up is The Woodman, located on New Canal Street, directly opposite Millennium Point and Birmingham City University (BCU). This newly restored Victorian pub is based in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside Park and serves a quality range of ales from a diverse set of brewers. The Woodman also offers a 50 person capacity function room for hire all year round, perfect for hosting a number of events.

Eagle and Ball

After finishing off your drinks at The Woodman, the next pub on our list takes you to the Eagle and Ball which has been ran by the Birmingham City University (BCU) Students Union since 2015. Like The Woodman, this pub has a authentic Victorian layout to it, standing on the corner of Penn Street and Gospel Street since the 1840s. Whatever your drinking preference, this pub has you covered with a range of drinks on offer, from a chilled pint of beer to spirits, wines and cocktails.

The Gosta Green

Keeping the student bar vibe, we now move across the way towards Aston University. Order your next round of drinks at The Gosta Green located on Holt Street. This is an enjoyable pub in the Eastside of Birmingham which welcomes customers with the important three on offer, “beer, burgers and live sport. Gosta Green offers a number of facilities including a HD projected screen, outside area, pool tables and a great drinks selection including real ale’s, ciders, beers and spirits.

Sacks of Potatoes

A short walk from The Gosta Green brings us to Sacks of Potatoes for the next round. This traditional pub is filled with pictures depicting the history of Birmingham, bringing a very local feel to it. Despite being based on the Aston University campus, the Sacks doesn’t just attract students, with a number of local residents and business people regularly stopping by for a refreshing pint. Choose from a wide cask ale range with 6 real ales and 3 ciders available on the handpulls, 2 craft ales and a great selection of spirits, wines and cocktails. If the drinks are starting to make you peckish then why not select one of the daily food deals to have with your drink, they are not only delicious but great value for money too.

Save your local pub

Has your local pub closed, or is threatened with closure? During these difficult times for the hospitality sector, you can do your bit to help. CAMRA have put together an in-depth guide to give you all the tools you need to begin campaigning against pub closures. These guides are available for England, Scotland and Wales. For more information please visit https://camra.org.uk/pubs-and-clubs/current-campaigns/save-your-local-pub/.

Have the ’Time of your Life’ this Summer by joining us for ‘Dirty Dancing with Cocktails’ at Millennium Point.

Get ready to drink cocktails and have a good sing along as we team up with the innovative event specialists, The Wine Events Company to bring you the eighties classic Dirty Dancing on the big screen. This event takes place on Saturday 17th July at 7.30pm (doors open at 6:30pm) and you won’t want to miss it!

About the film

Baby (Jennifer Grey) is disappointed when her summer plans deposit her at a sleepy resort in the Catskills with her parents. Her luck turns around, however, when the resort’s dance instructor, Johnny (Patrick Swayze), enlists Baby as his new partner, and the two fall in love. Baby’s father forbids her from seeing Johnny, but she’s determined to help him perform the last big dance of the summer.

Featuring: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, Jack Weston and many more.

Certificate: 15 | Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Experience more than just a film screening

Enjoy a unique experience as Wine Events Company guru’s Tony and Ryan provide movie trivia throughout the event and demonstrate how to make each of the four themed cocktails on our newly refurbished stage.

Ticket Pricing

Tickets are priced at £35.95 per person (plus Eventbrite fees), and include four tasty themed cocktails. Due to government guidelines, tickets are only available to buy in bundles of two, three or four. You can buy more than one block of tickets at a time however, you will only be able to pick seats as per the seating plan. Have the time of your lives and book tickets by clicking below.

Back to the Future with Wine recap

Last Friday attendees were wowed by our unique screening of Back to the Future with Wine. The eighties sci-fi classic was screened in our Auditorium with themed wines served throughout the event. We had some great feedback including one attendee that said “Having never seen Back To The Future properly before, I went into this showing with an open mind. Not only was the film incredible (especially on the huge screen), but the wines paired with the film went down an absolute treat!”

“Tony from The Wine Events Company was also hilarious – playing the characters of Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown, giving the audience insights into specific scenes during the film and also some interesting background knowledge of the wines we were tasting throughout.”

“A fantastic night out for anyone looking for something a little more than your regular cinema screening, that’s for sure!”

Getting to Millennium Point

Millennium Point is in the Eastside of Birmingham City Centre just 5-minutes walk from Moor Street and 15-minutes from Grand Central and the tram. There is also limited parking on-site which means we’re easy to find regardless of how you travel. For more information please click here.

Want to find out more about this event?

If you require further information on this event then please head over to our dedicated landing page by clicking here.

We are delighted to announce that Asima Adnan from Dudley has been named the winner of this year’s life-changing Millennium Point Charitable Trust Scholarship, earning a fully-funded degree at Birmingham City University (BCU). This degree is joint funded by Millennium Point Charitable Trust in Partnership with Birmingham City University.

Asima’s journey to Scholarship victory

The 37-year-old mum of five is currently studying Social Science and Humanities at Dudley College, with future plans to study a degree in planning.

All the finalists attended an assessment day at Millennium Point, where they each presented to a panel of five judges, Asima impressed the panel and was selected as the lucky winner of the Scholarship, which has already helped launch the careers of six outstanding STEM students.

Pictured left to right: Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point and Scholarship winner Asima Adnan.

The Scholarship winner said “Being told I had won felt amazing – I was shocked and got quite emotional; I couldn’t believe that someone would do something like this for me.

“I feel very lucky, knowing how hard everyone has worked to raise this money and then helped me with it, makes me want to work even harder and do well. I know I have the potential to do well, I just needed the opportunity and support.

“I am so excited and looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I hope I can be an inspiration to everyone who thinks that they can’t do it, because if I can do it, you can too.”

A few words from the CEO

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point added: “We were really impressed by the quality of all the finalists; their passion, drive and knowledge of not only their own chosen subject but STEM in general.

“Asima embodies everything about the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship, which is here to support individuals with true grit and determination to succeed, and through their studies aim to have a positive influence on society in the West Midlands. Asima will be an excellent ambassador for Millennium Point Trust, proving that we can all achieve our dreams, no matter what life throws in our way. Asima will also be an excellent role model for women in STEM.”

“The scholarship is the flagship initiative from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust and exemplifies our commitment to supporting STEM; in 2020 alone, the Trust invested more than £560,000 in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives, based in the West Midlands.”

Identifying STEM talent

Now approaching it’s ninth year, the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already changed the lives of eight people from the region through their degrees, including 2017 Sagal Qodah, who has since gone on to graduate with a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering.

Apply for the 2022 Scholarship

Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust jointly funds an undergraduate degree in partnership with Birmingham City University at their Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. We’re helping people across the region unlock their future in STEM. For more information on how to apply or get involved in the 2022 Scholarship program please, visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship.

After six successful coding Bootcamps including full-time, part-time and fully remote courses, the School of Code is back again this summer with a free coding boot camp for people in the West Midlands.

Starting on 26th July 2021, the Bootcamp will be full-time, intensive, and 100% FREE to all residents in the West Midlands. There are no prerequisites and no previous experience required – those applying for the course don’t even need to have seen a line of code before. School of Code takes a learner from beginner to software developer in just 16 weeks before helping them find their first role in tech.

Future proofing local tech talent

With rising automation, a changing job landscape, and the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, technology will be the engine driving the recovery of our regional economy. Dr Chris Meah, Founder of the School of Code states ‘Technology will be the engine of recovery for the country, but we need to make sure everyone is on board to benefit. At the School of Code we are open to everyone to help more and different types of people take advantage of the opportunities technology gives, and to future proof their skills and career.

These free coding bootcamps offer a short, intensive, immersive and transformational learning sprint to a new career. Bootcamps change lives and power growth by giving participants the right skills to be immediately useful to employers on day one and, most crucially, helps people to also learn how to learn.

Working together to drive success in STEM

With 125,000 unfilled tech jobs in the UK every year, our friends at the School of Code aim to equip its recruits with the skills that industry needs, as well as helping them find exciting career opportunities afterwards. School of Code’s cohorts had an enviable 75%-95% employment rate even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The course prides itself on being open to anyone, with a 50:50 gender split, age-range of 18-60, and demographics matching those of Birmingham. Previous graduates have successfully secured roles at The Economist, Bravissimo, Santander, Wise, VoxPopMe, Dunelm, and many more great companies in the region.

Like the mission of the Millennium Point Charitable Trust, The School of Code hopes to challenge existing stereotypes of the tech sector and encourage diversity in the workplace by making it more accessible for everyone to enter and benefit from this thriving industry.

A Partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority

The School of Code is focused on providing a free route into tech, and is supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority through Mayor Andy Street’s “Beat the Bots” fund as well as through employers who hire through the course. They aim to continue to show more people that learning to code is fun, sociable, team-based and for everyone.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, sadly many people are going to fall out of work, but re-training or improving your current skills is a great way of finding employment again quickly. The Coding Bootcamp being offered by School of Code will help do exactly that.

“I would urge everyone of any age to look into the option of coding, and the success of people like Clare Streets, who went from being a stay-at-home mum to now running B13 Technologies, shows just what a difference it can make.”

Applications are open now for Bootcamp 7. You can enrol now by visiting: www.schoolofcode.co.uk

Talking Point: The Future of Events was our well received free, two-hour hybrid conference which took place both online and in person inside Millennium Point’s newly refurbished Auditorium on Wednesday 26^th May, from 2pm – 4pm.

The conference perspectives from across the events sector, as well as provide valuable insights and a platform to debate the road to recovery, current trends, sustainability, and the impact of Covid-19 on customers’ relationships to events and hospitality. The event also gave the public and clients first look at our auditorium since it’s refurbishment which now features a larger stage, lighting and enhanced AV technology alongside the launch of our hybrid and virtual packages. You can watch the replay of the event below:

The first panel, Events & Hospitality: Roadmap to Recovery (2pm-3pm), discussed key trends, innovations and roadblocks to consider over the next 18 months. Panellists include Rebecca Delmore, Commercial Director at Millennium Point alongside Chris Peacock, Head of Events at Conference Care, Jo Parkin, Executive Assistant to the CEO of Alpro and Paul Colston, Managing Editor of the International Portfolio at Mash Media (Exhibition World and Conference & Meetings World).

During the second panel, Going Green: The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (3pm-4pm), guests will hear a range of views on the growing demand for sustainable events, the challenges and opportunities of hybrid events and the impact of green initiatives such as clean air zones. Panellists include Victoria Webb, Sales Manager at Millennium Point, Andrew Perolls, CEO of Greengage Solutions, Anne Shaw and Chris Peacock, Head of Events at Conference Care.

The event was hosted by events industry veteran Neil Thompson, Founder of popular event professionals network The Delegate Wranglers.

Our virtual and hybrid packages are now live. For any enquiries or for a personalised tour of our venue by a member of our friendly events team, please call 0121 202 2200 or use the online enquiry form here.

Film fans rejoice! We’re back once again with a series of much-loved movie classics in our new and improved giant screen auditorium this summer, complete with special movie-themed cocktails, wine and trivia by our friends and resident film geeks at The Wine & Events Company.

Our Auditorium (formerly the first IMAX cinema in Birmingham), will reopen and screen three classic films this summer – starting with Steven Spielberg’s definitive 80’s classic, Back to the Future on Friday 4th June. Millennium Point events has teamed up with innovative event specialists The Wine Events Company, who will pause the films to provide movie trivia and themed cocktails or wine during the screenings to movie-lovers.

Kicking off we have the 80s sci-fi favourite Back to the Future on Friday 4 June. Cinema-goers can immerse themselves in the time travelling action, as well as indulge in five movie-themed wines. On Saturday 17 July, guests will have the time of their lives, as they watch Dirty Dancing on the big screen, whilst enjoying four themed cocktails. The final screening at our iconic city centre venue will take place on Sunday 8 August, as film-lovers can enjoy the 70s Spielberg classic Jaws and dive into four delicious themed cocktails.

Keeping Movie-Goers Safe

Our multi-award-winning events team at Millennium Point has introduced several hygiene and safety measures to ensure that the screenings are safe for all film fans to enjoy. These include reduced capacity in the Auditorium with allocated seating, hand sanitising stations throughout the venue, a cashless and contactless experience, as well as social distancing measures and PPE for all staff.

Tickets for Back to the Future are priced at £31.95 per person (plus fees) and include five glasses of themed wine. Tickets for Dirty Dancing and Jaws are priced at £35.95 per person (plus fees) and include four delicious film-themed cocktails, which will be served to visitors throughout the film. Tickets can only be bought in groups of two or more to ensure groups don’t mix.

To book tickets for the Millennium Point cinema screenings, please visit:

Back to the Future: millenniumpoint.org.uk/back-to-the-future/
Dirty Dancing: millenniumpoint.org.uk/millennium-point-presents-dirty-dancing-with-cocktails/
Jaws:millenniumpoint.org.uk/millennium-point-presents-jaws-1975-with-cocktails/

We’re very excited to announce our latest partnership with the Wine Events Company, and can’t wait to welcome movie-lovers from across the region back to our big screen this summer to enjoy a truly memorable and immersive experience.

The Auditorium is also available for hire as an events space. For all enquiries, please contact [email protected] or call 0121 202 2200.

There’s only a few days remaining before we bring together a panel of experts to debate the future of events in a post lockdown world.

Talking Point: The Future of Events is a free, two-hour hybrid conference taking place both online and in person at Millennium Point’s newly refurbished Auditorium on Wednesday 26^th May, from 2pm – 4pm.

The conference will feature perspectives from across the sector, as well as provide valuable insights and a platform to debate the road to recovery, current trends, sustainability, and the impact of Covid-19 on customers’ relationships to events and hospitality. It will also give the public a first look at our auditorium since it’s £350,000 refurbishment which now features a larger stage, lighting and enhanced AV technology alongside the launch of our hybrid and virtual packages.

The first panel, Events & Hospitality: Roadmap to Recovery (2pm-3pm), will discuss key trends, innovations and roadblocks to consider over the next 18 months. Panellists include Rebecca Delmore, Commercial Director at Millennium Point alongside Chris Peacock, Head of Events at Conference Care, Jo Parkin, Executive Assistant to the CEO of Alpro and Paul Colston, Managing Editor of the International Portfolio at Mash Media (Exhibition World and Conference & Meetings World), and Holly Andrews, Head of Producers at DRP Group.

During the second panel, Going Green: The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (3pm-4pm), guests will hear a range of views on the growing demand for sustainable events, the challenges and opportunities of hybrid events and the impact of green initiatives such as clean air zones. Panellists include Victoria Webb, Sales Manager at Millennium Point, Andrew Perolls, CEO of Greengage Solutions, Anne Shaw, and Chris Peacock, Head of Events at Conference Care.

We’ve reached a pivotal moment for the events industry, as venues are finally able to reopen, and the government’s pilot events for larger audiences are underway.

Our conference will provide the opportunity for guests from across the events sector to come together, both in person and virtually, to share insight on the challenges and opportunities that lie in store over the year ahead. We’ve had a fantastic response so far and we’re looking forward to what promises to be a lively and engaging series of debates.

Tickets to Talking Point: The Future of Events are free and available for either physical attendance or viewing online via a live stream. To find out more and book tickets, visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/talking-point/.

The Millennium Point Scholarship is an annual competition in partnership with Birmingham City University which awards a fully funded undergraduate degree at the faculty of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment. Now in its seventh year, we look at the STEM leaders behind this year’s judging panel.

Abbie is CEO of Millennium Point, and head judge for the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship 2021. Abbie has been instrumental to the project since her appointment as CEO in 2018, ensuring that the impact of the project remains significant and in line with overall objective of the Millennium Point Trust to grow STEM education and opportunities in Birmingham and the wider region.

“I think STEM is important to the region because it’s the careers of today and it’s also the careers of the future,” she says.

“The scholarship is incredibly important – it’s about showcasing STEM and supporting people, because if you change a child’s life then you change a family’s life and their future and that’s everything that we want to do. STEM is about creating things, solving problems, and these issues will never go away, and so STEM careers will always be there,” she adds.

“They’re also beginning to underpin lots of the traditional careers – so whether you’re a lawyer, an accountant or in medicine, STEM is behind all of that. There’s also a huge skills gap in STEM at the moment, and if we can get more and more people into STEM careers, that will be great for the economy and great for the region.

Abbie continues: “The scholarship is really important to Millennium Point, and it is one of our flagship initiatives; it’s about creating an opportunity for young people in the region that they may never have.

“It’s wider than winning the scholarship, it’s bigger than that – it’s the journey you go on from the minute you become a finalist and the exposure to different industries and key people in the region. If you do go on to win, you become an ambassador for Millennium Point Trust and that will take you on a journey where you’ll meet lots of different people.

“What am I looking for from the candidates? For me, it’s about someone who’s really invested in what they want to do with their chosen subject; over the years of doing the scholarship, it always amazes me at such a young age they can look at what they want to do with their subject and how they can make a difference in the world.”

What I’m looking from the candidate is ‘this is what I’m going to do, this is how I’ll make a difference to the region with what I choose to do’ – so someone who’s incredibly focused on that they know it’s going to change their lives and they’re going to make their lives better with that career.

“We really love the Millennium Point Scholarship; it’s really important, and it’s having a great impact on people; we’re already seeing the benefits of the scholarship on the people that came through seven years ago, and they’re doing exactly what they wanted to do, so we really want people to apply for the 2022 Scholarship. STEM is still really important – it’s the careers of the future and we want to help you to get where you want to be without that financial burden. We can support you.”

For more information on the scholarship competition, or how to apply, please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship