Here at Ricemedia, we are proud to reside in Birmingham’s Creative Quarter, Digbeth. In our Fazeley Studio home, our Birmingham web design and SEO agency is surrounded by over 20 other creative companies with everything from PR, film makers and games developers, it’s all happening here under one roof!
But, if you asked a stranger what springs to mind when they think of ‘Birmingham’, they could come up with all sorts of answers. The Bullring and iconic Selfridges building, Brindleyplace and the surrounding canals that have an excellent selection of coffee shops, restaurants and bars.
We’ve churned out a few famous folk here and there and it’s no secret that Birmingham is a fantastic place to live, work and socialise and now, more than ever the second city’s business reputation is thriving and rightly so!
Digbeth was given a further boost in early 2013, when online fashion destination, ASOS opened offices in the Custard Factory (just down the road from Ricemedia).
ASOS representatives stated: “Birmingham is a city with the talent, cost effectiveness, physical infrastructure, plans and will to help our business succeed.
“Birmingham feels like a city that has some big plans and is on the cusp of big things. We wanted to get in there first.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves ASOS. For such a widely recognised and respected brand to settle in Birmingham’s creative quarter and invest in local talent is progress worth shouting about.
In December last year, Digbeth became Birmingham’s social enterprise quarter, which means collectively, that the area is dedicated to local businesses, local economy and increasing employment opportunities across the city.
Digbeth’s history roughly began in the 6th century, acting as a centre for industry and years later it played a large part in the Industrial Revolution.
Fazeley Studios was originally a 19th century Unitarian chapel, designed by the widely respected Birmingham Architect, George Ingall. So how did Digbeth become the hub of media, design and SEO in Birmingham?
Here are just a few of many reasons:
- Existing and emerging talent in the city is not difficult to find. There are over 40,000 students studying computer science or business each year. Birmingham’s talent pool is rich and diverse, with technology training provider Digital Native becoming the latest to recognise this by setting up in the Custard Factory
- Start-up costs are excellent value for money compared to more expensive regions in the South East
- Digbeth has a growing and active business community. There are over 400 creative and digital businesses, independent retailers and leisure venues that call the the area home
But ASOS and Digital Native aren’t the only companies committed to utilising the talent the area has to offer and building up Digbeth’s reputation.
As businesses continue to realise the value of SEO and invest in it Ricemedia has a bright year ahead of it, as we continue to provide our clients with high quality services and contribute to the local economy.
The spotlight looks set to stay on the city and the Digbeth area for 2014, as more and more digital enterprises and businesses continue to develop and thrive here.
