Destination Birmingham

The 16^th National and 5^th iNet conference will be held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in the heart of Birmingham, Britain’s ‘second city’.

About Birmingham

Birmingham came into its own during the industrial revolution, earning the nicknames ‘workshop of the world’ and ‘city of a thousand trades’, although its manufacturing strength came primarily from guns, jewellery and pens and evidence of these trades remains in the city’s Gun Quarter and Jewellery Quarter. In the latter, there are more than 400 jewellery businesses, with more than 100 producing handcrafted jewellery and clocks.

The manufacturing trade was able to develop in part because of Birmingham’s network of canals. Locals will tell you that the city has more canals than Venice. Our conference venue, the ICC, sits alongside one of the main canals at Brindley Place, named for the engineer that built the network.

Today it is a thriving commercial centre with an ethnically and culturally diverse population. A major transport hub with two major convention centres, it hosts nearly half of the UK conference and convention business, including the annual Crufts Dog Show. It has a thriving arts scene, including the most popular musical theatre venue outside the West End and is famous for it’s ‘Balti houses’ – there are more than 100 restaurants serving Balti – a Pakistani curry dish named for the flat-bottomed dish it is cooked in - that was brought to Birmingham in the early 1960s. It is also a major sporting centre and is home to Aston Villa FC, a Premier League football club, and Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

Birmingham in Alabama is named after the midland’s city. It is  ‘twinned’ with (amongst others) Guangzhou and Nanjing in China, Lyon in France and Frankfurt in Germany, which has resulted in the establishment of an authentic German Christmas market being held annually in Victoria Square.

Things to do in November

If you’d like to experience some local colour during your visit to the conference, here are a few ideas you can easily do:

Visit the German Christmas Market – just a short walk from the ICC in Victoria Square, get a taste of traditional German christmas fare from more than 80 stalls, most of which come from Germany for the market. You can purchase unusual gifts such as handmade toys, candles and glasswork while you keep out the winter chill with Bratwurst, roasted chestnuts perhaps while sipping a cup of Glühwein (mulled wine).

Go ice-skating - if a white Christmas isn’t the norm in your home country, you can get into the spirit with ice-skating at the purpose-built rink in Centenary Square. A small fee is charged, which includes skate hire.

Take a canal tour- The Birmingham Canal Navigation is the world's largest canal system so exploring Birmingham by water is a great way to see the city, and The Mailbox boat allows you to do just that. Hop on for a 30 minute aquatic tour of the city centre for just £3.50.

Go for curry - The vast majority of Balti houses are situated in the Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath, and Moseley areas of South Birmingham, which forms the famous Balti Triangle. Most of the restaurants are unlicensed and diners are allowed to bring their own drinks (there are number of off-licences conveniently situated in the area).  Diners can usually be sure of a welcome as warm as their baltis!

Quick facts

• The average high temperature in Brimingham is 10°C, with a low of 2°C
• People from Birmingham are known as 'Brummies', after the city's nickname of Brum
• Black Sabbath, ELO and Duran Duran are all from Birmingham
• When George Cadbury began making chocolate in Birmingham in 1824 it was considered an aphrodisiac and not suitable for a ladies’ diet (yes, there’s still a Cadbury factory here!)