Two join team at Barques PR

A Birmingham PR agency has made two new appointments to strengthen its team after winning several new clients. Barques PR, based in the Jewellery Quarter, was launched by directors Paul Skipp and Jilly Cosgrove just 10 months ago.
It operates alongside sister company Barques Design which has gained a reputation for delivering excellence locally, nationally and internationally over the past two decades.
Laura Butler, senior account executive, has joined from a Leamington Spa-based agency to help manage the new company’s growing client base. Since graduating from Wolverhampton University with a degree in journalism and editorial design, Laura has worked at a communications agency, writing and editing publications for clients such as Empire Cinemas, New Look and NFU Mutual.
Laura said: “Coming from an editorial background, I know what makes a good story and can relate to the challenges that journalists face. I’m currently getting to know our existing clients’ businesses inside out and building up relationships with key media contacts in their target sectors.”
Read More - http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/west-midlands/news/two-join-team-at-barques-pr/

Graffiti art created for unique Birmingham screening of The Birds movie

Graffiti artist Victor X has created an image of the Birmingham skyline filled with crows to commemorate the arrival of the a cult film club in the city this week.
The Jameson Cult Film Club will be screening Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film The Birds at St Paul's Church, in the Jewellery Quarter, on Thursday.
The film club brings its screenings to life through actors, props and extra surprises to give audiences a more involved experience of movies.


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Birmingham Assay Office safeguarded by Jewellery Quarter deal

The future of the Birmingham Assay Office has been safeguarded following a Jewellery Quarter land deal with the city council.
Council property officials agreed to sell a site off Icknield Street to enable the 340-year-old business to build modern offices and remain in Birmingham.
The sale, at an undisclosed price, means that the Assay Office will scrap plans to relocate to Redditch, saving 150 jobs.

Members of the cabinet property sub-committee heard that the Assay Office’s existing five-storey premises, dating back to 1877, were unsuitable for a modern business and hampered future growth plans.
A cabinet report added: “The layout and configuration of the current Victorian building over five levels imposes significant operational constraints upon the efficiency and effectiveness of its services.
“The building is no longer fit for purpose and therefore the Assay Office is looking to relocate to new premises that marry operational efficiency and flexibility with the organisation’s heritage and status.”
The Birmingham Assay Office was established by an Act of Parliament in 1773 and has been in its current premises at the corner of Newhall Street and Charlotte Street in the Jewellery Quarter since 1877.
Operations now extend far beyond traditional hallmarking of gold and silver, making it the largest assay office in the world.
The new site, bounded by Icknield Street, Pope Street and Moreton Street, will be leased to the Assay Office by the city council.
The Assay Office says it will build a new “state of the art” building and sell its old headquarters.
Cabinet property sub-committee member Coun Randal Brew (Con Northfield) said: “I am delighted that we can keep the Assay Office in Birmingham. It is very important for the city and this is a major achievement.”

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CrowdControlHQ firm aims to put business ahead of game on Google+

A Birmingham technology start up that helps simplify social media for business has claimed an industry first by incorporating Google+ into its software.
CrowdControlHQ’s buzz monitoring feature now searches Google+ public posts as well as Twitter, Facebook, Google news and blogs.
The company’s development team, based in the Jewellery Quarter, has also built a free tool for brands to search Google+ public posts independently of their service.
The tool allows brands to listen to what is being said about them across Google+ public posts providing demographic information around gender and location of the users and their mentions.


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