Visit Birmingham, the city’s leisure tourism programme, has devised the Birmingham Look Book – a go-to resource for journalists designed to raise the profile of Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull with national and international media.

Birmingham canals. Photo: The Birmingham Press

The 48-page media briefing pack – which is part of Visit Birmingham’s national ‘See More, Feel More’ marketing campaign – highlights the outstanding organisations and attractions that call the area home and focuses on the cultural highlights for the year ahead. Inspired by the fashion industry’s visual ‘Look Books’, striking photography of the city is accompanied by snapshots of the region’s culture credentials, foodie reputation, sporting prowess and future developments. Useful facts, case studies, visitor itineraries and event listings are also included to inspire journalists to write about – and visit – the region.

With Visit Birmingham hosting up to 10 media tours a month, the Birmingham Look Book forms part of its ongoing strategy to build on the city’s growing reputation as a visitor destination through targeted media outreach programmes and creative PR campaigns.

Emma Gray is Director of Marketing Services for Visit Birmingham, which is operated by Marketing Birmingham. She said: “With visitor perceptions improving by a third over the last five years, it’s clear Birmingham is winning the hearts of tourists and holds many surprises for those still to visit. The Look Book is designed to give the media a glimpse into the region’s unrivalled visitor offer, from our world-famous cultural attractions and sizzling culinary scene to the independent festivals causing a stir.

“Developed as part of ‘See More, Feel More’ – our national marketing campaign promoting the cultural life of the region – the Look Book aims to inspire journalists, and their audience, to discover the many hidden gems of Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull.”

Running until the end of May, the ‘See More, Feel More’ campaign encourages visitors to spend a cultural break in the region via national advertising, creative PR, digital and social media activity.

The integrated campaign – which looks to boost the 10 million visitors that come to Birmingham for arts and culture annually – shines a spotlight on the city’s diverse culture scene with an eye-catching campaign image produced by marketing communications agency Cogent Elliott.

10 things you never knew about Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull

1. With under 25s accounting for nearly 40% of the city’s population, Birmingham is one of the youngest cities in Europe
2. The city hosts over 50 festivals each year, including film festival Flatpack and the provocative arts fest Fierce
3. Nearly 60% of visitors come to Birmingham to experience our critically acclaimed food and drink scene
4. 2.1 million visitors come to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull for major concerts and exhibitions each year
5. Football referee whistles were invented and first manufactured in Birmingham, it’s also where the original FA Cup was made
6. Birmingham has the highest quality of life of any UK city outside of the capital (Mercer 2012)
7. Wolverhampton Art Gallery has the largest collections of contemporary Pop Art outside London
8. Dudley Canal Tunnel and Limestone Mines boasts over 420 million years of history
9. 40% of all UK jewellery comes from Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter
10. Birmingham was the training ground of the Jamaican and US Track and Field teams ahead of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Usain Bolt and his teammates ‘bigged up’ Birmingham for this support.

For further information on Visit Birmingham’s ‘See More, Feel More’ culture campaign, or to download a copy of the Birmingham Look Book, visit www.visitbirmingham.com/culture.