Day 2 of the Atlantic Club Birmingham Tour, starts with Peter Martin asking that very question to four people with very different perspectives on the city:

Ross Fittall, Regional Development Director at Federated Hermes/MEPC and a key figure behind the £1.2bn Paradise Birmingham regeneration; Maria McCann, Director of Operations at recently opened Blacklock; Alex Claridge, Chef-Patron of The Wilderness and Director of Rough Diamond; and Birmingham based hospitality PR expert Jo Green, founder of The Relationship.

We’ll get under the skin of the Birmingham story: the economic drivers, demographics, regeneration, local leadership and changing consumer base creating new opportunities - and the challenges that still need to be navigated.

Ross brings the developer and placemaking perspective: what makes a city investable, how regeneration creates new demand and what operators need to understand before committing to a market.

Maria brings the view from a successful London-born brand expanding into Birmingham. Alex offers the perspective of an acclaimed independent operator who has built his reputation in the city. And Jo will help connect the dots on Birmingham’s identity, reputation and how effectively the city is telling its story.

A candid conversation about what Birmingham’s resurgence really means - and the lessons for multi-site hospitality businesses deciding where, when and how to grow next.

Thank you to our partners for supporting the Tour - our Headline Partners: Access Hospitality, Diageo, Fourth, NIQ, Nutritics, Sona and Tevalis; Premium Partners: Enotria, Harri, HeyGuest and TiPJAR; Event Partners: Bird & Bird, Brakes, Coca Cola, Northern Restaurant & Bar, The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show.