Midlands Enterprise Awards 2021

34 | Midlands Enterprise Awards 2021 inhouse business and inquiry lines. Suzanna explains, “This enabled us to serve the BOA and MOJ contracts despite not having our usual complement of staff. Rebuilding the team will be driven by the demand for business as we manage UVB out of the pandemic aftermath and while we have reduced capacity during the REP refurbishment. We plan to invite team members back who were made redundant, and so far, two have returned to the UVB team.” Due to the pandemic, the change within the industry, and the needs of the clients, UVB has created a hybrid conference package which allows event organisers to use its facilities in-house to create a large-scale event and live stream to delegates who may be working across the UK or even globally. Suzanna states, “We saw that with long term travel restrictions in place, reduced capacities due to social distancing requirements and client budgetary constraints, to offer a hybrid package would allow many event organisers the opportunity to continue providing their events despite the challenges of doing so during a pandemic and as we emerge from restrictions.” As we continue into uncertain times, one thing is clear: UVB has handled the pandemic and its effects well and has generated a whole new package for clients to utilise, opening a new dimension of possibilities in the arena of events spaces. Company: Unique Venues Birmingham Web Address: www.uniquevenuesbirmingham.com Email: suzanna.reid@uniquevenuesbirmingham.com Unique Venues Birmingham puts people first, encourages diversity and inclusion in all that it does. Its main priority over the next year is to re-grow its team providing training, support, and opportunities to grow and succeed. Unique Venues Birmingham (UVB) launched in October 2017, offering excellent combined conferencing and hospitality opportunities within one of the UK’s most iconic buildings, the Library of Birmingham, and one of the UK’s leading theatres, Birmingham Repertory Theatre. All profits made by UVB are reinvested back to The REP and The Library of Birmingham. Commercial Director, Suzanna Reid Barreiro Da Silva states, “We have hosted a total of 2,370 events between launching and the end of May 2021. We attract many multicultural and diverse events and enjoy a high level of repeat business. Our ambition is to deliver uniqueness across our two iconic venues through our exceptional and personalised service, exceeding expectations and inspiring a connection to our unique brand in the experience we provide.” UVB prides itself on offering unusual and defying expectations. Suzanna explains, “Our dedicated team has a keen eye for detail and takes creating bespoke events very seriously. Each time the team is faced with a new challenge, the solutions become part of their repertoire, ready for the next time they have a similar request. The unusual requests are extremely varied: coordinating the logistics for human flamingos on stilts, accommodating a 550-piece orchestra, finding a suitable dressing room for an award-winning service dog, working out how to get a dancing robot on stage, or accepting delivery of brand- new motorbikes ready for a launch event. There is no such thing as a boring day at the office when you work at UVB!” In the UK, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit a lot of businesses differently, but the events industry certainly wasn’t prepared for the effects of the Best Commercial Conference Venue - Birmingham virus. Suzanna explains, “In March 2020, we had to close our doors due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with very little notice or time to prepare. That was certainly a challenge! Initially, we cancelled all small meetings booked for April, May, and June 2020, and larger events due to take place were moved to later in 2020. As the events of 2020 unfolded and restrictions changed, we cancelled/rescheduled events as necessary, constantly in talks with our clients. In line with government guidance, UVB has been able to work with specific sectors to deliver events throughout the pandemic.” From September to December 2020, UVB was able to provide Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA), a regional academy for creative and performing arts, with the additional teaching space they needed to be able to continue their teaching in a socially distanced manner. Additionally, from December 2020 until the end of June 2021, UVB has been a location for the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Nightingale Courts. Suzanna states, “Despite having no prior experience in setting up socially distanced legal courtrooms, we worked closely with the MOJ to ensure every aspect of their needs were met. While it was a challenge to achieve everything given the pandemic and the restrictions in place, we were able, with a very limited team, to create the space and setup that the MOJ required for these unprecedented times.” Due to the pandemic, UVB had to regrettably make 36 members of staff redundant after the furlough schemes changed. However, the remaining 6 staff in its team trained one another in each of its varied skills (sales/ops) to create a small, multi-skilled team able to manage all Jul21702