Birmingham delegation explores Leipzig as a business location

On 7 and 8 November 2024, Leipzig welcomed a high-ranking delegation from its British twin city of Birmingham. Led by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Ken Wood, and organised by Invest Region Leipzig, the City of Leipzig, Birmingham City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authorities and other partners, the two-day visit provided an opportunity to take a closer look at the many similarities between the two cities in the creative and cultural industries and to develop new approaches for future collaboration.

The delegation consisted of representatives from ten companies in the technology and creative industries from Birmingham, predominantly start-ups and young companies. The aim of the visit was to gain an insight into Leipzig's diverse  economic offering and to strengthen international networks.

Programme highlights and creative exchange

The programme started with a welcome at the Invest Region Leipzig office, followed by a tour of Leipzig's city centre, where the guests experienced Leipzig's historic city centre. The visits to the R42 Gaming Accelerator, where the focus was on topics such as gaming, extended reality and start-up support, as well as to the creative centre Basislager MediaHub and Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig, where the guests were accompanied by local players such as Marco Weicholdt, Daniel Korenev and Paolo Löffler, were particularly exciting.

A personal highlight for many delegation participants was the ‘Dalí Cybernetics’ exhibition at Kunstkraftwerk, which uses large-scale 3D projections and immersive VR experiences to bring Salvador Dalí's artistic legacy to life in a fascinating way.

Stylish finale at the Leipzig Opera Ball

At the end of the visit, Lord Mayor Ken Wood and Fiona Latter, representing the delegation, attended the Leipzig Opera Ball. In keeping with the motto ‘Great, Britain!’, the town twinning between Leipzig and Birmingham was celebrated and came to a festive conclusion.

Thanks and outlook

Invest Region Leipzig would like to thank all the partners who made this exchange possible, as well as the representatives of Leipzig's creative industries, who welcomed the delegation with open arms and offered valuable insights into local structures and potential.

The meeting with the delegation from Birmingham not only strengthened existing relations between the two cities, but also paved the way for future joint projects. Leipzig and Birmingham will continue to work on deepening cooperation in the creative industries and creating new long-term opportunities for companies and stakeholders in both cities.