Each month we talk to the people responsible for helping make our city and region thrive and prosper to find out more about their role, hopes, dreams and what makes them tick.  This month it’s Alex Nicholson-Evans, founder and director of Living for the Weekend

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

For over a decade I’ve dedicated my career to culture and placemaking, and for even longer I’ve been in a long-term love affair with Birmingham. From my time as commercial director at Birmingham Museums to launching Birmingham Cocktail Weekend (initially as a passion project), I’ve been lucky enough to experience this city from a whole host of different angles. My work has given me a thousand reasons to love Birmingham and I’m on a mission to share those with the world.

 IT’S WHAT I DO

I have always worn many hats. I’m the Director of Living for the Weekend, best known for creating Birmingham Cocktail Weekend and Birmingham Restaurant Festival. My work in this capacity centres on creating social experiences that connect people to place and simple pleasures – work that certainly complements my position as city curator. With this hat on, I take a creative director’s role in the city centre, commissioning and developing art, festivals, and cultural activity. I work on a whole host of projects that are focused on driving positive interest in Birmingham and increased visitor numbers too.

WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE

Those of us who call this place home already know it’s a showstopper – a brilliant place to live, work and visit. My goal is to make sure the rest of the world knows it too; that Birmingham is an incredible destination for food lovers, one of the greenest cities in Europe, a World Craft City (and the best place in the UK to buy jewellery). It’s the city that inspired Tolkien, the home of Heavy Metal… I could go on.

BIGGEST SUCCESS

I’ve built a company that not only allows me to deliver on my ambitions for the city but that also brings me real joy every day. Part of that is because I have the opportunity to collaborate with incredible people from so many different industries.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED

My gut instinct is rarely wrong. Looking back, every business idea that didn’t work out was one my gut had warned me about long before my heart or head caught up. These days, I’m much better at trusting those instincts.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BRUM

Impossible to name one thing! I love that I can eat any cuisine I can think of – the breadth of choice in our dining scene is incredible. I adore that on any given Sunday, I can immerse myself in world-class fine art, wander along miles of canals (more than Venice, of course), sip cocktails from one of the UK’s Top 50 cocktail bars or visit one of Britain’s finest long galleries. It’s a city that truly has it all.

DOWNTIME

If I’m not making the most of everything I’ve just described, then I’ll be off exploring other cities and countries. Travel and trying new things give me such immense pleasure. If I’m not booking a plane ticket though, you might find me down at my allotment, giving my kayak an outing or exploring on a hike. Something about being in nature helps me unwind.