We have kicked off the festive season here at Millennium Point. Our impressive 39ft Christmas tree is back by popular demand. The Christmas tree is based in our event space Atrium for everyone to enjoy as soon as they walk into our landmark building.
It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas
The tree was put together by Christmas experts The Christmas Decorators. It takes a team of 5 installers and a team of 7 decorators to prepare the branches and baubles. The Christmas tree takes around 10 hours to complete. With good reason too as there is over 23,000 lights and 1,500 baubles to set up.
Where do you even get a 39ft tree from you ask? We’ll let you in on a secret, it’s not actually a real tree! The Christmas tree is made up of a metal frame with each individual branch attached separately each with their own power source.
As far as we know we are the biggest indoor tree in Birmingham at 12 metres tall. The tree is accompanied by two nutcrackers and a pack of huskies, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to snap a festive selfie.
Plenty to do at Millennium Point this Christmas
Along with the decorations, a festive schedule brimming with fun activities is planned through the next two months for everyone to enjoy.
Feel Christmas all around you with our Love Actually Bottomless Brunch
Date and Time: 3rd December, 1pm
Price: £35 per person
Millennium Point Events presents a bottomless brunch, and a special screening of Richard Curtis’ seminal festive event will have a delicious brunch, 90 minutes of bottomless prosecco and a screening of the film.
Book now to secure your ticket
It’s a Wonderful Life when there’s wine
Date and Time: 4th December, 4pm
Price: £31.95 plus fees per person
Who doesn’t love a festive film classic? Throw in some themed wines and Millennium Point is your place to be this Christmas! Teaming up once again with our good friends at The Wine Events Company, experience it’s a Wonderful Life on our giant screen, paused at various points to serve you your next glass of festive cheer.
Book now to secure your ticket
Rock around the Christmas tree at our Festive Silent Disco
Date and Time: 17th December, 7:30pm
Price: £10 plus fees per person
Grab your dancing shoes, put your Santa hats on, and prepare to watch 3 DJs battle it out around the best Christmas tree in tinsel town.
Back by popular demand, our Silent Disco night will be a night to remember, grab your friends, hit the dancefloor, and enjoy everything Millennium Point has to offer.
We have teamed up with silent disco experts Silent Noize, to give you the best music throughout the night, playing fan favourite songs from genres such as:
– Chart, Party & Dance
– RnB, Hip Hop & Old Skool
– Rock, Indie & Power Ballads
And all your favourite Christmas songs too!
Although sold out, you can join the waiting list to be the first to hear about any extra tickets that become available! Join the waitlist.
Organising a last-minute Christmas event?
No problem, we have you covered! At Millennium Point we are hosting some fantastic Christmas Parties this year including shared and exclusive events to suit all budgets.
With a choice between our exclusive or shared parties, there is something for everyone this Christmas!
Find out more information here.
Imagine, your event and our Christmas tree
With 11 versatile event spaces to choose from, make Millennium Point your venue of choice this Christmas. Contact our friendly events team on 0121 202 2200 or click here to explore our award-winning event spaces.
St Basils are back planning the oldest and biggest sleepout in the UK in Birmingham. On Friday 25th November, St Basils will host their annual big sleepout at Millennium Point in Birmingham to raise vital funds to support young people experiencing homelessness in the West Midlands.
St Basils are a homelessness charity based in the West Midlands that have been supporting young people in in fear of losing their home since 1972.
St Basils are not charging for this event, it is FREE! But get involved and raise as much as you can by having people sponsor you. Free vegan curry and hot drinks will also be served by Langar Aid on the night!
You can register for the event here.
Homelessness shouldn’t be part of growing up
St Basils work with young people ages 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to enable them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills, increase opportunities, and prevent homelessness.
Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium point, said “We are delighted to offer our venue and support once more to the St Basils team, whose commitment to improving the lives of young vulnerable people aligns to our own charitable mission.
While a sleepout is challenging, a night without home comforts pales in comparison to the true horror more than 8,500 young people in the West Midlands alone are experiencing every single night without a home or place of safety.
We urge as many people and businesses as possible to sign up and join us at the sleepout. Together we can raise a record amount of funds so St Basils can continue to provide life changing support to young people in dire need throughout our communities”.
Challenge yourself and make a difference with St Basils Big Sleepout
The Big Sleepout sees hundreds of people from companies, families and groups taking part by challenging themselves, raising money and having fun; particularly in the much coveted ‘creative shelter competition’.
Barrie Hodge, Head of Fundraising and Marketing at St Basils said “Most of our young people who need support are either in full time education or working part-time and sometimes have more than one job yet are already struggling to survive on a very low income. This year St Basils celebrates its 50th anniversary and with the soaring costs young people are experiencing, we are needed more than ever. We welcome people from across the region to come along, sleepout for the night and help us raise money to support those who need it the most”.
Can’t make it to Millennium Point, you can still make a difference
St Basils will also be running ‘The Big Sleepout from Home’ at the same time. So, if you can’t make it to Millennium Point, you can still get involved in your back garden, office, community hall or ‘sofa surfing’ at home.
You can find out more and apply for your Big Sleepout pack by emailing [email protected].
Supporters can also make one off donations here, it costs £5 a day to support a young person and keep them at a St Basils project.
Want to book an event space with Millennium Point?
The multi-award-winning Millennium Point has 11 versatile event spaces to choose from and an excellent events team to help you with your event.
For further information about the event, charity, or venue you can get in contact with our team.
Bader Media Entertainment CIC is a production company with a combined passion for filmmaking and protecting the environment. Profits made from projects fun own community interest activities and external charities that focus on combatting litter worldwide. Based in the UK, they produce high-quality creative content for entertainment, community interest and to promote their mission to protect the environment.
Aim of the event
The objective for Bader Media Entertainment CIC was to host a film premiere for their latest feature ‘The Shimian’. The clients were keen on making the evening a great experience for their guests and one that would make them feel the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood premiere.
Why Millennium Point for The Shimian World Premiere?
Our clients are local filmmakers to the Birmingham area and had previously visited Millennium Point’s Auditorium for film screenings. They chose Millennium Point to show The Shimian because the Director had been impressed with the size of the screen and the condition of the Auditorium, as well as the space available below on event space Platform.
Another reason was location, Millennium Point is close to Birmingham City Centre and central train stations such as New Street Station, a bonus for guests arriving from other cities.
Challenges and Solutions
The challenge for Bader Media Entertainment CIC was to find a venue that also were event organisers to ensure the event was a success. The events team were on hand to help with the organisation before and after the event.
Our team developed an events plan that would make the evening an exciting experience for our client’s guests. We suggested ideas along the way how the team could help, and what to do with the space to make it atmospheric and professional.
Particularly, our in-house AV team, which comes standard with most bookings, worked closely with theirs to ensure the best visual and audio experience for the premiere.
AV Equipment and Service
As it was a film premiere it was vital that the screen and sound for the film was perfect. Our AV team worked closely with the client to test visuals and sound to ensure it met expectations and needs. This was through screening tests and run throughs so changes could be made to really give the film the wow factor on the Auditorium screen.
Bader Media Entertainment CIC have received feedback since the premiere on how good the sound and visuals were.
Working with the Millennium Point Team
Our events team had received positive reviews from working with Bader Media Entertainment CIC. The Event Operations team were professional, pleasant & friendly on the night so guests could enjoy their evening. Behind the scenes, the Events team ensured the planning, organisation and communication was all sorted throughout so the event could really give the wow factor. Along with this Marketing worked with the Director to promote the event and film to give it the limelight the film deserved.
How was the client’s experience of Millennium Point?
James Peakman, Director of Bader Media Entertainment CIC said
‘It was an absolute pleasure working with Millennium Point, and I literally can’t fault the staff or place itself. They were so accommodating and gave us attention to detail that I would struggle to find at another venue. The premiere itself was a huge success for us and has opened doors for further movies. The feedback from the guests about the event has been excellent. I would like to say a massive thank you to all the staff at Millennium Point for being so professional and welcoming, and now we will have to make another movie so we can host another premiere at Millennium Point’.
Book our Auditorium for a test today!
Our friendly events team is always happy to help. Get in touch today to discuss your event needs, and bring a sample of your work with you, we guarantee that you will be blown away when you see your content on our giant screen for the first time.
We can’t wait to talk to you!
We’re excited to say applications for the next round of funding for projects is now open!
A project to build a fully operational light aircraft, STEM training toolkits for schools and a car engineering workshop for girls are just some of the exciting projects amongst the successful applicants in The Millennium Point Charitable Trust’s Small Grants Programme.
Grants up to £20,000 can be applied for here, you have until the 2nd December to apply, good luck!
Endless possibilities with STEM
Over the past five years, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has awarded over £2 million to charities, not-for-profits, community groups and schools to further STEM education. Millennium Point Charitable Trust has previously seen the rewarding outcome of past projects such as ‘Breaking the Barriers to STEM’ with a fantastic STEM garden. Ahead Partnership engaged students at their Digitech Festival with inspiring guest speeches and activities from STEM industries. Ark Tindall Primary transformed an outside space into a Science Area to enhance their STEM curriculum.
Last year Millennium Point Trust saw 100 applications from schools and not-for-profit organisations all aiming to recieve a share of the grant money to better STEM education in the region.
Vanessa Currie, Head of People, Learning and Development at Millennium Point comments:
“We are pleased to announce the latest round of grant funding from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust.
The West Midlands is the largest hub for science and innovation outside of London, with the youngest population in Europe and one of the highest percentiles of STEM graduates in the UK.
With many schools being forced to cut costs and resources to deliver their curriculums, we risk seeing the skills gap widen as less children are engaged in STEM, which is why this initiative is crucial now, more than ever.”
Award-winning charity in the heart of Birmingham
All funding given by Millennium Point Charitable Trust is made possible by the commercial activity that takes place in the landmark Millennium Point building. It all feeds back into the charitable trust, enabling to be donated and invested in STEM-related organisations, projects, and initiatives.
When booking events with Millennium Point you are widening your CSR and supporting the local region. Find out how and more about our unique event spaces here.
Apply for a grant today and support the future of STEM
At Millennium Point we believe that STEM is important for the future of the region, so we are excited to see what this year’s applications bring.
The next round of applications for the 2023 grant are now open and close at 5pm on 2nd December 2022.
Since its launch in 2018, Millennium Point Charitable Trust has provided almost £400k to more than 100 projects across education, STEM-focused charities, sporting charities, and museums.
You can apply for a grant on our website here, if you need any help look at our frequently asked questions page or speak to one of our friendly Trust team.
Planning a corporate event takes skill, time and planning. From coming up with an engaging idea, to finding a date that works for everyone, inviting guests, and finding a venue that ticks all of the boxes, there’s a lot of leg work that goes into it.
The corporate events team at Millennium Point have worked with businesses across the globe to orchestrate corporate events for over 20 years, so we know exactly what it takes for an event to go off without a hitch. This is why we’ve pulled together a guide to help you plan a business event to remember!
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What defines a corporate event
- The benefits of a corporate event
- The different types of corporate events
- A corporate event planning checklist
- How to choose the right venue for your corporate event
- Why host your event at Millennium Point?
What is a corporate event?
A corporate event is quite simply a private event that is paid for by an organisation for its clients and/or employees. From offering networking opportunities to educating colleagues or clients, launching new products or services and even Christmas parties, there are a number of reasons for a company to host a corporate event.
The benefits of corporate events
It is no secret that corporate events cost time and money, so understanding the benefits before investing is vital.
Create additional revenue streams
When event planning is done properly, you can sell ad space, VIP tickets, branded merchandise and event sponsorship, meaning you can earn back what’s been spent, and maybe even make profits from it.
Strengthen team collaboration
Hybrid working is here to stay, with 38% of working adults stating they worked from home in Spring 2022 (ONS). Whilst hybrid working offers a range of work life balance benefits, building a positive workplace culture isn’t always easy. However, when you plan an event, you’ve got all your team in one place.
Educate clients and employees
If you’re launching a new product or service, or you’re revealing a rebrand, a corporate event is a great way to educate your team and customers.
Enhance your marketing efforts
As well as launching new products and services, events serve a brilliant way to market this. When there’s a memorable event, it creates a positive experience that will be associated with your brand in the long term.
Get more insights into your target audience
Corporate events are a great way to get more face to face time with existing and prospective customers, which helps you build rapports. It is also a brilliant way to understand their thoughts and insights on your company and surrounding markets. You can also collect personal details that aren’t always attainable through other marketing efforts.
The different types of corporate events
- Board meetings and internal meetings
- Product or service launches
- Rebranding launches
- Conferences
- Workshops
- Seminars
- Christmas or birthday parties
Event planning checklist
6 months ahead
- Determine the intent, goals and objectives of the event
- Choose the date
- Determine budget for venue
- Choose a venue
- Identify any potential sponsors and partners
- Pick event planning software
- Release early bird tickets
3 months ahead
- Determine the legal and required documents needed from your team
- Finalise speakers and presentation topics
- Sort out any travel and accommodation arrangements for guest speakers
- Get bio and information of speakers for marketing materials
- If appropriate, get contracts signed
- Finalise sponsors and partners
- Determine venue logistics (parking, walks from public transport, equipment needed etc)
- Review security with venue manager
- Determine any need for any insurances or permits needed
- Launch ticket sign up
- Assess accessibility requirements and put plans in place
- Book catering
- Launch event marketing (social media website page etc)
1 month ahead
- Send reminders to event attendees
- Finalise finances
- Confirm plans with sponsors, partners and speakers
- Ask sponsors, partners and speakers to share any promotional materials across marketing channels
- Launch PR plan
- Close early bird offer
- Finalise and proofread any materials needed at the event
1 week ahead
- Confirm details against master plan
- Ensure venue is accessible to everyone
- Brief any staff members, volunteers and speakers about duties
- Provide final numbers to venue managers and caterers
- Map out any photo ops or interview ops
1 day before the event
- Confirm details against master plan
- Check in the sponsors, partners, speaker
- Re-confirm timelines
Day of event
Enjoy!
Choosing the right venue for your corporate event
A lot of components go into finding the perfect location and venue for your event. When looking for a venue, you should do the following:
- Find a space that fits your head count – it is easy to see if a space is too small, but you should also ensure it isn’t too big, as your event may look empty even if everyone is there.
- Make sure the venue is accessible for all, from wheelchair access to parking and public transport links.
- Remember the acoustics! When looking at prospect venues, ask for music and sound to be played in the room, in order to avoid any embarrassing situations.
- Read venue testimonials and reviews.
- Ask for a breakdown of all the fees.
- Pick a venue that suits your brand’s image.
- Consider having a quiet room or green room for employees and guests.
- Think about the food and drink you want to serve and see if the venue can cater.
- Think green and sustainable – where possible, ask venue managers about their CSR initiatives
- Choose a location with good transport links (such as Birmingham!)
Why host your corporate event at Millennium Point?
Millennium Point is an award-winning Birmingham landmark in the heart of Eastside and features 11 venue spaces to host your corporate event.
From purpose built meeting suites to a giant screen auditorium with a stage, we have the flexibility to ensure each room works for you. We provide additional services including catering, so that you can rest assured your event will run smoothly.
We have onsite parking and excellent transport links to New Street Station, Midland Metro, Moor Street Station and Digbeth Coach Station.
We’ve had another rewarding year for Millennium Point Charitable Trust’s STEM Grants Programme. Each year we grant organisations and educators in the local region funds for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) projects and better teaching materials. We received 100 applications this year with lots of creative and innovative STEM projects put forward to receive funding.
Meet the recipients
We would like to give a big congratulations to our latest recipients of a Millennium Point Charitable Trust STEM grant:
- 1st Lye Boys’ Brigade Company
- Arthur Terry Learning Partnership c/o The Coleshill School
- Dudley Academies Trust
- Free@last
- Hallmoor School
- Heathfield Primary School
- Hillcrest School and Sixth Form Centre
- King Solomon International Business School
- Ladypool Primary School
- Little Sutton Primary School
- Lyng Primary School
- Parkfield Community School
- Perry Hall Primary School
- Prince Albert Primary School
- Saltley Academy
- Starbank Primary School
- STEM High Fliers
- Tile Cross Academy
Helping education and communities across Birmingham and the wider region
As we wish to maximise the impact of our grants, we encourage grant applicants to apply for smaller grants of between £1,000 and £5,000. This will mean that we can potentially help more organisations. There will still be the opportunity for a few larger grants (of up to £20,000) to be given but in the main we will be concentrating on helping the wider community with smaller grants.
Along with the grants scheme there is also the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship which funds one young person’s undergraduate degree each year at Birmingham City University. You can find out more about our scholarships here.
Interested in receiving a grant for STEM projects? Get in touch
To find out more information get in contact with our team or on our website here.
We are delighted to announce that Hatem Kasseir from Yardley, has been named the winner of this year’s life-changing Millennium Point Charitable Trust Scholarship, earning a fully-funded degree at Birmingham City University (BCU). This degree is joint funded by Millennium Point Charitable Trust in Partnership with Birmingham City University.
How Hatem became a Scholarship winner
Hatem was currently studying an Extended Diploma in IT (Network and Security) at Solihull College and had ambitions to study Computer Science at university. Information of the Millennium Point Scholarship landed in Hatem’s inbox, where he knew straight away, he had nothing to lose by applying.
In Hatem’s application he made it clear how much winning the Scholarship would mean to him, his great passion for computers and his mission to use computing and technology to better lives as a whole. The Millennium Point Charitable Trust team were hugely impressed with Hatem’s application, and selected him along with four other finalists.
All the finalists attended an assessment day at Millennium Point, where they each presented to a panel of five judges, Hatem impressed the panel the most and was selected as the lucky winner of this year’s Scholarship, which has already helped launch the careers of seven outstanding STEM students. Hatem’s degree in Computer Science at Birmingham City University (BCU), will start in September 2022.

Hatem’s reaction to winning
Hatem was shocked and over the moon at being chosen as the winner. The Scholarship winner said “My first reaction was a bit of shock, happiness and excitement. I didn’t know what to do, I was just really happy because I’d put a lot of work and effort into it, so to get that end result was fantastic.
The message I want to give to everyone is that there’s so many opportunities out there so always go for that opportunity, never think you might not have a chance or that it’s just too far for you, always try and reach your goals, no matter how high they are and keep dreaming on.”
A few words from the CEO
Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point added: “When we met Hatem it was really clear from the start that he had real passion for his chosen subject of Computer Science and he was set the task of choosing a problem and how he could come up with a solution. It was really clear and well articulated and when asked about what the Scholarship would actually mean to him, it was really clear that it meant so so much.”
Identifying STEM talent
Now approaching it’s tenth year, the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already changed the lives of nine people from the region through their degrees, including 2017 Sagal Qodah, who has since gone on to graduate with a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering. She now works for Jacobs Engineering Group, showing the great paths people can take with their career, via a Millennium Point Scholarship.
Apply for the 2023 Scholarship
Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust jointly funds an undergraduate degree in partnership with Birmingham City University at their Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. We’re helping people across the region unlock their future in STEM. For more information on how to apply or get involved in the 2023 Scholarship program please, visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Millennium Point has announced that from Monday (September 12th) it will be displaying its archived visitor book which was signed by the late Queen and her husband, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on occasion of her visit to open the landmark building in July 2002.
Alongside the display, Millennium Point will also be opening a Book of Condolence for visitors wishing to pay their respects. Both items will be on display and open to the public in the atrium of Millennium Point during opening hours.
Abigail Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point: “Like so many people, we were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty officially opened Millennium Point, which has since become a pivotal milestone in our history. Our landmark public building has become a frequent destination for the Royal Household in subsequent years; an honour we hold very dear. We offer our condolences to the Royal House and, alongside the nation, mourn the end of an era.”
(Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially opening Millennium Point on 2nd July 2002)
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
We have continued to put employee’s wellbeing first by completing the Thrive at Workplace Wellbeing Bronze Award.
What is Thrive at Work?
Thrive at Work is a workplace wellbeing award programme that is helping workplaces around the Midlands to focus on health and wellbeing at work. Employers that gain the accreditation to Thrive at Work are recognised as being committed to excellence in employee mental health and wellbeing. The Thrive at Work is a standard of good practice and a quality mark of health and wellbeing at work.
Working towards healthy wellbeing
Our organisation will continue to build on the well-being of staff. The Thrive team are already working towards the silver accreditation, with the aim to complete it next year.
Vanessa Currie, Head of People, Learning and Development said ‘We are extremely proud to have been awarded the Bronze level of the Thrive at Work certification. As an employer, we recognise the immense importance of ensuring that all team members can define what support they need or want for their own health and well-being. Our Thrive team here at Millennium Point have worked hard to ensure that the focus on health and well-being is at the heart of our culture and a part of our everyday life.’
We are now also starting to work on the Silver level of the Thrive at Work accreditation. We would strongly recommend this programme to other organisations and if you would like to find out more, please click here for more detail on the programme.
Our work to achieve the Thrive Bronze award
The Thrive team had to ensure the criteria was met before being awarded, this included:
-Surveying team members on what they wanted the Thrive team to focus on and then delivering what was requested.
-Providing health and wellbeing information for team members on a variety of topics – alcohol awareness/ smoking cessation/ healthy eating/ exercise.
-Running a series of planned campaigns including one on muscular skeletal awareness with an on-site physio providing bespoke exercises for individuals.
-Updating policies and introducing new ones that support health and wellbeing and sharing these with all team members.
-Running master classes on mental health awareness and supporting flexible working and attendance for line managers.
-Training team members as mental first aiders and domestic abuse champions.
Keep up to date with Millennium Point
At our multi-award-winning landmark building, there is always something going on! Keep up to date with out latest news in our blog here.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Will you survive The Shimian?
We caught up with Director James Peakman from Bader Media Entertainment CIC to talk all things horror, production, and the excitement as he prepares for the world premiere of a thrilling new horror, The Shimian, which will debut next month in our giant screen Auditorium, one of the biggest screens in Birmingham.
The Shimian World Premiere is taking place Thursday 29th September 2022, early bird tickets cost just £10, with tickets costing £15 from Thursday 1st September. Find out more about the event here.
A hair-raising British horror that will leave you on the edge of your seat
The Shimian is set in a forest where a family take a camping trip to celebrate a birthday and fix their strained relationships, but their celebrations are cut short when they learn something unearthly is hunting them.
Questions will be raised about why the Shimian is after them but that can only be answered by being pulled into watching the rest of the film.
A creature as old as time
When asked about where Peakman got his inspiration, he replied: ‘the original story was an extension of a short film the production company made’- also named The Shimian. It was set in the 1930s and focused on a lady of a manor house being tormented in bed by an unseen entity. Continuing from the 1930s, the feature-length will create a full timeline of the Shimian while watching the lives of four relatable people unfold throughout.
We moved on to discussing horror as a genre, where The Shimian director speaks about how much he enjoyed making the short horror film: ‘It was so much fun that I wanted to continue it into a feature film.’
He also shared his love of the cult horror classics such as Jaws, Predator, and IT, saying that viewers will find “little nods” to these in the Shimian. For the nervous viewers, he reassures that ‘though it has its fair share of scary moments, it’s not all doom and gloom – in fact, there are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments in there too.’
‘A director is only as good as his team’
When asked about his favourite moments while making the film, The Shimian creator remembers fondly ‘watching the actors who had never met before rehearsals form a genuine bond together.’ He also talks about the dedication of the team from how they would go over lines when not on set, to the crew behind the scenes working early hours and working through heat or rain to make the film.
However, Peakman says ultimately his favourite moment hasn’t happened yet, that will be when he finally can show the film to everyone on the giant screen.
Choosing Millennium Point for The Shimian premiere
We moved on to discuss locations in Birmingham for film premieres. Peakman reveals that this isn’t the first time he has experienced the Auditorium, having attended several events at our multi-award-winning venue in the past, including Birmingham Film Festival.
When asked why he chose Millennium Point he responds: ‘I was impressed by, not just the giant screen and Auditorium, but the lobby space and bar area’. The filmmaker goes on to say, ‘There’s plenty of room to shape it how you need it to be for your event’.
Peakman also shared his experience when booking the premiere with us: ‘what really won me over was how A: how friendly the staff are B: the great communication and C: how accommodating they’ve been. Nothing has been too much trouble’.
If you want to make a film learn your craft and have fun
Wrapping up our time with James, we asked what advice he would give to people wanting to make a film.
‘I would say that all they need to do is go out and make films.’ Although sounding simple he says that ‘you’ll find a lot of chatter-boxing and not enough action with some filmmakers.’ Continuing Peakman says ‘just ignore the doubts and negativity and go out, find like-minded people or friends, be creative and find a way to make films.’
Discussing further, he says ‘don’t worry if your films turn out good or bad, just enjoy making them. Have fun and learn your craft’.
Where to watch The Shimian
Closing the interview, Peakman thanked all the film’s supporters who donated to the crowd funder campaign saying how ‘I can’t thank you all enough for your support’. Following the premiere, the horror film director plans to tour The Shimian at several international film festivals.
You can watch the world premiere of The Shimian at Millennium Point on Thursday 29th September 2022. Guests will be able to meet with the cast, and director and see the first-ever screening of the film.
Amazing things happen at Millennium Point
We may be a little biased, but we’re pretty good at events. Whether our clients’ events or our own, we always strive for hospitality excellence. If you have any questions about events being held or want to start booking your own, our team are always happy to help. Contact us now, we can’t wait to talk to you!
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.