President's column: All eyes on Birmingham, and business

For cities up and down the UK, and indeed the world, many can only point to one or just a handful of occasions that define their place in the world, writes Dr Jason Wouhra, president of Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.

In a year 's time, the 2022 Commonwealth Games will be an occasion that will place Birmingham firmly on the global stage.

We 've been chatting a lot in recent weeks on the prospect of the Games, as the city marked one year to go in July and the Tokyo Olympics has been gripping sports fans across the globe.

I can 't wait to see the city buzzing with tourists, locals, life and joy when the Games comes to town. Additionally, the prospect of seeing world-class athletes competing in some of our iconic venues is set to leave a huge legacy for our communities.

Of course, the business opportunities the Games bring are enormous. We 're already seeing huge swathes of investment to revamp areas of the city, such as the ongoing Metro works and the refurbishment of Alexander Stadium.

According to a poll of more than 300 local businesses, conducted as part of the Chamber 's Quarterly Business Report for the first quarter of this year, 93 per cent believe the games will have a positive impact on the city-region and 35 per cent feel it will have a positive impact directly on their business in the short term.

The Games will put one billion eyes on Birmingham, and the West Midlands. We must make the most of this incredible opportunity, in any way we can as a business community.

A year is set to whizz by, so however you are looking to capitalise on the Games - I would start preparing as soon as you can.

Until those joyous days come, we 've still got much to celebrate in Greater Birmingham.

Praise for business excellence was dished out to an array of Greater Birmingham businesses in July, who won big at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce 's 2021 annual awards.

The virtual event saw manufacturer Shelforce take home the top prize of Greater Birmingham Business of the Year, as well as the Excellence in People Development award.

I 'd like to extend my congratulations to Shelforce and all the other winners of the awards during the event.

I, and members of my executive committee, were able to watch the awards in a much grander setting than the four walls of my office.

We were invited to an exclusive viewing party, high up in the Birmingham skyline at the Park Regis.

It was such a delight to see old acquaintances and friends in the business world, many I haven 't seen for the best part of 18 months, and celebrate together.

Hopefully, we can start to do more and more in person soon as we start to edge our way out of this health crisis.

We 'll be celebrating the best that the Asian business community has to offer during our own annual awards, taking place on 18 November.

I do hope you nominate your own business for an award. Your business could be like Shelforce, as you may just win big too.