Atlanta this year for the first time will join in a yearly celebration of British business, culture and innovation slowly spreading around the United States.
Held May 4-7 in Atlanta, “BritWeek” originated in Los Angeles 10 years ago but has also held a Miami series for the last five years.
The idea of bringing it to Atlanta came from Rebecca Mowat, who led the U.K. Department of International Trade’s Miami office (then known as UKTI) before relocating to the consulate in Atlanta a few years ago.
“Without her, it would never have happened,” said Justin Jones, director of BritWeek in Miami and now Atlanta, who pursued license to host the event in Miami after hearing about the L.A. series. “Really I have to give her full credit.”
Ms. Mowat was a founding member of the Miami event, launched after Mr. Jones persuaded the founders in L.A. to expand to the Atlantic coast.
“They literally said, ‘We have been waiting for this phone call,’” Mr. Jones told Global Atlanta.
The inaugural “Great British Weekend” in the Georgia capital includes a kickoff reception at U.K. Consul General Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford’s residence Thursday, which will be used to gauge interest and raise support for next year’s event.
The weekend will also include a documentary screening on Leslie Howard at the Margaret Mitchell House Friday and the annual Oglethorpe Ball on May 6, hosted by the British-American Business Council of Georgia.
Atlanta consulate officials are taking care to highlight the corporate connections that make Georgia a natural partner for their country.
“With bilateral trade worth around $3.7 billion, and some 284 British companies operating in Georgia, such as Intercontinental Hotels Group, SAGE, Worldpay, JCB, Pinewood Studios and Triumph Motorcycles, Atlanta is a perfect location for the BritWeek platform,” said Mr. Pilmore-Bedford in a news release. “Culturally, there exist strong synergies as well, including a sister city relationship between Atlanta and Newcastle, and the recent NPH Female Founders Mission to Atlanta celebrating female entrepreneurship.”
Pinewood Studios, producer of James Bond films and many other blockbusters, built a major studio in Peachtree City, just south of Atlanta, raising the profile of Georgia’s burgeoning film industry in the U.K. entertainment sphere. Music connections with the U.K. were also an important part of Ms. Mowat’s consistent pitch to Mr. Jones.
The BABC’s May ball each year sees one company honored with the Oglethorpe sword — named after the general who founded the Georgia colony. The award recognizes contributions to the U.K.-Georgia business relationship.
This year’s nominees include UPS, Worldpay and Virgin Atlantic. Last year’s winner was Connie Certusi of Sage, the U.K.-based business software firm which has upped its investment in Atlanta and on May 9-10 will host its North American summit here.
Learn more about BritWeek events and the ball here. Click here to see the news release.
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