It Starts Here: West Midlands to Host UK’s First-Ever Regional Investment Summit

9 June 2025

Where global transformation begins, the West Midlands is setting the stage once again.

On 4 June 2025, the Chancellor announced that the West Midlands will host the inaugural Regional Investment Summit, a landmark event designed to spotlight the UK as a prime destination for global investment.

Taking place in Birmingham in October 2025, the summit marks a historic shift: it’s the first time the Government’s flagship Investment Summit will be held outside London. And there’s no better place to set that precedent than in the West Midlands; one of the UK’s fastest-growing innovation hubs and a proven launchpad for global transformation.

Co-hosted by the Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and the Mayor of the West Midlands, the one-day summit will convene senior business leaders, international investors, and policymakers from across the UK and beyond. It is being jointly delivered by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), the Office for Investment, and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

 

Built for Global Ambition. Designed for Real Impact.

The summit will showcase the region’s cutting-edge strengths across Electrification, Cybersecurity & Digital Tech, Life Sciences, and Professional & Financial Technology (Proftech), all underpinned by a dynamic talent base and globally significant R&D infrastructure.

 

This is a huge vote of confidence in the West Midlands. We had ambitious plans for our summit – and now, by working with the Government, we’re making it even bigger and better. This will be a national platform to promote investment in our region and a major opportunity to spotlight the talent, innovation and potential of the West Midlands.

Mayor Richard Parker

The event, expected to attract investors and business leaders from around the world, will align with the UK’s industrial strategy and highlight the specific investment opportunities in regional economies. A high-profile media campaign will promote the West Midlands as the host region.

 

Our regions offer huge investment potential that will help drive growth across the country and put more money in people’s pockets. I’m delighted to be returning to Birmingham later in the year to bring together investors from at home and abroad with our great regional businesses.

 

We know how important regional growth is to deliver a strong national economy, which is why we have announced £2.4bn for the West Midlands to better connect people to the highly skilled jobs, education and social opportunities that drive up living standards and truly put our Plan for Change into action.

– Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP

 

We’ve seen the power of investment, with this Government welcoming around £100 billion into the UK since taking office creating tens of thousands of jobs across the country.

 

The West Midlands and our UK regions are powerhouses for investment, so I’m delighted this Summit will play a vital role in helping to attract new opportunities, unlock growth, create jobs and boost investment in every corner of the UK.

 

From our major cities to our coastal towns and rural communities, our Plan for Change is unleashing the full potential of the UK’s cities and regions, which is a core objective of our upcoming modern Industrial Strategy. Facilitating investment like this is central to achieving this goal.

– Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds

 

This summit is not just about putting the West Midlands on the map – it’s about placing regional growth at the heart of the national agenda. That’s how we deliver more jobs, better productivity and inclusive prosperity for people right across this country.

– Mayor Parker

Chancellor Rachel Reeves mentioned the Regional Investment Summit during the Sports Quarter investment announcement alongside Mayor Richard Parker at Birmingham City Football Club last week
Chancellor Rachel Reeves mentioned the Regional Investment Summit during the Sports Quarter investment announcement alongside Mayor Richard Parker at Birmingham City Football Club last week

 

Confirmation that the UK’s inaugural Regional Investment Summit will take place in the West Midlands is welcome news. It underscores the region as central to Government’s ambitions to attract investment, create high-quality jobs and drive long-term national economic growth.

 

It presents a unique opportunity for the West Midlands to take centre stage and showcase its strengths to international decision makers.

 

As one of the UK’s leading innovation hubs, with exceptional talent, our region is pioneering frontier solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. We continue to punch above our weight in driving foreign direct investment as global businesses place their trust in the region.

 

We look forward to working closely with the Office for Investment and the WMCA over the next few months to shape the inaugural Regional Investment Summit and maximise its value to the region. It starts in the West Midlands.

– Neil Rami, Chief Executive at the West Midlands Growth Company

 

A New Kind of UK Investment Summit

This summit is not simply a regional version of a national event, it is a blueprint for place-based investment. It reflects the Government’s commitment to backing UK regions that are driving innovation and delivering investable outcomes on a global scale.

The West Midlands doesn’t wait for change. It starts it.

Further details of the Regional Investment Summit – West Midlands 2025 will be announced in due course.

Adapted from WMCA Press Release.