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Foyles to hold large book events in Birmingham
Foyles is partnering with Town Hall and Symphony Hall in Birmingham to bring authors to a combined potential audience of 2,800 people.
The bookselling mini-chain wants to work with publishers to maximise the potential of partnering with the two “iconic” spaces in Britain’s second largest city, with Birmingham Town Hall holding 900 people and Symphony Hall holding 1,900.
The retailer, which opened a branch in Birmingham’s Grand Central near New Street Station last September, has already lined up two events for autumn across both spaces.
Entrepreneur Jo Malone, a perfumer and founder of Jo Malone London and Jo Loves, will be speaking about her book My Story (Simon & Schuster) on 16th October at the Town Hall, while television personality Graham Norton will hold a talk on his fiction debut Holding on 4th December at Symphony Hall.
Graham Norton will be appearing at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, above, as part of the events by Foyles. Picture: Craig Holmes
Andy Quinn, Foyles head of events, said: “Since we opened our new store in Grand Central we’ve been exploring options to co-host large capacity events. There’s a healthy potential for sales, which could make a great contribution to catapulting books into the bestseller charts. Over the years the two iconic venues have played host to cultural stars from Charles Dickens to David Bowie.”
Chris Proctor, programme manager at Town Hall and Symphony Hall, added that he was looking forward to welcoming world literature stars to Birmingham. “We regularly welcome some of the world’s greatest musicians to our venues, so to have the opportunity to expand our programme to include world-class authors and celebrities is something that we are very much looking forward to,” he said.
Town Hall and Symphony Hall are managed together by Performances Birmingham Limited, a registered charity, supported by funding from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England.
Town Hall, Birmingham re-opened in October 2007 following a £35m renovation
