Partnership behind Derby City Lab wins top national award

Published: 19 October 2023

The partnership behind Derby City Lab has secured a prestigious national award recognising collaboration between the public and private sectors.

At the EG Awards, which took place in London last night, the team behind the St James’s Street venue collected the Public/Private Partnership Award.

Launched in June last year, Derby City Lab was created to engage, inform and inspire people about plans to shape the city going forward.

It is a collaboration between Marketing Derby, Derby City Council, the University of Derby, Lathams and Clowes Developments.

Councillor Baggy Shanker, leader of the city council, who collected the award alongside members of the Marketing Derby team, said:

Derby City Lab has been a huge success as a partnership engaging Derby’s community in shaping the future of our city. It absolutely deserves this national recognition.

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said:

Quite frankly, we’re astonished and delighted the Derby City Lab has received this recognition so early in our regeneration story.

The EG Awards are organised by leading property and investment magazine Estates Gazette – and are regarded among the most prestigious awards in real estate.

They are designed to celebrate the cream of the real estate sector, recognising best deals, developments, places to work and upcoming talent.

In addition to Derby City Lab’s nomination in the Public/Private Partnership category, Derby itself was also shortlisted for the City of the Year Award, narrowly missing out to Cardiff.

The Public/Private Partnership Award celebrates partnerships between the public and private sector that are delivering solutions through real estate.

Housed in a unit in St James Street, provided by Clowes Developments, Derby City Lab is an initiative based on the concept of ‘urban rooms’, which have appeared in various cities around the world, including London, Amsterdam and Shanghai, to help local communities better understand the evolution of their place and engage them in shaping its future.

As well as being the home of Marketing Derby’s Investor Showcase, the venue hosts a rolling programme of exhibitions and events focused on future pipeline projects and ideas.

Currently, the lab is hosting an exhibition by the Rams Heritage Trust, called ‘Back from the Brink: Derby County, A Year On’, which reflects on how the city came together to save the club.

Find out more about Derby City Lab and its forthcoming exhibitions.

Those interested in using the space for an exhibition or event should contact Adam Rodgers at adam.rodgers@marketingderby.co.uk.