VIQU Celebrates 4th Birthday in Style

Friday 12th October was VIQU’s 4th birthday. Now you might be thinking that this date marks the 4th anniversary of VIQU’s first day of trading… but it doesn’t!

12th October 2014 was the day that we shared our vision for VIQU with our industry.

Imagine the scene… our 5 founders had all left their jobs, no one knew what they were doing next… and then VIQU’s The A Team video hit social media.

If you haven’t watched this rather hilarious piece of comedy gold, we definitely suggest giving it a cheeky view!

So why did we make this video? Our founders needed to make an impact. They wanted to let everyone know exactly what VIQU was all about and that VIQU was here to have a big effect on the IT recruitment industry in Birmingham and beyond.

Fast-forward 4 years and we’re a 28-strong team, with offices in Southampton and Birmingham, servicing clients and candidates globally.

It was important to acknowledge the 4 years that we’ve been in business and the successes our team have had this year; after all, in 2013, findings suggested that 53.7% of startups fail within the first three years.

So how did we celebrate?

Our MD Matt Collingwood and marketing manager Rebecca Davis organised a jam-packed Friday; the main event being a conference at Birmingham Library led by Matt. During the conference, Matt acknowledged our achievements over the past 12 months, VIQU’s growth, in addition to sharing his exciting plans and aims for the year ahead.

Rebecca talked about her marketing strategy for 2019, before Lauren discussed her experience of attending an MHFA course earlier this year and how this has positively impacted the team.

Everyone then had an opportunity to vote for our 2019 winners trip, and Havana, Cuba was the clear favourite!

We rounded the conference section of the afternoon off with the VIQU 2018 Awards, and we were thrilled to acknowledge the following individuals:
1) Top Billing Consultant 2018 – Mike McEvoy
2) Rising Star 2018 – Matt Hudson
3) Special Recognition Award 2018 – Hannah Parsons
4) Peer to Peer Award 2018 – Lauren Baines
5) Board of Directors Award 2018 – Daisy Nguyen

After that, it was time for some good old team-building activities with a twist! Everyone split into 6 teams, going around 6 different activities and gaining points along the way.

So, what did the winning team get? Chocolates? Alcohol? No, we went one step further. Our winning team will be flying off to Dublin for the day!

After a couple of uber-competitive hours, we made our way over to Ju Ju’s Café in Brindley Place where we brought the evening to a close with great food, drink, company and some rather questionable speeches…

“VIQU has come a long way in such a small time. In our four years, we’ve bought our commercial offices in central Birmingham, launched an office in Southampton, doubled team size and turnover year-on-year and won top industry awards. On Friday, we celebrated this journey and looked ahead at where we want to take VIQU over the next 12 months. We have some ambitious plans, which I’m confident we’ll deliver.

What makes VIQU so successful is the people, and I’m proud to work alongside some of the industry’s finest. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported VIQU over the last four years.”

– Matt Collingwood