And the (membership) survey says...

Thank you to members who completed the recent membership survey. Here is a snapshot of what we learned from you, our members, and the plans we've put into action to improve and enhance your membership experience.

Overall – how are we doing?

One of the most useful metrics of client satisfaction for any business is an NPS score (we highly recommend you look it up and find a way of using it in your business too) and we’re delighted that two-thirds of survey respondents scored us a 9 or 10, when asked about recommending to a friend or colleague. For us as a business where referrals are key and we have an ambitious plan to grow and strengthen our membership, that’s great to hear!

Who responded?

In terms of who responded to the survey, one-third of respondents were individuals/sole traders, with two-thirds responding from organisations of 2 or more employees. One in every ten responses came from an organisation of at least 30 employees.

Responses came from over 40 different sectors – lots in the digital and marketing sector and professional services, but also charity and voluntary, arts and culture and technology.

Your priorities for 2023

We asked members what their priorities will be in 2023. Almost 9 in every 10 respondents said getting new clients is a key focus for this year, by far the highest share of responses (87%). This was followed by two-thirds (63%) prioritising client retention, and more than half (54%) focussed on growing and scaling.

Well organised events with excellent opportunities to meet the right people is something we’re known for at the Chamber so we’ll continue to build on this so that you can use your Chamber membership to achieve your business goals. New events this year include a new learning series for the thoughtful business leader – next up is Kindness in the workplace: Benefits and barriers on 18 May.

What do members value and want more of?

Support offered by the Chamber team, and introductions to other members, have both increased this year moving into the topmost valued services – with a high three-quarters (78% each) valuing these services the most (up from 59% and 68% respectively). Networking continues to be high with 77%. We’ve recently invested in software that will help the team make even more meaningful connections for you – and quicker!

Members still love being part of a likeminded business community – with 85% saying this has been the most helpful aspect for them in the last 12 months. Whilst a high 70% enjoy finding out what’s happening in Brighton & Hove, via the Chamber.

There was an increase of 10% from the previous year in the number of respondents who use the Chamber to find suppliers – excellent news as the more people who buy from each other, the stronger the community will be.

Looking to 2023 and topics for training and learning– strategy is the focus – both overall strategy and marketing strategy, with at least half of respondents selecting one or both. Support with Sustainability and Diversity & Inclusion also came out as priorities for businesses. We’ll be plugging in these topics into our learning programme over the coming months. Sessions on social impact, client retention and advanced LinkedIn are already on the event calendar.

Providing timely and relevant information about business support is something you recommended we do more of – so we’re working hard on sourcing and curating resources for you and your business. Recently we shared finance and funding opportunities, business support programmes and internship schemes. Keep an eye out on our mailers for more.

Many of you told us that you struggle with time to prioritise building your network, even though you really want to. So, we’ve getting creative about helping you make the most of the time you do spend on growing your connections and network. From the Chamber team being on hand to facilitate conversations, and connections, to new event styles to make it efficient for you to meet the right people – we’re on the case. For example, we’ve ramped up our Coworking days so that you can get do your desk work and network at the same time.

How can you help shape the Chamber?

We appreciate that surveys aren’t everyone’s cup of tea and our survey response rate was 4% lower than the previous year, so we’d like to get some more feedback from you in different ways throughout the year, so keep an eye out for different ways to tell us what you think.

Our friendly team are always happy to chat with members about your business, so get in touch.  

A special thanks to Bonamy Waddell from Bon Insight, for her help with analysis and insight of this year's membership survey.

Amy Lishman is Head of Member Engagement and Deputy CEO at Brighton Chamber.

Get in touch with the Chamber team here.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk