Brighton Chamber AGM 2023

On 14 July Brighton Chamber members joined us on Zoom for this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), celebrating the successes of 2022; 2023 so far; and looking forward to the Chamber’s plans and membership for the coming year.  

Achievements in 2022

Kicking us off, Chamber President and Director of ABC Translations, Julie Roff took us on a look back at 2022. At last year’s AGM we talked about dealing with the aftermath of Covid – this year, things began to shift, with many more positives to build on.

Membership has continued to grow, and we welcomed 191 new members in 2022 – 11% of these businesses having been a member of the Chamber before.

We organised over 100 events and welcomed 3,000 attendees at different venues across our city. Popular events included our Big Debate: Where have all the people gone? The science behind the four day week, Netwalking (whatever the weather!), and our sell-out monthly Chamber Breakfasts.

2022 also saw the return of Brighton Summit, our first one back after a Covid induced break of two years. It was great to be back in-person (watch our highlights reel here).  

Our small and high performing team has also grown – Frank Hyde joined us from Sussex Innovation for two days a week, and in November we welcomed Hannah Denchfield as Events Manager while Laura Barban is on maternity leave. Immy Pelham also joined us as intern from the University of Sussex over summer 2022, and this year we have Kitty Blake joining us through the same internship scheme until the end of July.  

A nod to the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign

Now in its 11th year, the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign run by the Chamber is just a few sign ups away from 900 employers - with over 4,500 salaries elevated across our city. That’s another 100 companies from last year.

If you think you might be a Living Wage employer and want to help us get across the line, find out about the campaign and sign up (it’s free!) here.  

The Chamber’s finances in 2022

Our Chamber Vice President, Finance Director and Deputy CEO at Shoreham Port, Sara Bassett, talked us through the Chamber’s finances in 2022.

‘As Julie mentioned, 2022 saw a more positive increase, reflected in an increase in turnover - driven by event income and membership, with more larger businesses joining the Chamber.

Extra funding was also won through grant funding, the Confident Business Series, our Inclusive Employers Job Fars, the Green and Circular Economy Jobs Fair, and project with local schools.

Looking to 2023, some 50 events have taken place so far this year with over 1,600 attendees. The Chamber’s finances continue to be well managed, albeit challenging during uncertain economic times’.  

Starting with momentum in 2023

Handing over to Sarah Springford, our CEO, next up was an update on 2023.

At the end of last year, we started a partnership with Coast 2 Capital Careers Hub, funded by Brighton Council, to create stronger links between employers and local schools and colleges. 18 schools have now joined the Chamber to connect with local businesses. Over 65 members have been connected and involved with local schools to help find industry champions; encourage thinking about different careers; and help prepare students for the world of work.

Some event highlights from 2023 so far include our special VIP event for 100 Chamber members at the newly opened Van Gogh Alive; Behind the Scenes at Sea Lanes; and our Brighton Fringe Pop-up Breakfast at the Spiegeltent (more x-rated than previous years – if that’s possible!)

The Chamber team have had some great training and development opportunities with the help of members including Steve Bustin, Tony Dain, Jenny Legg, Institute Success and Toby Buckle.

And a final note looking forward – Brighton Summit is back on Friday 20 October, and this year’s theme is Human. See what’s planned with the Summit here.  

Membership and plans for 2023

Looking forward to the rest of 2023, Membership & Marketing Manager, Hannah Jackson, took us through membership and plans for the rest of the year.

We have welcomed over 100 new members to the Chamber this year. And although 97% of businesses in the city have less than 10 employees, 25% of our membership are growing, scaling or large businesses. People join the Chamber for a variety of reasons, but in 2022 55% of members have joined to build and develop their local business network.

This year, we’ve had several get-togethers with Chamber Ambassadors, getting some great insights from them on learning and connections to help improve our member experience.

Our Net Zero Champions is another group that’s a great example of members coming together over a common goal, developed over two years. From an initial meeting to regular gatherings including a Q&A with Caroline Lucas MP. It’s resulted in a new Brighton Loop initiative led by Fugu PR to promote circular businesses, which launched in July.

As well as making use of technology to create a more streamlined and better experience for members and people trying us out, we’ve focused on making improvements to accessibility and inclusion at our events and in our marketing. We’ve also invested in some software to help us make even more connections, quicker.  

People changes and voting

Handing back to Sarah Springford for the people changes and voting. There were no board members stepping down this year, and the following Board Members voted in:

• Julie Roff, re-elected as President
• Emma Mills-Sheffield, re-elected as Board member
• James Dempster, re-elected as Board member
• Tim Williamson, elected as Board member
• Mark Crowter, elected as Board member  

In closing

After closing remarks from Julie Roff, it was time for members to share their own achievements from the past year – because celebrating success and championing each other, are two things that are at the heart of Brighton Chamber.  

With thanks to our event sponsor, Galloways Accounting. 

For more Brighton Chamber events, head over to our events calendar.

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