Brighton Summit 24/7 - creating time, connection and fun

This year’s Brighton Summit 24/7 on 23 October was my fourth Summit – and the Chamber’s eleventh. There’s a reason I call these events ‘Chamber Christmas’, because it’s everything we do in one big, sparkly, energising and fun day.

Everything has a window of opportunity – you need to take it

Opening the day was Daisy Cresswell, Founder of Make (Good) Trouble, and our MC for the day. Our MC brings us together at three points of the day for our keynotes – and a chance to reflect on what we’ve been up to in-between.

Lucky Bill Collison (a name coined for him by friends and family over the years) kicked off the first keynote in conversation with Daisy, sharing the story of Bill’s Restaurants. Bill talked us through his journey, starting out as a greengrocer, later turning into a restaurant, their growth, resilience during global pandemics, the tough times that followed - and throughout everything, a sustaining passion for fresh produce and abundance. His story was a relatable one for any business founder who’s ever struggled to hand over the responsibility for something that started as their personal passion, to someone else.  

Connecting, disconnecting, and exploring ways to help us grow  

There is always something new to try at Brighton Summit, and sandwiched in the middle of the day are our workshop and HOUR sessions. This year’s workshops invited us to try a digital detox, have more creative conversations, learn about the perspectives that form each other’s experiences, and play!

Our HOURS are the part of the day where we all spread out and take over different parts of the venue, and this year, different parts of Brighton. We popped up in Helm Gallery, watched a short film at Komedia, explored the tunnels under Brighton Dome to appear in the Pavilion, tasted coffee, and coded robots. These HOURS are about doing something, fun, different and helping you chat to people without even realising you’re doing it! For me this always feels like one of the most energetic parts of the day – and everyone comes back together over lunch to talk about what they’ve learned.

You’re a human, I’m a human

Alison Lapper MBE was our post-lunch inspiration, reflecting on her life and experiences during her keynote. Alison has always been unapologetically herself, whether growing up in a care home for children with disabilities during a time when they were hidden away, or living in London and later Brighton, studying at art school. She also shared the moving story of her son, Parys, who died from an accidental overdose aged 19, and her charity The Drug of Art she subsequently up in his memory.  

From bendy brains to AI 

Afternoon speaker sessions are our chance after lunch to hear from people doing interesting things in Brighton and beyond, and be inspired to take back concepts, ideas and inspiration into your business or even personal life! Jessica Eccles talked about her research exploring the connection between brain and body, and hypermobility and neurodiversity. Jocelyn Burnham delved into how we can use AI to enhance our human creativity, while Silvie Koanda shared her very human story of designing for disability and how to turn a challenge into purpose. Whilst Dr Bert Williams MBE shared the Black History of Brighton & Hove, his journey into researching it, promoting racial equality – and how he met Shirley, his wife of over 57 years.  

Every aspect of our lives is tied to nature

In conversation with Rich Ford from Sherlock Studio, our closing keynote was Dr Mya-Rose Craig. Currently aged 22, she set up her charity Black2Nature when she was just 14, after seeing a lack of diversity in the bird watching spaces and communities that she fell in love with as a child. Her charity works to take Visible Minority Ethnic inner city young people out into the countryside and green spaces, helping them engage with nature, connect with the environment, and have a greater understanding of biodiversity loss and climate change.

As well as reminding us of the two biggest things we can do to help tackle climate change (whether that’s the food we eat, or looking at where our money goes) - she reminded us of the importance of nature in all of our lives, why we should connect with it, and how it can help us connect with each other.  

That’s a wrap on 24/7

So that’s your Brighton Summit 24/7 in a nutshell. For me it felt like an extra special Summit this year – returning to the centre of the city in a shiny new venue, plus taking over some different venues nearby, it really felt like we took over the city for the day.

But, the Summit is always much more than just one day. It’s about the ideas and the connections that we build together and take away into our everyday lives and businesses. For me, this year’s theme was a reminder to take a breather from the busy hustle and bustle of our 24/7 lives – spend less time on your screen, and more time understanding the spaces, places and people around us that we spend our time with.

That’s a wrap on Brighton Summit 2024. The Chamber team are having a couple of weeks off the Summit before we plan the next one...see you in 2025? (Make sure you’re on our mailing list so you don’t miss any announcements!) 

Before you go...here's your Brighton Summit 24/7 goodie bag

A little Summit from some of the people involved in Brighton Summit this year...

Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival are full steam ahead with their Christmas events programme. Save 20% off when you book a group of eight or more for their Christmas Karaoke event on 20 December, quoting code BBORGANOKE20 when you call to book (01273 709709).

Written by some of the team at Watch This Sp_ce, get a discount on Mo Kanjilal and Allegra Chapman’s book, The Inclusion Journey. Use code KOGANPAGE for 20% off here.

AndAlso Improv are running a crowdfunding campaign to open their new venue in Brighton. Find out more and support their fundraiser here. 

With thanks to all our keynotes, speakers, workshop and HOUR leaders, and to the supporters, volunteers and buddies that help us run Brighton Summit. 

Thanks also to our headline sponsor, Galloways Accounting, sustainability sponsor, Recorra, and to sponsors Alirity, Brighton Dome & Festival, EMW Law, EQ Investors, Help to Grow, Plus X Innovation and University of Brighton. 

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