Brighton Summit Blog: Looking Up for Cardens!

The theme for this year’s Brighton Summit was ‘Look Up’. In this blog, Victoria at Cardens explains what ‘Look Up’ meant for Cardens and her experience at the Summit.

Another successful year at the Summit. Once again, an amazing experience! I had no doubt that this year would be as great as last year. This year’s theme of ‘Look Up’ consisted of a range of things. For myself, it illustrated compassion and alacrity amongst many businesses, which I was able to indulge in for hours! It was structured by influential workshops, sessions and speakers. This was very interesting for me, as it was an opportunity to engage and be inspired.

I was able to not only give but take away something which was valuable and memorable! As well as the shot of ginger juice!

Opportunities

Cardens have successfully been the headline sponsors for Brighton Summit since it was established six years ago, and we are immense fans. It gives us the opportunity to meet with local businesses, some that we know already, and others we would like to know. The topic headings are always pertinent, and you will find that your stomach and brain are well fed from a day at the Summit!

The ‘Look Up’ theme for Cardens represents new ways of engaging with the world and is a reminder not to close ourselves off. Further improvements in technology mean that we can now conduct meetings wherever we are in the world and that as our computers process more of the raw data we can now focus on planning and adding value for our clients. Additionally, taking on new partners and associates enables us to further grow our client base and learn from each other’s practising and experiences. Being involved with local events and charities helps us engage with the local community and give a little something back.

Meeting people from a range of different sectors gave me the chance to embrace the diversity that Brighton Chamber brings. Being part of a community that promotes support and triumphs reinforces how great and rewarding it is to be a part of it.

It was fascinating to hear from global expert and award-winning author of McMafia, Misha Glenny. The talk was associated with the rise in technology, how things are rapidly changing and how our reliance on technology and the internet are so great, that our minds can fail to see the sometimes dangerous implications of it. His statement was quite bold and certainly got everyone thinking. He stated technology had led to the setup of the 2008 financial crash which then stimulated the outturn of Brexit and Trump. By the end of the talk, not only was I questioning whether technology had gone too far, but I had also gained a fresh perspective of what ‘Look Up’ meant for Misha Glenny. It encouraged us to remember that by taking any action, however small. can make a major difference.

Engagement

Throughout the day, I met with individuals who had different business objectives to us. This was always positive as we had mutual understanding and respect. We listened to each other and shared our views. At the Summit it wasn’t just about providing information or proclaiming ideas. It was engaging with the community in creative ways.

Individuals got creative with us and had lots of fun participating in our balloon popping challenge.

The concept of this was, charity is more than just simply opening your wallet. It was giving back to the chosen local charities in a more hands on way! The stand at Brighton Summit increased awareness of these charities and gave the people a chance to share in our ethos of giving back. 

Thanks to Victoria for writing this blog!

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