Reflections on my time with the Chamber

Tell us a bit about what drew you to the role?

I am an international student from Canada, studying law at the University of Sussex. Brighton has quickly become my second home and getting the chance to meet the wonderful people behind the businesses in the city keeps me feeling connected to this vibrant community.

As a bit of an entrepreneur myself, working as a freelance musician, I’m always on the look-out for places that support artists and creatives. Coming from working with my hometown’s Chamber of Commerce, I already wanted to support local businesses. The Chamber internship complimented my interests of pursing employment law and intellectual property because it’s law-adjacent, working with businesses and offers lots of writing opportunities. I remember thinking to myself… “I’ve never wanted a job more than this.” 

What do you do at the Chamber?

As my title implies, I worked on creating marketing content for social media, the Chamber website, campaigns and mailers. But title aside, my responsibilities vastly varied as I got to ‘dip my toes’ into events and membership too!

Joining the Chamber team, I learned very quickly that I was welcome, valued and amongst greatness. It can be intimidating starting a new job, but the team dynamic made me feel settled and confident by the end of day one.

Much of my days were spent prepping for events, uploading blogs and website content, working on various projects, connecting with members and attending team meetings.

I would be remiss to mention how incredible it was to have a ‘twintern’, Ines. If you’ve met us in person, likely at the sign-in table, it’s easy to sense we’ve become good friends. This was the first time the Chamber had two interns at once, and being able to experience all the newness, challenges and successes with a peer was incredibly valuable and reassuring.  

What were some of your highlights?

I had the privilege of attending tons of programming, spanning from socials, to learning events, breakfasts, Q&A’s and more. Here are some of my favourites:

Attending Wakehurst botanical gardens and Millennium Seed bank was a major highlight. It was a great opportunity to learn about sustainability and meet lots of members in my first week. I appreciate how the Chamber chose to highlight sustainability issues, especially in a country with rapidly dropping biodiversity rates.

I attended the 2024 Brighton and Hove Business Show, where I got to meet lots of members and run a shortened version of Slo-mo Networking.

I quickly became a big Netwalking enthusiast, which learned is also a member favourite! There’s always a great group, ready to make connections, rain or shine. If you’ve never been Netwalking- it’s always a beautiful display of humanity, watching members welcome new faces, encourage each other, celebrate successes and share knowledge to help others through challenges.

The Chamber hosted an incredibly informative Q&A with lawyers from Britton & Time, which of course piqued my interest. We learned about The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 and I even wrote a blog which you can read here.

I can’t talk about highlights without mentioning Breakfasts. Whether this be a pop-up at a local restaurant, or the monthly Bills breakfast, there’s something good food, friendly company and an engaging speaker that leaves everyone feeling inspired. 

You’ve mentioned working on projects, what were you working on?

My role of Marketing & Engagement Intern had me working on various sustainability, schools and support projects.

The Net Zero Champions are an incredible group of business people who are on their journey to achieving net-zero. I communicated lots with this group, conducting research about sustainability and arranging interviews for a B Corp ‘Sustainability Blog Series’ on the Chamber website.

I also worked on the Brighton and Hove Living Wage Campaign, recruiting sign-ups from B Corp businesses and popping around town to drop off our beautiful new campaign cards to storefronts with Ines.

I worked massively on recruiting stand holders for the Inclusive Employer Jobs Fair and Hello Future careers skills fair. I can’t wait to see these projects come to fruition and help refugees and young people feel more confident in their journeys to employment. 

What skills have you improved or developed?

I joined the Chamber with very formal (thanks law school) speaking and writing skills, and wasn’t expecting to learn as much as I did. Writing copy in the Chamber voice was a constant learning process. It taught me to be resilient, creative and engaging as I learned lots about applying feedback and stylistic choices.

As an outgoing person, I was eager to develop my networking skills and learn how to ask meaningful questions that inspire valuable conversations. I discovered that learning about the human, not just the business personality, is the key to truly understanding their ethos.

I also developed my research skills as I gathered information on business support programmes, did some background work for speakers and researched B Corporations. 

What’s next for you?

I am headed home to Kincardine, Ontario for a few weeks to visit my family and friends. Then I’m back in Brighton for my final year of law school, representing my class as the Vice-President of the Sussex University Law Society. I will be in the city for at least another year, and I plan to volunteer for the Chamber, so I hope to run into many of the amazing members. 

Final thoughts

I would like to extend a HUGE thank-you to the Brighton Chamber team. I’m leaving with many new skills and a sense of confidence going into my future, thanks to your guidance and gentle leadership.

I would also like to thank Rohun, Andy and Robert from Eagle Labs for welcoming me into their space and treating me like family.

I’d also like to thank all Chamber members who chatted with me at events, supported my projects, offered advice and reminded me of my love for local businesses and people.

This was a transformative experience, thanks to these wonderful people. If you ever see me around, please feel free to stop me for a chat. Otherwise, see you all at Brighton Summit in October! 

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