Six months as the Chamber's Events and Marketing Assistant

Can you tell us a bit about yourself before you came to the Chamber?

I am a born and bred Brightonian, so working at Brighton Chamber definitely feels like a full-circle moment. I moved up to Leeds for university and after graduating in the summer of 2023, I found myself only a few months later at the Chamber. While I didn’t expect to enter the ‘real world’ as quickly as I did, I knew the role of Events and Marketing Assistant was the perfect fit for me because of previous role as Exams Assistant at Cardinal Newman Secondary School, giving me experience in organisation and attention to detail. Another full circle moment for me as I attended school there! I’ve also previously worked at Sussex County Cricket Ground and in a tiny record shop up from Brighton Station (obligatory shout out to The Record Album).

Can you tell us a little more about what your role entails?

The Events and Marketing Assistant role is a busy yet exciting one. You’ll usually find me signing members in at events and making sure everyone has their badges! But my role also begins long before this, in the planning process of our events programme with Events and Programming Manager Jess Samson. I’ve really enjoyed exploring many of Brighton’s great venues through this, and now I’m always on the lookout for where we could host our next event! The other part of my role involves working closely with Marketing and Engagement Manager Hannah Jackson, so we can tell the story of our events across our website, social media and more. It’s great to be able to work on the multiple levels of event planning and marketing, where I get to be organised but also creative. 

What have been some highlights for you in the last few months?

In October, we held Human: Brighton Summit. At this point I had only been at the Chamber just over a month, so being part of the team organising an event for nearly 400 people was a tad daunting. But the day was an absolute delight and a pleasure to be part of. My role was head of sign-in and it was great to work with and get to know some of the brilliant Chamber Ambassadors helping on the desk. I knew that I was now part of a great community in Brighton. Below is a picture of me feeling very important because of my radio!

Another highlight was writing my first blog for the Chamber website, about an event we held for circular economy strategy at Plus X. There were some inspiring panel and group discussions, which focused on how businesses can collaborate and reflect on practices to increase Brighton’s sustainability efforts. It was also published in Sussex Business Times – the first time seeing my name in print! 

What’s something that has pushed you out of your comfort zone?

At university, I decided to have a sandwich year and study abroad. I ended up in London – but not the one you think! It was a small town a couple of hours from Toronto in Canada, and yes it did have its own River Thames and Oxford Street. Packing up and moving across the Atlantic is one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but it also turned out to be one of the best. I got to travel much of North America, visiting cities like Vancouver, New York and Miami, as well as spending my 21st birthday skiing in the Rockies. I also met so many people, including other exchange students from across the world. I even worked in a bagel shop on the university campus! 

What’s next for you at the Chamber?

I’ll be working with Hannah and Jess on how to gather feedback from members about the types of events we hold and the way we hold them. If we can make these feedback channels easier, effective and engaging then it will help to ensure we keep providing a great member experience.

Also, I will be more involved with the planning of our next Brighton Summit this October. Last year I joined the Chamber when a lot of the planning had already been done, so I’m excited to get stuck in from the very beginning this time.

Jess Samson recently joined the team as Events and Programming Manager, so I’m looking forward to working with her and planning a great year of events for the Chamber!

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