The Brighton Summit always comes up when I ask Chamber members about a standout event. And, having started at the Chamber in January 2021, mid-lockdown with an unsure date on when the next Summit would be – I’ll admit, I’ve always been a little jealous. 

But with the Brighton Summit back this April, I’m looking forward to having my own Summit story, and
the shared experience of an exciting, inspirational speaker who makes you want to do things differently. 

For anyone else who hasn’t been to the Brighton Summit yet (or maybe you’re thinking about coming this year), here’s a quick history of where the Summit came from, something you should be looking out for at this year’s event, and what’s still to come. 

To look forward, we must first look back
We’re now in our eighth year, but our first ever Brighton Summit was in 2012 – our chance to ‘do something big’ for the 100-year anniversary of the formation of Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce. 

The aim of the Centenary Summit was that, if successful, it would become an annual event, showcasing everything the Chamber and our members stand for. Now known as the Business and Pleasure Summit, 2012 saw Peter James and Sam Roddick join as the first Summit keynote speakers. 

Over the years, we’ve had some great themes, speakers and stories told. There are a few things that often come up as standouts, but for everyone it’s different depending on their business, sector and perspective. Whether that’s hearing Gina Miller’s talk at the Look Up Summit in 2019, meeting a future business partner in the coffee queue, or one of the surprises that come up throughout the day. 

And this year promises to be no different. Our theme of Unite feels apt after the past 24 months; all about coming together to help each other and collaborate – everything that Brighton businesses stand for. 

What to look out for this year
We announced our first keynote speaker, Baroness Floella Benjamin, earlier this year (Playschool alumni, yes that’s her!) There are two more, brilliant keynotes still to come, but we’ve got some great workshops, speaker sessions and HOURS planned so far as well – with plenty of networking built in, of course. 

We’re also at an exciting new venue – The Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts – at the University of Sussex. And will be ‘taking over’ a few of the surrounding venues too.

This year there’ll be 10 Hour sessions to choose form. The HOURS are where you get the chance to do something completely different and not what you’d expect from a business conference. Think crochet, wine tasting, quantum physics and an architectural walk!

For newbies (and to remind our old-hands, it has been two years after all!), we’ve also got a Summit survival kit for you in the next month or so – your checklist of everything you need to get the most out of the Summit. Plus, I’ll be sharing some Born at Brighton Summit stories, the brilliant things that have come out of previous Summits, businesses, books, collaborations (basically, all the reasons you should want to come).

Keep an eye on the Brighton Summit website for updates to our schedule for the day, or sign up to our mailing list to get updates as they happen.

And get your ticket to the Brighton Summit: Unite April 29th go to www.brightonsummit.com