My work experience with the Brighton Chamber

I spent three days working with the Brighton Chamber, a short time though packed with activities. The team were all friendly, open and genuinely committed to helping the community. From our first meeting I felt welcomed and became quickly involved.

In just those few days, I attended events and sat in on a Brighton Summit curators meeting. Both the events and the meetings were great opportunities to observe how the Chamber, and businesses in general operate and connect with each other, and the community as a whole.

What surprised me the most was the relaxed nature of the Chamber, hearing ‘Chamber of Commerce’ left me expecting a tight office filled with suits and fast paced work. Instead, I was met with a much more relaxed and informal office with a kind and patient team, always available to help. 

My favourite experience was meeting a lot of new, interesting people through events and meetings. Everyone had their own story, a business or charity and a personal mission, whether it be to have a successful book launch or to help their local area thrive. There was a real sense of collaboration and shared goals, and I got the perfect experience in how community driven business ecosystems work.

Specifically, attending a local community driven meeting about climate action within East Sussex, I came across many fascinating people and learnt of many new and interesting developments such as a new rain garden being built in Wild Park to manage water runoff and protect the local area. Furthermore, a series of short workshops introduced me to many new concerns over the environment, such as the carbon emission cost from everyday activities such as riding a bike and the potentially devastating consequences of unchecked human activity.

These few days of work experience taught me the value of getting involved, whether in group discussions, local events or simply starting a conversation with a stranger through the many lessons that can be learned. Furthermore, the many tasks set for me to complete over the week has sharpened my ability to effectively and usefully research and sort large amounts of information which I had previously struggled with.

Overall, my time at the Brighton Chamber of Commerce was an amazing experience which provided me with an amazing insight into the inner workings of community led business and introduced to many new and interesting people and ideas. Along with teaching my many new skills and ways of thinking.

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