"What were you born to do?" A day at the Brighton Summit

 

It seems a little unfair to describe the Brighton Summit as a business conference. It was that, but it offered so much more than those two words suggest. This was the fourth year of the Summit, run by Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce. The Summit’s theme changes each year, and this time, it was desire. Perhaps not an obvious theme for a business conference, but relevant because every business starts with desire. Desire is what forms the drive, motivation and ambition of people in business, and the Summit’s programme examined the role of desire in business from every possible angle. 

 

Over 300 businesses came to the Clarendon Centre to explore their business desires. Things kicked off with a networking breakfast supplied by local bakery Sugardough. Other local food producers, including Spade and Spoon, Youjuice and Higgidy Pies all contributed their wares. Rather than curly sandwiches, they provided tasty snacks designed to keep attendees moving, thinking and talking. 

 

 

The day was structured around three keynote sessions. The first of these was given by one of those food producers, Camilla Stephens and Mark Campbell of Higgidy Pies. They talked about their journey from kitchen table to deals with national retailers. They spoke eloquently about their dedication to flavor and authenticity, both in their product and their business. Later, we heard from Luke Johnson, whose extraordinary business journey started when he was a student selling nightclub tickets. He is the current owner of Brighton Pier, via a long and successful restaurant career. His dedication to business and the thrill he gets out of entrepreneurship was clear and hugely motivating. The final keynote was the inspirational Marc Koska, inventor of a life-saving syringe designed to prevent transmission of HIV. While his work is very different to that of most of ours, the lessons to be drawn from it, of persistence and self-belief, are not. All three speakers left the hall buzzing with questions and ideas. 

 

 

Outside of the keynotes, attendees could choose from a variety of interactive sessions with local business experts. The workshop sessions were a fantastic opportunity to get hands dirty and learn some new skills that could translate back directly to business, such as productivity or social media. Later, the panel discussion sessions provided an opportunity to have conversations about particular aspects of business, such as writing a business book or making difficult decisions. Then there was the Desire Hour in which attendees got to experiment, with everything from dance and yoga to storytelling and speed networking to choose from. 

 

 

The day finished up with a busy after-party, fuelled with goodies from Brighton Gin and Bison Beer, served to a live jazz soundtrack. Last word on the day should go to Marc Koska, with his question to the audience “What were you born to do?”. The message? Learn to answer that question and to act on your answer, and you’ll be very much on your way to fulfilling your business desires.