Networking & Events

World’s Best Female Cricketers Come to The 1st Central County Ground

On Sunday 18th September The 1st Central County Ground, Hove, will host England Women vs India Women, the first one-day international in a three-match Royal London Series.

2022 has been a massive year for women’s sport, with the England football team winning the European Championships, smashing all manor of spectator records along the way. That was swiftly followed by the Commonwealth Games, where women’s cricket made its debut at the historic sporting event. And the action doesn’t stop there. The England Women’s cricket team are set to take on India Women this September in both a T20 and one-day international series. It’s another chance for the family to witness the elite of women’s sport and spend the day at the home of the Sussex Sharks, watching the some of the best female cricketers in the world. Tickets are available to purchase now from just £1 for kids and, if you fancy making your day out that little bit more special, you can treat yourself to a matchday hospitality package.

Ticket information

Tickets for children under 14 cost just £1! And for kids under the age of 18 entry is just £5. Adult tickets are £10, giving you the opportunity to take the whole family without breaking the bank. You can purchase tickets directly from the Sussex Cricket website, and seating is unreserved, so you can take in the action from your favourite part of The 1st Central County Ground.

Hospitality packages

Networking For an extra special day out enjoy & Events England vs India from the comfort of Cow Corner, the dedicated hospitality area at The 1st Central County Ground, with a package that costs £80 + VAT per person, and includes:

• Outside decked viewing area on boundary edge • Glass of Ridgeview on arrival • Pastries before the match begins • Two course lunch • Light afternoon tea including cakes and scones • Private cash bar

For more information, call the Sussex Cricket Club Shop on 01273 827100 - Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

Quality Conversations At Networking Events Require Good Questions

Bradley Hatchett, Founder of Network My Club, explains how to start engaging conversations and make them count far more than just silence fillers.

As seasons change from baking hot to cold and wet, there’s one thing that remains constant - and it’s a very British one. In a sea of guests at a networking event, you can almost guarantee one topic of conversation. Yes, you guessed it, the weather. I’ve been there. I too have blurted out generic weather-related conversations in the hope to fill a potential silence. But I’ve learned a better and more productive (for both parties) way to do so. Thought provoking and curious questions. People remember the way you made them feel. By leading conversations with ruthlessly curiosity and with insightful

questions, they’ll walk away with the Networking feeling a good conversation was had, & Events and more importantly, feel heard.

Try These Ideas

Here’s some you can trial at your next networking event:

“What current trends are you seeing in your industry?”

First, it’s an easy way for the person to share some relevant and topical news from their industry - whilst also sharing what they’re currently working on.

It informs you what’s happening in their industry and how they help others. And, as a bonus, you potentially have new information to use in other conversations if that topic comes up.

Another benefit is it gives them opportunity to discuss something they probably haven’t talked much about, keeping the conversation fresh for them too.

Lead with curiosity and dive even deeper with ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ follow up questions. Or my personal favourite follow up, “in what way?” “Describe your perfect customer - what keeps them up at night?”

This is a much more natural way to find out how someone helps their customers, and who their customers are.

You start to get a picture of how you could help them, who you can connect them with, and who in your network you know that they could benefit from knowing.

“If you had an afternoon to do anything you wanted, what would that afternoon look like?”

Bradley Hatchett

Go Beyond Business

An easy and less intrusive way to get an understanding of what passions and interests that person has outside of their business.

Most forget that at a networking event you are building human relationships first and business relationships second. This question allows you to find out about them, what makes them tick, get them excited, and build a better rapport.

You never know, you may find a common interest with someone you least expected.

With all these questions, and networking in general, follow an ‘inch wide, mile deep’ mentality. Dive deeper below the surface.

Then watch your conversations flourish.

Having the awareness to rephrase typically asked questions will help you better connect with the person or people opposite you. You’ll stand out, and you’ll be remembered.

Which is what networking is all about, right?

Try one of our many upcoming events. Network My Club has many events lined up in Sussex and beyond. Why not join us - armed with your new engaging questions?

Website: www.networkmyclub.co.uk Twitter: @NetworkMyClub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

company/network-my-club

Sussex Business Show moves to Brighton in 2023

2022 will be hailed as the year that the Sussex Business Show established itself on the business event scene.

The show did not disappoint at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, with a refreshed style and feel. It emphasised the indisputable: that the Sussex Business Show delivers with a bang! Renowned for more than just B2B trade shows, Sonny Cutting, the event director, has for a number of years hosted trade shows with a twist. He weaves together game-themed events to break the ice at pioneering and innovative B2B conferences. The blend provides an irresistible experience of energy with networking opportunities. For the first time ever, Ardingly saw the Sussex Business Show utilising a full shell system to enable exhibitors to have their very own spaces, giving them room to show off. Along with the new professional look to the show, the day was host to incredible speakers and the innovative spin-off, The Tiger’s Pen.

Powerhouse Speakers

With a showcase of the local region’s powerhouse speakers, the Sussex event was teeming with expertise, experience and energy. Bringing together twelve masterclass leaders, each delivered business talks on the day. Talks included topics such as wellbeing, cyber security, diversity and inclusion, data storytelling, digital marketing and start-up success to name a few.

The Tiger’s Pen

The Tiger’s Pen gives eight aspiring start-ups the opportunity to pitch for investment and advice. The ‘Best Pitch’

award in The Tiger’s Pen (sponsored by Networking Gold Pebble) went to an aspiring start& Events up called Changing Minds Training run by Olivia-Louise Hamilton. Despite not leaving with investment, her passion and professionalism won her the Best Pitch Prize - a day out at English’s restaurant in Brighton, courtesy of Simon Rand, CEO of KuulEats Local. The Tiger’s Pen truly adds an extra inclusive layer to this show, sharing the power of business expertise, advice and guidance.

Other Prizes on Offer

Another delightfully surprising element of the tradeshow was the long-awaited customer experience awards which returned to the show. All 85 exhibitors with a phone number on their website were called pre-event for a mystery

shopping campaign. Three winners were chosen and a fourth business was given an honorary mention. Next year, the Customer Experience Awards will be back and the calls have already been started to rate them on their skills in Customer Service for the 2023 epic Brighton Showcase.

The show’s focus on games, experiences and recognition at every event is unmatched. This year, however, Sonny wanted to do something special and created The Grand Draw to go along with the casino theme. Prizes were given out throughout the day, and guests were seen from as far away as a galaxy far, far away with Darth Vader and his stormtroopers making a surprise entrance on the day.

Next year

So, how can next year be any better?

The Sussex Business Show will have two special experiences for 2023 with a special charity ‘Rockinghorse and Star Wars Awareness Day’ on May 4th, and the much-anticipated tradeshow on September 28th in Brighton at The Dome, Corn Exchange.

Sonny said of his choice of venue: “Many people have asked why I didn’t simply place the event next year at the Racecourse, Amex or Brighton Centre, and even though each of those venues offers their own unique experiences, I wanted something in the centre of the city which could deliver local businesses the opportunity of a wondrous experience of architecture whilst enjoying our new county tradeshow event.”

The arts venue in Brighton is currently undergoing a huge transformation, making the show next year the perfect opportunity to take advantage of its updates, and it’s in the centre of the city.

Next year’s show moves up a gear and offers a wellness lounge, a silent disco and 100 exhibitor stands to meet and connect with. Along with the new additions, the winning formula of a game theme will continue. The casino returns for another year and Sonny is dealing everyone in. The Grand Draw brings in so many businesses to play, engage and win prizes and makes for a day of excitement. As an added bonus, just like Charlie and the Chocolate factory, some of the guest bags will even have Golden Tickets.

Eighty-five of the exhibitor spaces have already been snapped up. There are still some sponsorship packages available. If you would like to partner with the event, gain special perks and get an advertising package which will give your brand even more exposure, get in touch or drop into Freedom Works in Hove on Mondays or Tuesdays, and find The Sussex Business Show in the office for a chat. Alternatively, give them a call on 01273 833 222 or 07889 533641.

www.sussexbizshow.com

Big Business Breakfast Club

September’s Big Business Breakfast will be held at The British Airways i360 on Friday 16th September.

We are delighted to announce our sponsor, Second Voice, and our guest speaker, the very engaging Ben Bennett. September’s chosen charity is Brighton Soup. Second Voice’s mission is to help you scale your business and consistently grow your revenues. Through their Consultancy, Training or 1-2-1 Mentoring, they have worked successfully with businesses of all sizes across the globe. They are proud mentors for NatWest Group’s Entrepreneur Accelerator programme, which helps high-growth businesses break into new markets and locate new investment opportunities, as well as being a Partner and Mentor for Plus X Innovation Hubs in London and the Southeast, supporting scaling companies to increase their revenue. Second Voice believe every business is different. That’s why they make it their mission to understand you, your business, your market, what’s worked – and, just as importantly, what hasn’t. Using these findings, they enable you to create a unique strategy to help you scale and increase sales. By the end of the journey, you’ll know how to execute go-to-market plans, deploy simple, repeatable tactics to consistently grow your sales pipeline, and enable your teams to succeed with robust processes in place.

In between, you’ll Networking enjoy comprehensive & Events support from their highly knowledgeable and friendly team. When you’re comfortable and the results are evident, they will take a step back. But will only ever be a call or email away.

To book a free consultation, head over to www.

secondvoice.co.uk

to get in touch.

Ben Bennett

The charity Second Voice has chosen to support is Brighton Soup.

Brighton Soup is a platform for small local projects to pitch for funding in a uniquely social, interactive community setting. A bit like Dragon’s Den, but without the dragons - just a warm and supportive group of local people.

Their next event is on 7 October 2022 – tickets will be on sale in September from

www.brightonsoup.org.uk

How does it work?

Tickets for Brighton Soup events cost just £5. For that, the audience hears from four local projects that pitch their ideas to the group. Each presenter has four minutes to share their idea, and then answer questions from the audience. Everyone then has a bowl of delicious soup (donated by local chefs), chats with each other, listens to musical entertainment (played for free) and, most importantly, votes on the project they liked the most.

At the end of the night, the ballots are counted and the winner goes home with all of the money raised from the door to carry out their project – usually £300-500.

Tickets for the next BBBC cost £20 and include a free-flowing tea and coffee and a delicious choice of full English or continental breakfast, with all allergens catered for.

Tickets can be purchased here: https:// www.bigbusinessbreakfastclub.co.uk/

We look forward to welcoming you later this month

Events Not To Be Missed

Silicon Brighton is a community-led initiative supporting those working in our local digital sector. We provide a variety of free and accessible events to help people learn new skills, make connections, and progress their careers in tech. This month is buzzing with activity, so read on for a taste of what’s in store!

Scan the QR code or visit hub.siliconbrighton.com/events to find out more.

UX Brighton Social

Tues 13th Sept | From 7pm | Lord Nelson Inn For anyone working in UX, whether you’ve been in the scene for years or you’re just starting out, UX Brighton’s upcoming social is an opportunity to meet others like you.

The Creative Entrepreneur Panel

Weds 14th Sept | 6-9pm | PLATF9RM Hear from people who have successfully turned their craft into a fledging business and meet other local entrepreneurs and creatives.

Playful Facilitation With Liberating Structures

Weds 14th Sept | 7-8:30pm | Online Do you want to create inclusive and engaging sessions for your agile team? Learn how Liberating Structures can help you do just that.

Product Risk Special

Thurs 15th Sept | 6-8:30pm | Spaces / Online Get tips on how to lower the chance of risk in your products, maximise your rate of learning, and ensure greater market fit.

People, Planet, Pint

Thurs 15th Sept | 6-9pm | The Walrus Are you passionate about sustainable business? Meet like-minded people and find opportunities to collaborate for increased impact.

Getting Started Cloud Natively, with Java

Tues 20th Sept | 6-8pm | Spaces / Online Learn how to use the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) to deploy Java backends for various event driven applications.

Terraforming for Dynamic Environments

Weds 21st Sept | 6-8pm | MPB / Online Up your cloud computing game! Get under the hood of how MPB built out “Feature Environments”.

Azure Landing Zones

Tues 27th Sept | 6:30-9:30pm | The Skiff Calling all Azure users! Come and deepen your knowledge about Azure Landing Zones, with takeaways from a real-world customer experience.

Games Sector Social

Thurs 29th Sept | 6-8pm | Loading Bar Work in Sussex’s games sector? Sussex Game Makers is a place for anyone and everyone in the local scene to get together and network.