N ETWO RKI NG & EVE NTS S P ON S OR
"I Have Never Seen Anything Like It" Nick Hewer, on the Acumen Business Convention 2026 The 2026 Acumen Business Convention welcomed 300 delegates from across Sussex and beyond. From the moment guests arrived, the atmosphere was electric with conversations flowing while 'zebra waiters' and 'zebra dancers' brought Acumen’s signature flair to this business community gathering for a day unlike any other. Sixteen
Networking & Events
years
on, the
convention continues
to break the mould, bringing together entrepreneurs, founders and decision-
makers for a day filled with
inspiration, entertainment and authentic connection.
Held at the Grand hotel
in Brighton, the Acumen
Business Convention was
organised entirely in-house by the Acumen team and planned by a core team
of five: Daniel Richards the driving force behind
the event, Alvin Ittoo who also served as compère,
Ben Rose and Gabi Devlin
who each ran a Speakers Arena while ensuring the day ran seamlessly and
Penina Shepherd who also opened the
unfolding AI revolution as falling into
three camps — the ‘tsunami group’, the ‘hype group’ and the ‘zen group’.
event on the day.
The Convention Keynote Nick Hewer,
Inspirational Speakers Take to
Apprentice and a successful entrepreneur,
One of the highlights of the 2026
being “This convention is extraordinary,
line-up of speakers, each bringing
extra compliment, coming from someone
Lord Sugar’s right-hand man on The
the Stage
took the stage with the first comment
convention was its exceptional
I’ve never seen anything like it!” Much the
insight, humour and valuable business
who has more than four decades in
experience to the audience.
business and television!
Opening the event, Penina Shepherd,
Nick captivated the audience with
reflected on the ‘AI tsunami’ facing both
with sharp commercial insight and
more widely, describing reactions to the
entrepreneurship.
“The Convention Keynote Nick
Hewer, Lord Sugar’s right-hand man on The Apprentice and a
successful entrepreneur, took
the stage with the first comment being “This convention is
extraordinary, I’ve never seen anything like it!”
Much the extra compliment, coming from someone who
has more than four decades in business and television!”
CEO & Founder of Acumen Law,
stories from combining dry humour
Matt Turner MBE, CEO of Creative
the business community and society
honest reflections on leadership and
on branding, innovation and authenticity
50 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
Pod, delivered a thought-provoking talk in an increasingly crowded digital