The Sussex Business Show arrived with a bang on May 5th at the South of England Event Centre, Ardingly. 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 brings together game-themed events to break the ice, and pioneering conferences featuring innovative B2B services offering an experience of energy with networking opportunities.

The South of England show was his biggest event to date with a refreshed style and feel, to cement its profile in the B2B event scene. The show had high expectations to live up to with over 400 business guests to please, and it did not fail to deliver! 

With a showcase of the local region’s powerhouse speakers, the Sussex event was teeming with expertise, experience and energy. It also brought together 12 masterclass leaders who all delivered business talks on the day. Topics included wellbeing, cyber security, diversity and inclusion, data storytelling, digital marketing and start-up success – to name a few.

For the first time ever, the Sussex Business Show utilised a full shell system to enable exhibitors to have their very own spaces, elevating the exhibition’s professionalism. And, along with the new professional look to the show, the day was host to the innovative spin-off, 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 Gold Pebble this year, went to an aspiring start-up called ‘Changing Minds Training’ owned by Olivia-Louise Hamilton. She didn’t win investment on the day. However, her passion and professionalism won her the Best Pitch prize – a day out at English’s restaurant in Brighton, courtesy of Simon Rand, and KuulEats Local.

Another delightfully surprising element of the tradeshow was the long-awaited customer experience awards. All 85 exhibitors with a phone number on their website were called pre-event with a mystery shopping campaign. Three winners were chosen and a fourth business was given an honorary mention. Big congratulations are in order for the businesses that demonstrated
exemplary customer service experience. Gatwick Diamond Business came in as the event’s Honorary mention. Third place was Knockhatch Adventure Park and second place was print specialists, Nettl Face Media Group. But the outright winner for the show was Yeoman’s Toyota in Brighton, who proved that customer service is still at the very core of business today.

The show’s focus of games, experiences and recognition at every event is unmatched. However, at this particular show, Sonny wanted to do something special for this new format and created The Grand Draw to go along with the casino theme. Prizes were given out throughout the day, and we also had guests from a galaxy far, far away with Darth Vader and his stormtroopers making a surprise entrance.

A spectacular day of business was had by all.

The Sussex Business Show moves to The Brighton Dome Corn Exchange in 2023.
Please look at our website for more details www.sussexbizshow.com