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This Year at Wired Sussex 2019

By Emily

Posted on 23 Dec 2019

As 2019 draws to a close, we wanted to take a look back at some important moments from this last year.
 

Our 2019 highlights in numbers

  • We welcomed 368 new members to Wired Sussex.
  • We ran over 60 events, helping 3,300+ members, residents and the general public collaborate, innovate and learn from one another. Plus, we promoted 835 other events in the region.
  • We helped member companies find talent for more than 1,200 digital, media and tech roles through our Jobs site.
  • Over 250 members found short-term paid work opportunities through our Commissions & Briefs board.
  • We helped over 50 different businesses use our collaborative R&D hub The FuseBox to innovate, all of them creating brand new digital products, services and experiences.
     

We ran the South East’s largest skills festival for the digital sector

Over three days in June, our annual digital skills festival Talent Fest 2019 provided our members with the opportunities and support they need to attract, train and retain talent, and helped job seekers kick-start and develop their career in the sector.

With over 1,700 attendees, 100 participating organisations and businesses, and the launch of three new initiatives (Skills & Talent Manifesto, Talent Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit and the Diversity Working Group), Talent Fest was quite the success!

And Talent Fest is back again in April 2020! If you’re interested in taking part, either as a sponsor, speaker or recruiting company, get in touch.
 

Built for our members by our members: We launched our new website

In August, we launched the new Wired Sussex website to create a space that promotes and celebrates all the amazing work our regional community does.

Since its launch, it’s been great to see so many members use the new and improved features, such as ‘Showcases’, to promote their work and services to prospective clients, customers and talent.
 

We took The FuseBox to Brighton’s newest lane

A group of artists creating immersive experiences

As part of this year’s Brighton Digital Festival, we took our digital innovation hub The FuseBox on the road! 

We set up shop in Brighton’s Hanningtons Lane for a week of hands-on experiences and talks about emerging technologies, including quantum computing, 360° filming, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and more.
 

We went to 10 Downing Street to discuss our sector’s needs

We helped set up the UK Tech Cluster Group to lobby for policies to support and grow the key digital cities outside London. Together with representatives from Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and others, we were invited to 10 Downing Street to discuss our needs.
 

We helped artists learn about and utilise emerging tech

Arts Driva @ FuseBox residents showcasing their work to the public

As part of the wider DRIVA arts DRIVA programme, The FuseBox became home to a group of twelve artists. We provided them with an introduction to emerging technologies, including immersive, interactive, connected and quantum, and how they could be used in practice.
 

We said farewell to and welcomed team members

Gone but still very much part of the Wired Sussex family, we said a sad farewell to Rosalie (Hub Manager), Mia (Member Services Coordinator) and Jasmin (Events Coordinator) who moved on to new adventures. Thank you to them for all their hard work during their time here!

We were also thrilled to welcome Charlotte (Office Manager), Hannah (Member Services Coordinator) and Elizabeth (Events Coordinator) who’ve been brilliant new additions to the team, and we were very happy to welcome Rebecca (Skills and Talent Strategy Lead) back from her maternity leave.
 

And if you want to become part of our community, don’t delay - you can join today!

To become a member of Wired Sussex, find out more here.


Finally, we’d like to wish everyone a fantastic Christmas break and New Year - see you on the other side!

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