Inaugural AMEX Brighton & Hove LGBTQ+ Community Summit

Inaugural Brighton & Hove Summit brings together some of the region’s key LGBTQ+ Community groups and LGBTQ+ staff fora. 

Almost 100 representatives from businesses, charitable organisations, Pride networks and community groups gathered in Brighton last week (30 January 2020), for the inaugural Brighton & Hove LGBTQ+ Community Summit.

 

Hosted by American Express (NYSE:AXP) at the company’s John Street office in Brighton, the networking event provided an opportunity to discuss local community needs, share best practice and connect with other LGBTQ+ groups.

There were keynote speeches from guests Lord Hayward, who spoke about LGBTQ+ rights, and five-time Olympian swimmer Mark Foster, who talked about some of the challenges he experienced during his professional career and personal journey.

 

A key element of the event was a panel discussion by senior leaders from American Express and Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. Panellists shared views on the importance of setting up an LGBTQ+ colleague network and suggested ways of engaging executive sponsors and connecting with external community groups and charities.

Tim Ehinger, executive vice president at American Express, said: “We’re delighted to back the first Brighton & Hove LGBTQ+ Community Summit. There are so many fantastic LGBTQ+ charitable organisations, groups and networks in Brighton & Hove and more widely across Sussex. This forum has brought all these key groups and representatives together in one place, at the same time, to create a common dialogue, share and learn from each other’s experiences and make valuable connections for the future. Feedback from participants has been fantastic and we’re hoping this will become a recurring event that will be hosted annually by one of the organisations/ groups attending today.”