We've decided to get to know a few of the businesses we work with a bit better and today we speak to Laura the conference oganiser for brainstrust...

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Please tell us about your organisation.

We are brainstrust – a national charity supporting anyone impacted by a brain tumour diagnosis. We connect with both patients and their loved ones to tailor the best support and resources to meet their needs and achieve their goals (whether it be through coaching, counselling, joining an online support group, learning hypnotherapy techniques or peer support). We understand the challenge and the nuance of living with a brain tumour and meet our community wherever they are in their journey.

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Why did you get in contact with VisitBrighton?

We wanted to host an event for our local brain tumour community in the Brighton area. I was completely new to and clueless about what is involved in hosting an event. A colleague suggested contacting VisitBrighton and I am so so grateful to Lucinda for her incredible help.

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What was the event for?

This full day event was all about bringing together the local brain tumour community that we support to facilitate connection, educate and boost wellbeing. We were joined by and heard from healthcare professional speakers, brainstrust peer support volunteers and a fantastic yoga instructor who led our guests through a calming practice. We included the yoga session as Lucinda had recommended Xenia from Brighton Yoga to us as Lucinda had been on Xenia’s Forest Bathing experiences in the past and loved it.

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Have you organised events before?

I have never organised an event of this scale before!

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What did the VisitBrighton Convention Bureau help with?

I had a brilliant initial call with Lucinda to talk through our needs and what we needed from a venue.

Lucinda then created a fantastic proposal, which allowed us to look through the features of multiple venues, before making our decision about which one to book with. Features such as building accessibility and being located close to the train station were important for us and Lucinda filtered through options accordingly. Lucinda then managed liaison with the hotel, before the hotel contacted us directly to talk us through the process from there.

Lucinda made it clear that she was an email away (which was very reassuring!) and also checked in to see how we were progressing.

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How was your experience with VisitBrighton?

Excellent. I am so grateful to Lucinda at VisitBrighton for all of her time, effort and support in helping us to organise and put on this fantastic event for the brain tumour community. She took so much stress out of the organisation process for us and we felt confident that with her knowledge and expertise, we would find the right venue for us.

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What made you choose Brighton?

For our Sussex community, Brighton is quite a central base and accessible by train. This is very important to our brain tumour community, as many are no longer allowed to drive following diagnosis. Brighton is also an appealing place to visit and a nice escape to the seaside for those travelling to join us from further away.

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Would you come back again?

Absolutely!

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Thank you! 

💼 Don't forget if you are a organising a conference then get in touch with our lovely Conference Team to say how they can help you.