Be More Bristol – On the day

Last week we held Be More Bristol at the Arnolfini to bring together the creative businesses and individuals to celebrate the city’s culture of originality, cross-sector collaboration & innovation.

The day saw a packed out audience descend on the iconic gallery to hear from Bristol’s creative leaders, rounding off the day with a networking session over drinks, with two local creative companies exhibiting their groundbreaking technology.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and helped get us trending on Twitter, and to our event sponsors NVM and Access Creative College.

Highlights

The day was all about celebrating Bristol’s fiercely independent creative spirit, and our presenters and speakers did a fantastic job of inspiring the audience. A few moments stood out from the day…

• Miles Chambers‘ rousing performance of his poem Bristol Bristol captivated the room, examining the unique history and culture of the city.
• Caroline Norbury MBE, Creative England’s CEO, took to the stage explaining how Creative England strives for representation and self-expression to deliver fast and inclusive economic growth.
• Mayor Marvin Rees shared the sentiments, called for businesses to encourage diversity of thought in a powerful speech which focused on real and meaningful inclusion and social mobility.
• Three of Bristol’s creative leaders, Aardman Animation Studio’s David Sproxton CBE, the BBC’s Stephanie Marshall and Plimsoll Production’s Grant Mansfield joined the stage to share the part the city played in their careers, acknowledging the local talent and ecosystem which has allowed their businesses to grow and thrive, whilst recognising that more has to be done to make the workforce more reflective of society.
• Seth Jackson had the audience laughing along at his impressive career, building three businesses on radical collaboration and a drive to have fun.
• Silas Adekunle, founder of Reach Robotics and one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 – Europe – Technology 2018, gave an inspiring talk on how passion is the driving force in his already illustrious career.
• Professor John Dovey spoke on stage about the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, announcing £10 million to support growth, productivity, inclusion and creativity in the region.
• A panel of private investors, led by Creative England’s CFO Mehjabeen Patrick, discussed why investors can struggle to understand the potential of creative companies, and how to make your pitch compelling. The session ended with each panellist describing what type of company they would invest in, with a common theme emerging: know what sets you apart, have ambition and know your competitors.
• The final session of the day saw Caroline Norbury MBE joined by Claire Doherty MBE, Director of the Arnolfini, who shared the gallery’s vision to be the cultural home of Bristol and encouraged creatives in the room to get involved.
• The day was rounded off with food, drinks and networking with demos of cutting-edge technology from Reach Robotics and Ultrahaptics.