The Santander University of Brighton Ideas Competition was open to students and graduates of the university where they could present their ideas for a new product, service or community project and be in with a chance to win a cash prize. The competition culminated in an exciting evening which welcomed the five finalists of the competition to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges including of our very own Vice Chancellor, Debra Humphris.
Cockcroft Hall looks fit for VIPs dressed with uplighters and balloons
After the finalists seamlessly delivered their pitches to an audience of senior University staff, local entrepreneurs and specialists businesses, the judges retreated to discuss who would be crowned the winner of the top cash prize. Whilst the guests were enjoying the delicious canapés served by Richard and his fantastic hospitality team, there was a photo opportunity and a chance to enjoy the tinkering of the pianist, Mark Davies.
Just an example of the mouthwatering canapés the hospitality team put together for the awards
The prize giving was complete with rounds of applause and giant oversized cheques as product design students from The Process collected the top prize for their product “enAball” which is a product designed for wheelchair users to be able to express themselves through art.
The Southcoast Events team were delighted to have worked on such a prestigious event with Clare and Luke from the Entrepreneurship team taking some of the administrative tasks away to allow them to focus on supporting the finalists with their pitches and ideas. After scoping meetings with the organisers, we liaised with the hospitality team to put together a bespoke menu for the guests to enjoy as well as working with the caretakers onsite to ensure the hall was set up just right. We also hired some LED up-lighters from a local audio visible company to take the space from just a hall used for exams, to an awards venue fit for the most important of VIPs.
The finialists line up and strike a pose for their group photo before the winner is announced
All in all, the evening was a huge success and we were proud to have been able to support such an event. We are already looking forward to hearing next year’s ideas!
“Having the SouthCoast Event Support team with us for our Santander University of Brighton Ideas Competition Final made our event stress-free, and enabled Luke and I to concentrate on facilitating the actual event, without having to worry about the events management side of things. The event ran very smoothly, thanks to the invaluable support of the SouthCoast Event Support team, and we have received lots of positive feedback about the event since then. Thank you for making our event such a success!”
Clare Griffiths, Business Development Manager (Entrepreneurship)