TWO local professionals chat to us, plus everyone ♥'s Eastbourne!
By Sarah Cronk
Spring is on the horizon and there is soooo much coming this year... we're excited.
Is there anyone left who doesn't think Eastbourne is the place to be in 2023?!
With the arrival of the Turner Prize at the Towner in September this year, all eyes are on Eastbourne.
The positive PR has started already. Eastbourne is everywhere in the press. And all for good reasons - none of this "God's waiting room" malarkey that has hindered the perception of the town for many years.
It's all positive.
So what are people saying?
Condé Nast Traveller puts Eastbourne on the list of 13 Best Places to Visit in the UK in 2023: “Eastbourne has brushed off its erstwhile sleepy image to emerge as the latest up-coming coastal hotspot to watch.”
The Independent concurs, placing Eastbourne at the top of its 15 Best Places to Visit in the UK.
The Times says our under-appreciated town is finally back in the spotlight: “Between hosting the Turner and launching the new round-Britain coast path, Eastbourne — and the Sussex coast in general — is having quite a moment.”
And Sussex Modern rounds everything off with what we've known for ages: "Eastbourne is now officially cool."
So, what are you waiting for? Invite your friends and family down for what promises to be a wonderful year for Eastbourne. (Even better if it coincides with DigiFest on Friday 22nd September - get your name on the waitlist if you haven't already.)
We've put together a list of just some of the great things to look forward to this year...
A Chat With: Simon Whitney at Cloud, Voice & Data
Having received Highly Commended at the Eastbourne Business Awards late last year, we wanted to find out more about Cloud, Voice & Data, the Seaford-based telecoms company.
We spoke to Simon Whitney, Director and Co-Founder, and found out...
🤝 ...about their old-school values around customer relationships
😁 ...how this led to 35% growth last year and over 700 happy customers
📞 ...what services they offer (more than just telecoms!)
🥳 ...what exciting projects they have lined up for this year
Sightseeing around Eastbourne: The What3Words puzzle!
The team at Chalk Eastbourne and Switchplane has made a walking tour puzzle for you to enjoy - and discover more about Eastbourne's historic, scenic, and interesting locations at the same time!
It's completely self-serve, you just need to download the PDF to your phone, then work through the questions with the help of What3Words.
It's free to participate in, but was built with St Wilfrid's Hospice fundraising in mind, so if you enjoy the tour, please follow the link to leave a little "thank you" donation.
With the Easter bank holidays approaching, it'll make a great activity for any visiting friends or family!
A Chat With: Jo Walters at brightonSEO
A double dose of interviews with local digital people for you this month!
With brightonSEO, one of the biggest events in tech coming up in just a few weeks, we wanted to find out more about how that event came to be - and how one day maybe we can hope for a similar impact with Chalk Eastbourne!
We spoke to Jo Walters, a freelance communications specialist on the conference's team, to learn more, including...
🍧 ...how the event tries not to take itself too seriously (think free ice cream or people dressed as dinosaurs!)
💻 ...how the pandemic means that the event is now hybrid
🌶 ...what the hot topics for this year's conference are
🌍 ...why people from all over the world head to brightonSEO
Successful BFI Film Audience Network project at Racquet Studios
Budding young filmmakers recently took part in the BFI Film Audience Network project at Eastbourne's very own Racquet Studios.
With support from BFI Film Academy using funds from the National Lottery, the Young Film Programmers' Network aims to increase access to and appreciation of cinema across the South East, and encourage a greater awareness of strategic progression routes for young people within the industry. Racquet Studios is part of this initiative here in Eastbourne.
The 16-25 year olds participating in the project made a "not-for-the-faint-hearted" music video featuring Black Groove, a local Doom/Sludge band.
An outstanding achievement, and we look forward to seeing more coming out of the Studio.
One last thing...
Early Bird and Student tickets for Eastbourne DigiFest will be going on sale in the coming few weeks, so be sure to sign up to the waitlist for first access…
