A Chat With: Grace Prior, EVOLVE [25] curator

“EVOLVE [25]: Shaping Tomorrow” is a one-day event set to bring together the brightest minds in technology, business, and education, shaping a sustainable digital future. You’ll enjoy a day of ideas, impact, and inspiration, meeting top employers, experiencing game-changing tech, and seeing how digital solutions are solving real-world problems and enriching lives.

We sat down with Grace Prior, curator of EVOLVE [25], the Silicon Brighton-led tech conference taking place on Friday 4th July, to learn more about what we can look forward to at this year's exciting, inaugural event at the Brighton Dome.

Grace Prior, Silcon Brighton

Donna: Evolve sounds fantastic! Why did you decide to launch this event?

Grace: “We had a seed of an idea to create a conference as soon as Steve Rackley founded Silicon Brighton five years ago. The pandemic raised many questions about the future of work in tech, and we’ve observed that so many separate communities are working in isolation as a result. We began to ask ourselves: What can we do to create a big, all-encompassing network that brings all the pieces of the puzzle together to support the tech community?

We love the concept of imperfect action; the idea that if you begin with the end in mind, you can achieve amazing things. We want Evolve to grow organically, through small and incremental steps.

The dream has always been to create a full-day, multi-event conference with the goal of ensuring that everyone has access to equal opportunities in Sussex in the tech sector.”

We love your vision and can’t wait to see it happen. What has the experience been like creating Evolve so far?

“The collaborative nature of this project has been one of the most rewarding parts of the process. The support we‘ve received from people has helped with the mechanics of organising the event - it has lightened the load on our shoulders.

I think the name Evolve is perfect because it reflects the dynamic and innovative spirit of this region. People here are so open to new ideas. Brighton is known for being truly entrepreneurial. When you introduce a new idea, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. People often say that the city needs this. We hear “How can I help?” over and over again.

Even though I already knew what the creative community in Brighton is like, this experience has surpassed my expectations. The level of support keeps me energised and motivated to keep going because of the constant flow of fresh ideas from all the people taking part. It has also allowed us to scale the event in ways that wouldn’t have been possible anywhere else.”

What can we expect on the day? Talk us through it!

“The event will take place at The Brighton Dome. We have three stages running exciting, interactive events throughout the day. Due to the strong uptake, we’ve expanded content for visitors. The format will include a broad variety of keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and fireside chats led by a mix of digital businesses at different stages of their journey.

These sessions seek to challenge assumptions, demystify policy, and prompt a more grounded conversation about the future we’re all building. Keynote speakers will cover fascinating areas, spanning 100 years of artificial intelligence. If you are looking for insight into law, governance or ethics for example, there will be deep dives on niche areas as well as broader talks on the larger-scale societal implications of emerging tech.

The “Pioneer” stage will focus on transformative ideas and strategies that are reshaping the world of work, discussing everything from building the world's most powerful computers, to the risk and responsibility of a digital world in orbit as we become more dependent on satellite infrastructure. 

The second “Builders & Innovators” stage is centred around technology design and engineering for tech builders and innovators. There are amazing topics such as; what Agenic AI is and what it means for the modern workforce, or how facial recognition and data will completely transform Health Tech.

Thirdly, we have the “Collaborators” stage, focusing on, you guessed it, collaboration, plus investment, and growth. This is where discussions around culture, inclusion and wellbeing in tech leadership are going to be incredibly interesting. The question is, what lessons can businesses, founders, and citizens learn to navigate what lies ahead? People and purpose are at the centre of it all. And yet, the agenda is alive and evolving, we’ll be adding more talks and speaker updates right up until the day of the event.”

Are there still opportunities to get involved?

“We’re making this event as inclusive as possible, which means that we are open to all forms of collaboration from our sponsors and partners, whether that’s contributing time, offering promotion, or providing sponsorship.

In a bid to ensure everyone can join in, we have introduced a pay-it-forward option, enabling people to purchase additional tickets that can be given to those who can’t afford to buy one for whatever reason.  As a result, and through our partnership with the Job Centre, we’ve been able to allocate a group of tickets for job seekers. 

It is important to us that everyone feels welcome regardless of affordability issues.  We don’t want to create any barriers. This approach opens up conversations with people who want to attend, but might not otherwise reach out. It also makes it easier for them to inquire about community projects or scholarships.

We’ll be welcoming volunteers on the day, along with schools and colleges. We know by involving young people in an event like this, we can inspire new talent, plus the event content ties in well with the current school curriculum.”

What long-term impact do you hope to have on the community?

“Our main hope is that more people get to share their ideas on a public platform, from job seekers and career changers to Sixth Form college leavers. Essentially, Evolve is for people from all walks of life. We hope to offer a meaningful introduction to the tech community. It’s about delivering real outcomes: helping someone get hired, supporting the growth of a brand, or enabling someone to find a business co-founder.

We believe this event will attract investment and raise the profile of the region. It’s a great source of positive PR for the city. Evolve will be a key date in the UK tech calendar and our flagship event for Silicon Brighton. Eventually, we’d like to grow it into a two-day event, with fringe-style events supporting it.

Long-term, we envision this evolving into something like “Brighton Tech Week”, creating a celebratory atmosphere throughout the city. It might even become internationally recognised for its links to communities and organisations around the world. It’s still a rough sketch right now, but that’s where we’re heading.

For a full list of speakers, the conference agenda and to purchase tickets, visit the Evolve website.”

SPECIAL DISCOUNT OFFER!

If you use the code CHALKEASTBOURNE when you book your EVOLVE [25] ticket, you’ll receive 50% off the current ticket price (bringing it down to £20).

What’s more, the team at Silicon Brighton will kindly split that ticket income with us, enabling us to put £10 per ticket towards community events for Chalk Eastbourne and our Eastbourne DigiFest conference.

Everyone’s a winner - so get your EVOLVE [25] ticket today!