By John Keenan

Argus Business Editor

 

The business of Brighton is pleasure.

If I had a pound for every time this hoary old cliché has been trotted out, I’d be able to book a suite for a month in one of the city’s swankier hotels.

Another old chestnut is Keith Waterhouse’s witticism that Brighton has the appearance of a person helping the police with their inquiries. Even the mayor of the city likes to quote that one.

Both statements reveal a flawed understanding of where Brighton and Hove sits in the 21st century – and, crucially, where it is going.

This is not to say that tourism and hospitality are not important to the city. But the idea that they can form the bedrock of the economy is as outdated as a Butlins Redcoat.

In the business supplement this week we feature the plans of the organisers of Brighton Digital Festival.

These are the movers and shakers who will shape the city.

Digital firms employ graduates, they pay their staff well, and they produce goods and services that the rest of the world needs.

They are the future and if that means the city loses some of its raffish air and adopts instead the boho atmosphere of Brooklyn and Sydney, that is a price worth paying.

The business of Brighton is business.