REPRESENTATIVES from more than 30 firms acquired valuable digital insights and tools to use immediately in their own businesses after attending the Digital and You event in Burgess Hill.

The event at the King’s Centre was hosted by Mid Sussex District Council Open 4 Business initiative and digital marketing agency Rose Media Group, and was sponsored by the Federation of Small Businesses and the University of Sussex.

A keynote speech from Checkatrade founder Kevin Byrne, who spoke about the benefits and rewards of taking risks in business, set the scene for a day of learning and knowledge building, aimed at arming local businesses with the skills and tactics they need to thrive in the modern, digital world.

Following Kevin were six expert speakers from Wired Sussex, Crowdfund-360, Cobb Digital, Pure360, Kogo Ltd and Egg Media.

They spoke about digital subjects including cybersecurity, crowdfunding, ecommerce, using video in social media, the digital skills gap and how to get the most out of LinkedIn.

All presentations were designed to give attendees key takeaways so they could start implementing digital change in their businesses straight away.

The event also included an exhibition featuring 20 digital businesses from across Sussex, including Storm 12, Better Cloud Solutions, Sussex Pages and SEBS.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, the deputy leader of Mid Sussex District Council, said: “This year’s Digital and You was a huge success and a fantastic testament to the digital knowledge and expertise we have in the local business community.

“I’m sure everyone left the event with a new perspective and increased knowledge of digital tools which will only add to their success and the growth of the region.

“We’d like to extend our thanks to sponsors, speakers, exhibitors and everyone who attended.”

Martin Bannister, CEO of IT support specialists Kogo Ltd, spoke about how businesses can protect themselves against cybersecurity threats