Epping Ignites - the inaugural event was fab!
The best thing about Epping Ignites was that we created something new and exciting for Epping itself. A new kind of event and way to network with local professionals. Everyone who attended had a vested interest because they have some connection to Epping. Hmm, seems like there could be some connection to The Epping Connection and why Sukh named it as such!
The night followed the Ignite Talks format. Each speaker had to use 20 slides for their talk, and each slide automatically advances every 15 seconds. It makes for a fun and fast-paced talk, and it’s done in 5 minutes! Developing a community in Epping is what TEC is all about, and you’ll keep seeing new and creative ways that we will do this.
It was a great night particularly because the speakers gave of their time, and we had such a diversity of topics.
Amanda Hall, a local photographer specialising in brand photography, spoke about The Ambassadors artwork which is on display in The National Gallery. There is an incredible amount of symbolism in this piece of art, and Amanda really brought to life all the things you might otherwise miss, including something called an anamorphic skull!
Sarah Oliver owns a photography studio directly on Epping High St. Sarah is all about social media, and helped us to understand how to use Instagram Reels to develop your business brand. She explained how to prep for a reel, and how the algorithm will show Reels higher than posts.
Sukh Pabial, yep the owner of TEC, gave a talk about decision making and how we’re not as rational as we think we are. He spoke about the role of emotions in our decision making, and how more of our decisions are based on emotional reasoning than rational thinking.
Charlotte Knowles is a marketing professional and knows everything there is to know about berries. Did you know the UK is mad for berries, and in 2021 we spent a total of £1.6bn? Read that number again cos it’s huge. The #4 berry is the blackberry. Curious about the top 3?
Cassian Opara is an app and website developer for brands looking to scale their products. He spoke about the myths of crypto currency, and it was really interesting to hear about its origins being a result of the 2008 financial crash. Cassian dispelled myths about its security and about its potential as a new currency.
Charlotte Durham is a corporate fundraiser for St Clare Hospice. She is incredibly passionate about the work the hospice does and the importance of the services they provide for the community in and around the Epping area. Amazingly, the hospice needs to raise £8000 a day for running costs! You can donate to them here.
Our last speaker was Takako Elliott, a life coach. Takako inspired us to really think about the gift of listening and how it feels to be really listened to. She shared great advice on how to be present, and how to pay attention when we’re speaking with others.
Below is a trailer of the talks, and you can watch them all right here!
