Black Heritage Future Leaders - resource hub

Bright Network Black Heritage Future Leaders 2024 is taking place on Monday, 9th September. We're looking forward to it, and hope you are too! The leading employers joining us (including Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Britsh Airways, Aldi and more) are excited to connect with you and other members to share their insights with you.

We know attending events can be a bit nerve-wracking for some people, so we want to make sure we provide as much reassurance and guidance as possible to ensure Black Heritage Future Leaders is an enjoyable experience and safe place for everyone. To prepare for the event, we suggest taking a look at the resources below.

• Accessibility and inclusion for in-person attendees - if you're attending in-person, look at this section to see what support is available (from reserved seating to speaking to a certified Mental Health First Aider).
• Accessibility and inclusion on Zoom (virtual event platform)- if you're attending virtually, look at this section to learn how to use Zoom and utilise the accessibility and inclusivity features.
• Guild - we have created an online community where you can meet other attendees before the event. Find out more about the community and how to use Guildhere, then join the Black Heritage Future Leaders 2024 group via the links in the emails we've sent to you since you got a place at the event (try searching for "Your Application to Bright Network Black Heritage Future Leaders 2024" in your inbox).
• Networking top tips and etiquette - here are some key Dos and Don'ts for networking and access extra resources to feel confident in your networking abilities before the event.

Venue

Accessing the venue

This year’s Black Heritage Future Leaders is taking place at etc.venues 155 Bishopsgate. There is a step-free access via lift at this venue. For more information about the venue’s accessibility, take a look at etc.venues’ accessibility page. If you require any other accessibility support at the venue, please let us know.

Directions from Liverpool Street Station (both step-free) can be found here.

Using the prayer room

If you require a prayer room during the event, please speak to the Bright Network team at reception and they can direct you to the dedicated space.

Mental health support

If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed at the event - either because of anxiety, autism, or anything else - we have lots of support available, please don’t suffer in silence.

In the main room - where the keynote, panel, skill sessions will take place - we have some reserved seating. The seats at the front are for our Student Leadership Board members, but we also have some by the aisle and at the back reserved for any members who have a mental or physical health condition and would prefer having an easy way to exit the room. If a reserved seat would help you feel more comfortable at the event, please let us know on your application form and/or by emailing us at events@brightnetwork.co.uk.

If you need a quiet space to take a few minutes and calm down, speak to someone from Bright Network (you can always find someone at reception, but we’re also around the venue all day) and they can take you to a dedicated space. A mental health first aider from the Bright Network team will be onsite too, so they can also help you if required.

Auditory and visual support

All speakers during the event will be speaking through a microphone, but if you’re hard of hearing we will also be showing closed captioning on at least one of the presentation screens. Please just bear in mind that it is live captioning so may not be 100% accurate.

If you require an auditory loop, please let us know by emailing events@brightnetwork.co.uk.

The hosts', speakers' and panellists' introductions will include an audio description for any attendees with visual impairments. For example, "My name is Hester and my pronouns are she/her. I'm the Senior Events Marketing Executive at Bright Network. I'm a white female in her early twenties with curly ginger hair. I'm wearing a green t-shirt and behind me is a busy office."

Requesting a travel cost reimbursement

We would really like all our students to be able to have the opportunity to attend our events and we want to support where possible. Because of this, we are offering to support our members who would otherwise be unable to attend with a travel reimbursement of up to £30 towards their travel (public transport only). To request a reimbursement, complete and submit this form with any supporting documentation to events@brightnetwork.co.uk.

You need to attend the event in full to receive the reimbursement. Reimbursements will be sent out after the event you are attending. You need to have submitted the form by 08/09/24, 11:59pm in order to be eligible.

Please note: As we are providing students with the opportunity to meet top firms free-of-charge, and due to the size of the event, Bright Network are not able to cover travel expenditures for FESTIVAL.

Support from the Bright Network team

The Bright Network events team will be present around the venue all day. If you have a question or require support at any point during the event, we can always be found at reception at the entrance of the events space.

If you need first aid assistance at any point during the event, a mental health first aider and a physical first aider will be available to help.

Anything we haven’t covered? Get in touch

If you need support with anything prior to or during the event, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us at events@brightnetwork.co.uk and we'd be more than happy to help. Additionally, if you have any requirements that would help your attendance at the event be more accessible, please let us know and we can make suitable arrangements.

Zoom

The event will be streamed over Zoom. You can access the sessions via a web browser or the Zoom app. You will need to have a Zoom account to access the experience.

Signing into your account

Your joining link will be sent to you before the event. Please ensure that you log into Zoom using the same email address you used to apply to Black Heritage Future Leaders. Click on Register.

The hosts', speakers' and panellists' introductions will include an audio description for any attendees with visual impairments. For example, "My name is Hester and my pronouns are she/her. I'm the Senior Events Marketing Executive at Bright Network. I'm a white female in her early twenties with curly ginger hair. I'm wearing a green t-shirt and behind me is a busy office."

Your profile

If you click on your icon in the top right corner, you can update your personal profile. You can also select whether you’re ‘Feeling Social’ and are happy for people to connect with you, are ‘Simply Exploring’, or would prefer to be hidden. If you select ‘Hide Me’ people will not be able to DM you, but we will still be able to see your icon and name if you post in the Lobby chat.

How to edit your profile

We suggest adding your First Name, Last Name, your Degree and University. Add your Degree in the designated space for ‘Position.’ Add your University in the designated space for ‘Company. If you have joined via the Zoom desktop app/client, you will have the option to Create a full profile.

Anything we haven’t covered? Get in touch

If you need support with anything prior to or during the event, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us at events@brightnetwork.co.uk and we'd be more than happy to help. Additionally, if you have any requirements that would help your attendance at the event be more accessible, please let us know and we can make suitable arrangements.