Confidence in cyber: bringing an event to life

Sharing Experience: Vanessa Pedder, TechWyse

What I didn’t realise was just how much I’d enjoy the process of organising something bigger: working with partners and nudging myself out of the comfort zone I’ve lived in for about 22 years.

What began as a practical project quickly became a personal journey of growth and rediscovery.

Choosing to try

Deciding to run an event like this wasn’t straightforward. I’ve spent most of my career behind the scenes – planning, forecasting, supporting others – so stepping forward to speak with partners, negotiate sponsorship and lead something client‑facing, pushed me into unfamiliar territory. Saying, “Let’s try this” took strength. Telling myself, “I can organise this” took even more.

There were quiet doubts: Was it too ambitious? Should I keep it small? What should be on the agenda? But choosing to try meant accepting that uncertainty is part of growth. Shaping the agenda, coordinating partners, developing content, handling logistics and balancing timelines all demanded more focus and patience than comes naturally to me. Yet every time it felt overwhelming, I reminded myself why the event mattered: to give local businesses practical guidance to strengthen their cyber resilience in a fast‑changing digital landscape.

Somewhere between the calls, revisions and occasional “What am I doing?” moments, I realised I was genuinely enjoying myself – enjoying the collaboration, the problem‑solving and the sense that we were doing something positive for all involved.

Choosing to go big

There’s a distinct kind of courage involved in stepping publicly beyond your comfort zone. The questions were constant: Will anyone book? Will everything come together on the day? Deciding not just to run the event but to ‘go bigger’ was a real turning point.

A huge thank you to Pax8, and Curtis Stanley especially, for believing in us and giving us the backing to scale up. Bringing together Essex Police, Assurix, Cyber Trust and Pax8 meant committing to something substantial. Booking a larger room, working with an events team, designing new resources and posting on LinkedIn more often than seemed reasonable – all required bravery. A friend joked, “You’re either brave or stupid!” But it was never fear of failure that made it feel big – it was wanting to do it well and make it meaningful.

What kept me going, though, was the enthusiasm from others – for the event and for me and my team daring to ‘give it a go’. Even if only a handful of leaders attended, the impact and learning still mattered.

This experience taught me something simple but powerful: growth rarely happens in comfort – it happens in the doing. Stepping forward, trying something bigger and staying enthusiastic even when unsure, reminded me that courage isn’t about certainty, it’s about choosing to move anyway.