MORE than 120 entrepreneurs and business owners were at AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium for the first Dorset Growth Fest.

Organised by support agency Dorset Growth Hub, the event heard from a range of speakers from successful brands.

Speakers included Amy Dicketts, project manager of Monzo; Kate Peregrine, global head of social media for Dyson; Lara Morgan, founder of Pacific Direct; and Jim Cregan, co-founder of Jimmy’s Iced Coffee.

Leaders sharing their tips included Jamie Sergeant of This Is Crowd, Jason Gault of TeamJobs, Claire Burnett of Chococo and entrepreneur and business founder Ross Thornley.

The afternoon saw workshops on topics including PR, human resources, branding, influencer marketing and business mentoring, hosted by experts from Sunny Bird PR, the Message Maestro, Insightful FX, Dorset Police, Aspirin Business, New Life Social, Dorset HR Support, You Are The Media, Intergage and The Breathery.

Rich Burn, digital manager at Dorset Growth Hub, said: “We were so pleased to see a room full of people from all different business sectors and to hear from such a great line up of inspirational speakers across Dorset and the UK. We hope to make Dorset Growth Fest an annual event to continue to celebrate and inspire businesses across the region.”

Lara Morgan, founder of Pacific Direct, said: “I was delighted to be part of the event for the Dorset Growth Fest. It is so important to remember where you came from, where you started and the help you received along the way. In trying to be humble and living by these standards, as such, I love to live and work locally, giving back to events and people that need help and advice. Equally I’m happy to hear from anyone who thinks I may be able to help or guide them in the right direction.”

Amy Dicketts, product manager at Monzo, said: “I loved coming along to Dorset Growth Fest and having the chance to share my experiences. It was great to see so many exciting young businesses in the room getting the expertise they need to take their growth to the next level. I’m sure it will hugely benefit them and their local communities as a result.”