Home Business Events Entrepreneurs’ Forum announces high-profile line-up of speakers for upcoming conference

Entrepreneurs’ Forum announces high-profile line-up of speakers for upcoming conference

The man who restored the fortunes of Dartmoor Zoo and was later depicted by Matt Damon in a Hollywood blockbuster will join Heather Mills and several other inspirational figures when they visit the North East for the region’s largest entrepreneurial event.

The Entrepreneurs’ Forum’s ‘Together We Can Take on the World’ spring conference will feature Benjamin Mee, who, together with his family, bought and rescued the dilapidated Dartmoor Zoo in 2006. The revival was documented in Benjamin’s memoir, ‘We Bought A Zoo’, and later released as a Hollywood movie in 2011, starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.

Benjamin will talk about the story of how he saved the animals and prepared the site for re-opening to an audience of more than 300 Northern business leaders at the conference, which is taking place at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead on Thursday 9th May from 8am-5pm.

Celebrity businesswoman and personality Heather Mills, who has invested millions in the North East through her vegan food company VBites, will also detail her inspirational journey from homelessness to becoming a model, which came to a halt in 1993 when Heather was involved in a collision with a police motorbike that saw her lose her leg below the knee, and latterly how she has grown VBites into an international company.


Jim Cregan, the man behind household iced coffee brand, Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, joins the line-up to share how a trip to Australia sparked the creation of the UK-wide business, which is stocked in major supermarkets, fuel stations and gym chains.

John Hays, the man who started Hays Travel with no travel experience and has since built it into a £1bn turnover business, and Jon Smith, founder of sports management company First Artist – which supported the formation of the Premier League – complete the round-up of inspirational speakers at Together We Can Take on the World.

Hosted by BBC Radio Newcastle presenter Alfie Joey, the conference is sponsored by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP), with Park Commercial, Sullivan Brown Resourcing Partners, and Visualsoft as associate partners.

Gillian Marshall, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, said: “Our spring conference promises to be a truly exciting day that will be filled with inspirational stories shared by dynamic and diverse personalities and business leaders. It is an ideal opportunity for the region’s entrepreneurial community to draw on and learn from the experiences of our high-profile speakers.

“Together We Can Take on the World has grown to become the highlight of the Forum’s event calendar, as we continue to support the region’s businesses and entrepreneurs through our annual programme of inspirational events.”

Tickets for Together We Can Take on the World are available to Entrepreneurs’ Forum members and their guests and can be purchased via its website.