Guest speaker Ben delights at The Net's directors' dinner

One of the country’s most well-known television presenters and journalists, he gave an intriguing glimpse into his routine before hosting Good Morning Britain, Tipping Point and Ninja Warrior.

Ben, who has also presented a number of other shows including Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday, spoke about his high-profile interviews with Madonna and Jose Mourinho as well as working with co-hosts Kate Garraway and Susanna Reid.

The dinner was the inaugural event staged by The Net, the new business arm of AFC Bournemouth, a free-to-join club which will welcome hundreds of businesses to functions throughout the season.

It was attended by club partners and business club members – who enjoyed a sumptuous three-course dinner accompanied by live music – and sponsored by IFX Payments, AFC Bournemouth’s official money transfer partner.

Ben said: “It was a lovely evening and I was made to feel very welcome. It’s a great gang here and it was really good fun.

“It’s interesting for me to be able to share a bit about what I do. People get to see the on-screen stuff, but they don’t necessarily know what goes into getting there.

“Much like I’m interested and inquisitive to find out about all sorts of people and their backgrounds, it’s nice to be able to share a bit of insight and a few stories about people some of them might know.”

Jim Frevola, AFC Bournemouth’s president of business, was among the diners and said: “This is my sweet spot, I love meeting new people and love meeting the folks that make up our wonderful community and town.

“We had about 100 different local community partners at the dinner and it’s a phenomenal opportunity for them to not only spend time with us at the club but for them to spend time with the other people in the room.

“It’s all about them trying to grow their businesses. Whether they are small accounting firms or big corporations, they recognise the value of networking and of the association with AFC Bournemouth.”

Thanking IFX Payments for their support, he added: “We’re very excited to have IFX Payments on board.

“They approached us four or five months ago and we had some really good dialogue up front.

“They came at us for all the right reasons. They recognised the value of the brand and the relationship with the club. We’re honoured to help try to grow their business.”

The Net will host its Christmas Lunch at Vitality Stadium on Wednesday 6^th December. To hear more about future events, sign up here.

AFC Bournemouth would like to extend its thanks to The Net’s official partners – Bournemouth Town Centre BID, Dorset Chamber, ESET, Hill Osborne, Goadsby, IFX Payments, Stormbreak, Strategic Solutions, Tru Talent and Village Hotels.