THE Dorset Chamber of Commerce President’s Lunch kicked off the year in style with a talk from AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

Former Weymouth FC manager Jason Tindall, who is now assistant manager at Bournemouth also spoke at the event.

The President’s Lunch is the first major event of the DCCI calendar and was held at Bournemouth FC’s Goldsands Stadium with the best of Dorset business coming together.

It was the first lunch overseen by new DCCI president Rob Mitchell, the youngest chamber president in the country at 34, who was appointed in December.

With Bournemouth pushing for promotion to the Premier League, Mr Mitchell was excited about the future of the DCCI and the club where he is also commercial director.

He said: "It is a tremendous honour to host this lunch at AFC Bournemouth both as Chamber president and commercial director of the football club.

"There are exciting times ahead for the Chamber as well as for AFC Bournemouth and it is obviously edge of the seat stuff at the club as we work exceptionally hard to bring Premier League football to Dorset."

The event was one of the most successful in recent memory with 190 guests in attendance.

Howe and Tindall spoke about the importance of attitude and character in the workplace as well as on the football pitch.

Bournemouth boss Howe said: “Sometimes you have to be a counsellor or friend and sometimes you have to remove yourself and give honest feedback."

Tindall, who managed Weymouth FC from 2007 to 2008, added: "We strive to get better all of the time. It is about looking for those 1% gains because they make all the difference."

There was a silent auction in aid of Wessex Hearbeat which raised over £1,000 with prizes from the football club, Breeze, Bournemouth Sevens and the Marriott Bournemouth Highcliff Hotel.

The night also saw the Warde Award for the most outstanding apprentice awarded to Tonderai Taringa, 20, of JP Morgan in Bournemouth.

The award saw the highest amount of entries so far with 36 apprentices in the running for the prize.

Other guests included the High Sheriff of Dorset Jane Stichbury, Mayor and Mayoress of Bournemouth Chris Mayne and June Mathews, Mayor and Mayoress of Poole Peter and Brenda Adams and Lord Lieutenant Angus Campbell.

Rob Davis of the Dorset and Somerset Training Providers Network and DCCI chief executive Ian Girling and senior vice-presient David McNair also spoke to guests.