# Event Details - **Event Name**: Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald) - **Event Start and End Date**: Mon, 17 Nov, 2025 at 06:00 pm – Mon, 17 Nov, 2025 at 08:00 pm - **Event Description**: A first-hand account of the critical decisions that make & break a scaling business in a storm of economic and customer uncertaintyAbout this EventWhat does it take to run a successful business? How do you cope with the daily pressures and a constantly changing landscape? Certainly, if there’s one thing more stressful than growing a company of 150 people, it’s fighting to sustain it - as people, product, market, financial & investor pressures mount up - and it becomes a race for survival.We're delighted to introduce Ben Heald - a leading, Bristol, digital entrepreneur - to openly discuss his experiences. As co-founder, CEO and then Chair of Sift, one of Bristol’s longest-standing digital media businesses, Ben has faced forms of this challenge every few years since the company was formed 29 years ago.Along the way, he’s nurtured and worked closely with his senior team - consistently handing over responsibilities to free up his time to gravite into becoming a director & major shareholder, but that's no easy thing to achieve.The Harsh RealitiesHe particularly believes in being transparent and honest about the challenges, blunders and strokes of fortune that are an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial journey.Silicon South will host a one-to-one chat and Q & A with Ben on 17th November, at Patch. Ben will share some unvarnished truths about his experiences with Sift. He will look at the pivotal choices that helped build up a thriving business and openly share those critical decisions and actions that triggered some extremely damaging outcomes.Ben will be interviewed by Anthony Story to uncover what did and, vitally, didn’t work.Please join us for a fascinating evening, some honest insights and some extraordinary, unique lessons – and to find out if the story has a happy ending!Future ShapersThis interview is the first in a series of events from Silicon South to bring together people who want to shape the future, through innovation, ideas and commercial success, in BCP .Future Shapers is designed to bring together anyone who wants to improve, learn and do what they can to make their world better to meet others who are driven by the same passion.The events will be a place to explore a broad canvas of topics - sometimes creative - sometimes tech - and sometimes commercial - but always 100% inspriational.This is where you will meet your tribe of others who are striving - through what they do and what they believe - to push forward what can and should be done to shape our future. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/bournemouth/future-shapers-the-harsh-realities-of-growth-with-ben-heald/100001870178447079 - **Event Categories**: business, contests, sports - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 2 hours - Location: Patch Bournemouth - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: Bournemouth - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: Patch Bournemouth - **lat**: 50.719918 - **long**: -1.8802768 - **full address**: Patch Bournemouth, 2-12 Commercial Road, Bournemouth, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald) - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/f7490787f1b874c181636627a6092226716eb6502dcaa839346189ba5b947707-rimg-w1200-h600-dc162a4b-gmir.jpg?v=1767066810 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald) being held? - **A:** Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald) takes place on Mon, 17 Nov, 2025 at 06:00 pm to Mon, 17 Nov, 2025 at 08:00 pm at Patch Bournemouth, 2-12 Commercial Road, Bournemouth, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald)? - **A:** Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald) is organized by Silicon South. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald) is ideal for professionals, entrepreneurs, startup founders, and networking enthusiasts eager to grow their connections. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Bournemouth, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald) sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Future Shapers: The Harsh Realities of Growth (with Ben Heald)", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/f7490787f1b874c181636627a6092226716eb6502dcaa839346189ba5b947707-rimg-w1200-h600-dc162a4b-gmir.jpg?v=1767066810", "startDate": "2025-11-17", "endDate": "2025-11-17", "url": "https://allevents.in/bournemouth/future-shapers-the-harsh-realities-of-growth-with-ben-heald/100001870178447079", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Patch Bournemouth", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "2-12 Commercial Road", "postalCode": "BH2 5LP", "addressLocality": "Bournemouth", "addressRegion": "EN", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "50.719918", "longitude": "-1.8802768" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "A first-hand account of the critical decisions that make & break a scaling business in a storm of economic and customer uncertainty", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-08", "availabilityEnds": "2025-11-17", "validFrom": "2026-04-08", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/bournemouth/future-shapers-the-harsh-realities-of-growth-with-ben-heald/100001870178447079" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-08", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/bournemouth/future-shapers-the-harsh-realities-of-growth-with-ben-heald/100001870178447079", "price": 0, "name": "Expression of Interest" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Silicon South", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/silicon-south/22822748", "description": "About Silicon SouthSilicon Southis a not for profit organisation with a mission to help the growth of Dorset’s creative and digital businesses. 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