31st Asia-Pacific Venue Industry Congress

Enrique (chemical engineering degree) is Chief Information Officer at Real Madrid, leading the technological strategy for both corporation and Club infrastructures including New Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Technological Revolution design and implementation.

IT Architecture, Software engineering, Communications, A/V technologies, broadcasting, Intelligent buildings, IoT, etc, are key topics covered by Enrique´s activity He is also leading the Cybersecurity strategy to protect Real Madrid for the multiple angles in which could be threat.
Enrique has been working for the club since 1999.

Prior to Real Madrid, Enrique worked in technology consulting for over 9 years, with special focus on new technologies applications.

Mason Donley is the Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales, Service & Operations for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.

Currently in his 24th year with the organization, Mason heads the Kings Ticketing department that has set revenue and attendance records including a 297-game sell-out streak and most recently won the NHL Stanley Award for Ticket Sales Initiative of the Year in 2023. While continuing to grow the Kings ticket base with innovative product offerings and cutting-edge sales strategies, Mason pushes the envelope in service and retention to achieve record renewal rates and produce impactful service initiatives and events.

Mason’s tenure with the LA Kings and AEG started with the LA Kings Hockey Development Department, then from 2007-2014, Mason was an integral part of the AEG Sales & Marketing team and contributed to the success of numerous events and properties including The GRAMMY Museum, Regal Cinemas at L.A. LIVE, the Amgen Tour of California, championship boxing, MLL lacrosse, WTA tennis, MLS/WPS/International soccer, track and field, numerous family shows, award shows, and more.

Mason currently resides in Redondo Beach, California with his wife and their three boys.

Paul Samuels, Executive Vice President for Global Partnerships at AEG Europe, is responsible for overseeing all Sponsorship Sales, Partnership activation and Premium Seating across all AEG assets internationally, outside of the US – including The O2 in London and Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin, as well as festivals such as American Express presents BST Hyde Park and Luno presents All Points East. Paul is also responsible for the Global Partnerships team across Asia with exciting new projects in development in Thailand, Japan and Korea.

Having been with the business since 2007, Paul came to AEG from O2, where he worked as Head of Sponsorships. It was here that he first encountered AEG Europe when he negotiated the naming rights for the now renowned The O2, arguably an example of one of the most successful and iconic naming partnerships to date. The partnership re-defined the traditional corporate sponsorship as a huge customer engagement opportunity and it continues to deliver ROI for O2 and AEG 17 years on. Under his role at O2, Paul was also the major broker in sponsorship deals with Arsenal FC and the England Rugby Team.

Paul left O2 in 2006 to serve as The Bonham Group’s CEO for Europe, subsequently overseeing the sale of the company to AEG Europe.

In his current role at AEG Europe, he oversees a team of 100 people across Europe and APAC, negotiating partnerships across AEG’s assets.

In 2019, Paul was awarded the acclaimed “Champion of Sponsorship” Award at the UK Sponsorship Awards, an award given by the industry to leaders in their field and in 2023, was inaugural recipient of a ESA Fellowship, from the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) for outstanding contribution to the industry.

Paul sits on the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Silver Clef Awards committee. He is also actively involved with the Speakers for Schools charity, as well as a mentor for the Ort Jump Start programme.

On weekends, Paul can be found on the sidelines watching his three daughters playing football or ferrying them to and from their busy social engagements!

Paul Yeomans is the Chief Executive Officer of PMY Group, a leading technology solutions company boasting more than 1,000 of the most recognisable stadia, major events, and entertainment clients globally. PMY’s journey has been marked by dynamic growth and a commitment to its people, clients and a pursuit of excellence. The company has played a significant role in the transformation of Australian Stadia and Major Events over the past decade and is now at the cutting edge of the technology sector around the world stewarding billions in technology outcomes for its impressive stable of clients.

Gabriel Clark brings over 15 years of global industry expertise to his role as Vice President of Events Operations and Workflow at LIV Golf. His career started in marquee construction in Hong Kong and expanded to leading operational execution for a variety of events, including music, fashion, and high-profile food, wine, and sports occasions. At LIV Golf, Clark is crucial to the core team managing operational strategy, overseeing continuous improvement, and implementing crowd intelligence and data-driven insights across a diverse event portfolio.

His comprehensive event management experience includes operational delivery, project direction, creative and content production, project management, key account team management, venue sourcing, and technical design and production. Clark advises maintaining a keen focus on leveraging information, insights, and expertise to continuously enhance the event experience for all stakeholders.

In addition to his current role, Clark’s background features leading cross-functional teams in the planning, logistics, design, production, and on-site delivery of large-scale live events and festivals across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas. He is skilled in managing significant budgets and optimizing costs through strategic negotiations and operational improvements. His credentials include being a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and PRINCE2 Agile certified, highlighting his proficiency in developing robust operational strategies, risk mitigation, and data-driven decision-making.

Clark’s passion lies in fostering collaborative, high-performing teams to ensure flawless event execution and exceptional attendee experiences that drive loyalty and growth. His leadership is pivotal in continuing to push the boundaries of industry innovation on the global stage.

Eric is the President/CEO of the Tampa Sports Authority. He previously served as the President and CEO of the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority. Prior to Lansing, Eric served as the Director of Event Services for the Minneapolis Convention Center and as Associate Director for the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. He began his career at the Iowa State Center in Ames, Iowa where he served as the Guest Services Manager and was later promoted to Event Coordinator. Eric is actively involved in IAVM (International Association of Venue Managers), having served as Chair of the Association, Chair of the Venue Management School (VMS) and Dean of the VMS Graduate Institute. Eric earned the prestigious Certified Venue Executive (CVE) designation from IAVM in 2013.

Ange Anderson is a bubbly, charismatic and credible radio news personality who has a voice that’s easily recognised in Brisbane where she’s been on the airwaves for the past 13 years, most recently on KIIS 97.3 and Nova 106.9.

Ange reports the news in her own unique and personable style bringing credibility to a breakfast show through not just her extensive news knowledge. Ange is not afraid to be vulnerable, has an open mind, is intuitive and entertains with her incredible wit.

After more than 18 years working in FM and AM newsrooms across Australia, Ange has found a passion for entertainment. She’s reported on some of the biggest events across the East Coast and interviewed stars like Oprah, the Dalai Lama, David Beckham, Cate Blanchett and Pamela Anderson.

She’s also a respected emcee, marriage celebrant and university guest lecturer. Most importantly, Ange is a wife to Josh, mum to her 3 year old daughter Hallie and has incredible bond with her German Shepherd Arlo.

Daniel is an experienced leader having made significant contributions across the Sports, Major Events, Venue Management and Venue Infrastructure Development sectors. With more than 20 years' experience, he started his career working closely with Athletes, identifying, and then training talent for Olympic sports. He then moved into the Major Event Sector playing key roles in events such as The Australian Open, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Asian Cup and World Swimming Championships before shifting to Venue Management roles working at The Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) Ground and then the Melbourne & Olympic Parks precinct (including Rod Laver, Margaret Court and John Cain Arenas). More recently he has been involved in the development/redevelopment of significant venue infrastructure playing key roles in the $363M Stage 1 Redevelopment of Melbourne Park (Eastern Plaza & Margaret Court Arena), the $91M Stage 4 Redevelopment of GMHBA Stadium, the $338M Stage 2 Melbourne Park Redevelopment (Tanderrum Bridge & Rod Laver Arena) and the $225M Marvel Stadium Upgrade Project. Daniel is currently Director, Major Projects for the Olympic & Paralympic Infrastructure Office which is a division of Queensland Governments, Department of State Development and Infrastructure. This role oversees planning and delivery of a $5.2B sub-program of works within the Brisbane 2032 Venues and Villages program, specifically Brisbane Arena (Swimming), Queensland Sports & Athletics Centre (Athletics), Suncorp Stadium (Ceremonies) and the Gabba (TBC) projects.

Executive Chef, Matthew Arnold is a passionate and practicing environmentalist who calls out food waste as the greatest challenge for a working kitchen. In his 30-year career in the top kitchens of Australia, New Zealand and London, Matthew has maintained his belief in the environmental cause, searching for new ways to embed sustainable practices wherever possible.

Today as Executive Chef of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in charge of the Centre’s many kitchens, Matthew operates with a collaborative management style, identifying and working with the skills and strengths of the team - always through the lens of improving the kitchen environment both operationally and through reducing food waste, while enhancing the dining experience for patrons.

Matthew, with the support of the BCEC staff family, was the leading instigator behind the venue’s participation in the Containers for change Scheme, with funds raised donated to local charities and social enterprise organisations.

As well as a deep focus on his work, Matthew gives back to his local community, donating his chef’s skills on a regular basis, at times personally preparing and cooking meals for those most in need. Currently at BCEC Matthew and the team are helping out with hot meals for those must vunerable, at the locally based Emmanuel City Mission.

Matthew’s career in the kitchen began as a pastry chef, with a very defined and extraordinary talent which has seen him work in some of London’s finest hotels including The Berkeley Hotel in fashionable Knightsbridge and New Zealand’s famous Huka Lodge, favourite destination of royalty and celebrities.

The mission of Matthew and his team is to create menus that deliver guests an extraordinary Queensland culinary experience, celebrating the unique vibrancy and diversity of the regional produce, helping guests to make sustainable choices.

Alex Aspromourgos is Mapien’s Chief Industrial Relations Strategist. With over 30 years’ experience and deep industry knowledge, Alex provides strategic guidance, representation, and support for employers across a broad range of employment and industrial relations needs.

Alex’s long-standing relationship and experience in the events, live performance and hospitality industries gives him a unique understanding of the Industry’s key success factors and business drivers. This understanding allows Alex to tailor solutions which instil confidence and reduce stress levels in even the most challenging situations. Alex supports his clients in implementing modern employment arrangements and advises in all facets of industrial relations.

Alex’s approach is defined by a commitment to understanding his clients’ business and industry from their perspective. His calm manner and unwavering focus make him perfectly placed to provide strategic advice to clients in the events space.

Matt is the General Manager of Members and Customer Experience at Venues NSW. Previously Matt has worked across marketing in sports, entertainment, events and venues at Red Bull, Perisher Ski Resort, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, and the National Rugby League. The Venues NSW network includes major sporting and cultural precincts in Sydney Olympic Park, Moore Park, Parramatta, Newcastle, and Wollongong including the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium and Sporting Club of Sydney. Matt manages one of the oldest and most successful premium membership programs in Australia with a waitlist of more than 15yrs. Passionate about delivery great live experience he also looks after customer experience design, implementation, analytics and research to ensure members and guests to the venues enjoy these amazing destinations and extraordinary experiences.

Simon has over 25 years of experience working in Local Governments across New Zealand and Australia, including 20 years in the venue and events industry. Starting out in Aquatic Program Coordination, his career has included senior management of aquatic facilities, indoor sports centres, multi-purpose community sport precincts and live music venues.

Simon's current responsibilities include Sunshine Coast Councils' three major sport facilities; Kawana Sports Precinct (including Sunshine Coast Stadium & Lake Kawana), Caloundra Indoor Stadium and Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex amassing over 200 hectares of sport and recreation assets. Simon is passionate about his venues and excels in driving visitation to the Sunshine Coast region through mass participation in sports, events and entertainment.

Simon is currently heavily involved with the planning and delivery of Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games infrastructure proposed to be delivered at the Kawana Sport Precinct including indoor and outdoor stadium deliverables.

Simon graduated from the Venue Management School in 2013, was a Graduate of the VMS Leadership Institute in 2017 and was awarded his AVM in 2023.

Malu Barrios has spent over 20 years at Director level in the events industry; developing and implementing venue management strategies across a variety of major convention centres and event venues throughout Australia.

She is a seasoned ASM Global executive, having successfully launched three of the global venue management group’s facilities prior to undertaking her current role of Director of Event Services at ICC Sydney.

Malu previously held the position of Events Director of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, General Manager of the Darwin Convention Centre, and General Manager of Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island, where she ensured the seamless transition of events from the interim facility to ICC Sydney. Malu was also associated with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW as General Manager of the Sydney Showground where she contributed to great cultural and corporate change within the organisation.

Malu was an instrumental member of the ICC Sydney opening team and has since overseen the delivery thousands of world class events since it’s opening in December 2016.

In her role as Director of Event Service, Malu oversees the teams involved in ICC Sydney’s event planning, event operations, customer service and live events. Her team is often considered to be the engine room of ICC Sydney, working hand in hand with clients to bring their extraordinary event visions to life.

Under her guidance, ICC Sydney’s operations have gone from strength to strength and have been recognised with numerous industry accolades. This includes the Exhibitions and Events Association of Australasia (EEAA) Best Venue Team in 2018 and 2019 and being awarded the Best Event Venue – Capacity over 1500 from the prestigious Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) 2019 National Awards, amongst others.

She has a global reputation for being a first-class leader and is well recognised for her expertise and advocacy of business events and venue management. Malu was recognised as the inaugural Unsung Hero of the event and exhibition industry by the EEAA in 2017 for her significant contribution over many years.

Becc Barry is a people centred leader focusing on talent, attachment and engagement. She is currently Group Director, People & Culture with ASM Global (APAC). In this role Becc is working with all ASM Global venues in the Asia Pacific and Gulf Region to bring together collaborative initiatives that drive performance, capability and culture.

Peter is a Certified Venue Executive from the International Association of Venue Managers, an Accredited Venue Manager from the Venue Management Association (Asia and Pacific) and has over 20 years’ experience in executive management for public venues across 23 facilities and over 500 major events. Peter brings extensive industry networks to VenuesWest and has played a pivotal role in establishing and chairing national and international working groups such as the Australia Rectangular Stadia Group and the Australia and New Zealand Government Venue Agency Group. As COO, Peter is responsible for the organisation’s six self-managed venues and has delivered record revenue performance, customer satisfaction and visitation results during this time.

Olivia commenced her current role as CEO at Tennis West in February 2024. Having previously been the Head of Operations at Tennis West, starting in early 2020, just as COVID hit the industry and forced lockdowns. During this time, Olivia engaged heavily with the IAVM and VMA webinars and had calls with people in the USA and Australia, to support each other. Olivia comes from a small venue environment, where she has had to ‘wear a lot of hats’ and manage a range of issues. Olivia is now well versed in biosecurity and COVID Safety Plans, as much as emergency response plans, bookings systems, asset registers and staff management. Oliva brought this diverse range of skills and knowledge together as she completed her Accredited Venue Manager accreditation in 2020. Olivia joined the Venue Management Association Board in 2021 and she looks forward to seeing the industry grow and embrace a diverse range of venues and members.

From booking bands in high school to his role as Chief Executive Officer at Frontier Touring – music and audiences have been part of Dion Brant’s whole life.

Dion’s career started in marketing and programming roles in commercial radio. He transitioned to Ticketek and held executive roles driving engagement with promoters, venues and sporting bodies, gaining an understanding of the promoter business model and the behaviour of live audiences.

After completing an MBA at AGSM, Dion turned to consulting, sharing knowledge of live audiences and audience loyalty with clients across the major sport, venue and concert industries.

In 2013 Michael & Matt Gudinski came knocking, recruiting Dion to head up strategy and development across the Mushroom Group. Within a year, the role moved to focus on Mushroom’s live businesses, in particular Frontier Touring.

When Michael Gudinski passed away unexpectedly in March 2021, AEG Presents and Mushroom Group backed Dion to become Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Touring, and establish a new executive structure with Susan Heymann, Reegan Stark and Andrew Spencer, to lead the business out of the post-Michael and post-COVID period.

Torben Brookman is joint Chief Executive Officer of the GWB Entertainment Group and is a theatrical producer and presenter with a wide variety of experience across theatrical productions, concerts, festivals, and venues. Along with producing and presenting nationally in Australia and New Zealand, Torben has specialised in producing and touring productions throughout Asia since 2001.

Previous roles have included Chief Executive Officer of Theatre Royal Sydney, Deputy Executive Director at the Adelaide Festival, General Manager and Executive Producer of The Ambassador Theatre Group Asia Pacific and Executive Producer of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Commercial Projects at the Adelaide Festival Centre.

Productions that Torben has produced and toured have included, Sunset Boulevard, Groundhog Day The Musical, Miss Saigon, Death of a Salesman, 2.22 A Ghost Story, A Christmas Carol, An American In Paris, Girl From the North Country, Jagged Little Pill, West Side Story, School of Rock, Matilda, The Rocky Horror Show, 1984, The Beast, Ghost The Musical, Thriller Live!, Avenue Q, Kristin Chenoweth in Concert, Ultimate Broadway as the Opening event for the Shanghai Culture Square Theatre, Disney's High School Musical, Metro Street, The Lonesome West, Celtic Legends, We Will Rock You, La Fin Des Terres by Compagnie Philippe Genty, Slava’s Snowshow, Jesus Christ Superstar.

From 2001 – 2005, Torben worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company, The Really Useful Group as Associate Producer touring Cats across Asia, Middle East and Scandinavia, The Phantom of the Opera (Asian Tour) and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Beijing, Shanghai).

Torben is a member of the Management Committee and Executive Council of Live Performance Australia, Australia’s peak body for the Live Performance industry.

As Manager Venues and Events for Tauranga City Council, Nelita leads a team developing, delivering, and funding events and venues across one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing cities with the vision to be the host city in Aotearoa. She has a wealth of experience coming from the Venues team at New Plymouth District Council in Taranaki. Nelita led the New Plymouth team overseeing the strategic, business development, and operational delivery of Yarrow Stadium a 22,500 multi-code stadium, TSB Stadium three court indoor arena, TSB Bowl of Brooklands a picturesque 15,000 outdoor amphitheater and TSB Showplace, three theatres and conference facility. With over 18 years experience in the industry, Nelita has worked in various management roles including a senior management role with Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT).

Diane Chen is General Manager and Member of the Board of Shenyang New World EXPO (Management) Ltd., responsible for managing and operating the most state-of-the-art exhibition and meeting venue in Northeast China. She joined Shenyang New World EXPO (EXPO) during its pre-opening stage in 2012 and progressed through several senior leadership positions before being promoted to General Manager in 2016.

As an active facilitator of the meeting and exhibition industry, Diane is currently a board member and Vice-Chair of Asia-Pacific Chapter of UFI - The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and also a member of the VMA. She has been very active in the venue industry in China and served as a regular instructor at UFI-VMA’s Public Venue Management School which is held annually in China. As EXPO’s representative, she serves as the Vice-Chairman of Shenyang Exhibition Industry Association and regularly sits on the Experts Jury Panel for local Governments’ large-scale event qualification of public financing.

Diane successfully completed the VMS and its graduate Institute in Australia. She continued her professional development to improve venue management qualifications, and completed the Senior Executive course jointly organized by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) with Cornell University and Georgetown University in the U.S. respectively in 2019 and 2023. In 2021, Diane has been awarded the designation of Certified Venue Executive (CVE) from the IAVM. She is the first venue industry professional in Mainland China to receive the prestigious certification from the IAVM.

Diane holds a Master’s Degree in Business Strategy Management at the Institut des Hautes Études Économiques et Commerciales and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law at the University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne in France. She is fluent in English, French and Mandarin.

Heather is currently the Precinct Manager at Walsh Bay Arts Precinct in Sydney.

Prior to joining Walsh Bay, she was the General Manager, Event Operations & Planning at the Sydney Opera House and has over 30 years’ experience in event management across the arts and culture industries. Her extensive expertise includes experience in operational strategy development and implementation, budgeting and leadership management. She has a wealth of practical technical experience and has successfully managed tours into a wide variety of performing arts centres across a multitude of venues.

She has had the pleasure of working with some of the country’s most well–known choreographers and directors and has worked for many of Australia’s major arts and events companies. Heather is a current VMA Board Member.

Steven is a member of the Yagara people with bloodline connection to Magandjin (Brisbane) Tchingaree (North Stradbroke Island) and Tulmur (Ipswich). He is an Elder within his clan groups who enjoys meeting and talking to people.

Steven has a background in mining with a focus on Cultural Heritage and Native Title and has assisted many Indigenous groups and mining companies reach good outcomes in cultural heritage management, employment and training and commercial opportunities.

Steven enjoys Rugby League, fishing and his favourite place on earth is 1 Mile on Straddy up in the bush or down by the sea.

Luke Coleman has been in the venue management industry since 2006, previous to which working in the entertainment, production, music and events field in various senior roles in London and in Sydney.

In 2006 he took on the role of Director, Parramatta Stadium, a venue managed by the Parramatta Stadium Trust as a statutory authority of the NSW State Government.

During his tenure at Parramatta Stadium, Luke was seconded as acting CEO of Hunter Venues in Newcastle and with the establishment of Venues NSW, again seconded, as acting Chief Operating Officer of the organization.

In 2017 with the amalgamation of Hurstville and Kogarah Council in Sydney, Luke was employed the by newly formed Georges River Council to retrieve the management of Jubilee Stadium that had been leased to the St George Dragons for the previous 25 years.

Since that time Luke’s portfolio has expanded to include all the Premium Sporting Facilities in the Georges River Local Government Area such as aquatic centres, golf courses, tennis centres and Tier 1 sporting fields like Hurstville Oval.

Luke Coleman is well versed with dynamics of working in and with a local government organization.

Rochelle Courtenay is Share the Dignity’s Founder and Managing Director, though the title she is most proud of though is ‘Pad Lady’

Share the Dignity is a national charity founded in 2015 with the mission to ensure that everyone is afforded the dignity in life that so many of us take for granted. Share the Dignity brings dignity to those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, or period poverty through the distribution of period products. Share the Dignity is powered by volunteers, and through Rochelle’s contagious spirit, over 6,000 volunteers have jumped on board to help ‘share the dignity’.

Share the Dignity has collected and distributed over 4.5 million period products through multiple initiatives across Australia. Rochelle has won recognition and accolades for her work including Finalist Australian of the Year, Cosmopolitan Humanitarian of the Year and Pride of Australia.
As well as holding biannual collections for period products nationwide, Rochelle is passionate about advocating for change and creating long-term solutions. Share the Dignity successfully advocated to axe the tax on period products, with the GST on period products being removed in early 2019. Additionally, Share the Dignity has been advocating for free period products in schools and public places for years and since then, many states have begun implementing programs.

All this work has been fuelled by passion, necessity, and dogged determination.

Michael Cox is the Director of Operations at Qudos Bank Arena, having oversight of the total operation of the Arena including the delivery of the Arena’s Technical Operations, Ticketing, Assets (including Presentation Services), Events Services and Security Divisions.

With over 20 years’ experience in the industry, Michael is an Accredited Venue Manager (AVM) and a current instructor at the Venue Management School.

Geoff serves as the Convention and Arts Centre Manager for the Devonport City Council in North-West Tasmania. Prior to this, he held the position of Director at the Burnie Arts & Function Centre and Burnie Regional Art Gallery. Geoff possess a strong foundation in community cultural development. In 2018, he was selected for the Museum Leadership Program, conducted at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management. Moreover, in 2013, he was honoured to receive the prestigious Gallaugher Bequest Churchill Fellowship, enabling him to explore exceptional public and creative learning programs at leading multi-arts centres in the UK and USA.

In his current capacity, Geoff supervises the operations of the paranaple convention centre. This state-of-the-art venue, launched in 2018, stands as a contemporary and purpose-built meeting and events space, situated in the heart of the Cradle-Coast region. Notably, the centre is a pivotal component of the broader urban renewal initiative, named Living City, the largest project of its kind undertaken in regional Tasmania.

Josh Eltringham is the General Manager – Venue and Event Services at the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) and has been at the Club since 2015. Josh has almost 20 years of event and venue management experience at organisations such as the Carlton Football Club, London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games and Melbourne & Olympic Parks.

In his current role, Josh is responsible for the leadership and oversight of the Venue & Event Services department and all aspects of event management at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The MCG attracts over 4 million patrons per year and has a capacity in excess of 100,000 patrons. The Melbourne Cricket Club has over 150,000 members and over 215,000 on the waiting list making it one of the largest sporting Clubs in the world. The MCG is one of the busiest stadiums in the world with over 90 event days and 1,000 non-event day functions annually.

More specifically, Josh is responsible for the following functional areas;
• Event Operations
• Customer Service
• Ticketing
• Staffing (up to 1,000 casual event staff)
• Safety
• Security
• Emergency Management
• Business Resilience
• Precinct Operations (including management of Yarra Park)

Craig Gamble is a theatre design consultant, project, and technical manager with over forty years national and international experience working in, designing, and building theatres, museums, galleries, and other cultural and creative spaces.

He has a Bachelor of Arts (Technical Production) from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), a Diploma of Management from Swinburne University and is a member of the International Association of Theatre Consultants (UK).

Prior to starting Setting Line, he was involved in the Australian and international production touring industry as a technician, production, or venue manager or as a specialist venue planning consultant.
He was the redevelopment and later Operations Manager for the Wellington Museums Trusts Capital E & National Children’s Theatre venue development and technical operations manager for Melbourne Museum/Museum Victoria in their $300M development, he represented the Melbourne Theatre Company in the development with State Government Victoria of their new Southbank (Melbourne) theatres and separate HQ buildings and following that was an Associate with Marshall Day leading their theatre design team for nearly eight years and over two hundred projects across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

As a specialist venue design consultant, Craig has developed complete designs, technical specifications and drawings for tender for various projects including: the dynamic Wodonga Cube, Melbourne Theatre Company’s Southbank Theatres, The Red Earth Arts Precinct in Karratha WA, Western Sydney Performing Arts Centre (now known as the Coliseum), Emmanuel College Theatre - Warrnambool, the Events Centre - Caloundra, the Wonthaggi Union Theatre, Horsham Theatre & Regional Art Gallery, Shaw Auditorium Hong Kong, New Zealand International Conference Centre Auckland, Siena College Camberwell, St James College Oakleigh, Melbourne Museum and the Bali Agung Theatre and most recently the Underwater Theatre for the Bali Safari and Marine Park amongst at least ninety other new, refurbished, or remodelled venues of all sizes.

Dr. Neil Gibson is Project Director for the redevelopment of an Olympic legacy site in Blacktown, Sydney. The redevelopment includes a health, education and sports centre with tenants including the Australian Catholic University, the Australian Football League, WentWest and Sydney West Sports Medicine; a 100-bed hotel, disability sport centre of excellence; physical literacy area; playing fields; and new active transport infrastructure. Existing stakeholders within the Olympic legacy precinct include Cricket NSW, Western Sydney Wanderers, Baseball and Softball NSW who occupy Ovals, Soccer pitches and Diamonds. Neil is responsible for capital infrastructure with a capital value of $120 million.

Prior to moving to Australia Neil was responsible for the delivery of Oriam, Scotland’s national sports performance centre, a £37 million home for the Scottish Football Association, Scottish Rugby Union and Scottish Institute of Sport. After the project was opened Neil assumed the role of Director of Sport, Performance and Health where he had oversight of performance programmes as well as initiatives designed to promote community health and physical activity. Neil developed two new taught postgraduate courses in the area of sports management, supervised postgraduate research students in sport and developed taught content for Edinburgh University.

Neil received his doctorate from Chester University in the area of self-regulation and pacing during high intensity running in adolescent athletes. Neil was previously head of Sport Science with Heart of Midlothian FC and the Scottish Football Association supporting their men’s national team in UEFA and FIFA tournaments, leading a programme of research in their performance schools and managing their womens national academy. Neil has attended two Commonwealth Games as team manager and held consultancy roles with the English Football Association, Great Britain Water Polo and Scotland Rugby League. Neil is a published author and Fellow with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists and holds a professional accreditation with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association.

Anthony Griffin has been a professional rugby league coach for 26 years with a total of 231 NRL games as Head Coach. His illustrious career has seen him on the coaching staff at the Melbourne Storm, reach two grand finals and a premiership in the Queensland Cup, and 6 out of 9 NRL finals series with the Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers, and St George Illawarra Dragons. Anthony also helped guide Tonga to two of their best victories over England and Australia in the 2019 Rugby League Oceanic Cup.

His longevity as a Rugby League coach is a direct reflection of Anthony's key values of authenticity and resilience. With these values at the core of Anthony's work, he has built teams and clubs from the ground up. Whether this is through guiding young men into flourishing NRL careers, facilitating leadership groups, or building high-performance staff, systems, strategies and cultures, Anthony's knowledge and guidance is invaluable for anyone in any industry.

Anthony strongly believes that success comes from within. Everyone involved in an organization should be taken along the same journey guided by a culture that is built off a set of core values, standards, and relationships. Anthony's strength is ensuring that staff understand their role, guiding leaders through people and change management strategies, and mentoring individuals and groups to get from where they are to where they need to be.

Angela Higgins is the founder of industry specialist agency, Antix Management and Co-Producer of the Ticketing Australia Conference.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the entertainment industry, Angela is recognised for her deep industry knowledge, global connections, and data-driven insights on the Australian and New Zealand markets. In 2007, Angela formed Antix Management to support international and domestic producers to optimise revenue and attendance for live events. Antix collaborates with clients, venues and ticketing companies to find the delicate equilibrium between maximising sales and providing the best customer experience.

With a career spanning more than 20 years, Roxanne Hopkins has led marketing strategy and teams at some of Queensland's most recognised visitor experiences including Dreamworld, Whitewater World and South Bank as well as Brisbane Marketing (now Brisbane Economic Development Agency). Roxanne is currently Executive Director of Marketing and Ticketing at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), leading a period of technological innovation in ticketing, measurable business growth, and a focus on audience-led marketing and communications strategy.

Roxanne is passionate about developing innovative and effective marketing strategies driven by insightful interpretation of consumer-led research. Combining this with a pragmatic, real-world problem-solving style and extensive experience managing stakeholders, Roxanne is a respected business leader with a proven reputation for delivery.

Matthew has over 20 years of experience in the venue and events industry, commencing in production and stage management. His career has taken him from theatres and touring productions to holding senior executive positions in some of the world-leading venues and precincts.
His executive leadership roles include iconic venues such as Crown Resorts Melbourne, Melbourne and Olympic Parks, Southern Cross Station and Federation Square.
He has led large-scale operational teams delivering iconic global events and critical infrastructure operations across master planning projects, commercial developments, significant capital works programs, and technology innovation projects across significant infrastructure and public precincts.
A leader committed to long-term success working across all levels to deliver strategic, operational outcomes. He is a passionate coach, mentor and enabler of leading event management and public precinct teams.
Matthew is deeply committed to protecting critical social infrastructure and public safety and is a regular contributor to the Barrington Centre Executive Consequence Management Course specialising in Strategy in Action.
As a Non-Executive Director of the Venue Management Association (Asia Pacific), he continues his commitment to developing the industry’s future leaders and the long-term development of the venues and events sector.

As the Director of Sport and Recreation Venues, Cameron is responsible for the leadership and management of nine venues the Department of Tourism and Sport owns and operates including delivery of high quality customer experiences, business growth, safe operations and delivery of capital works to ensure the venues provide value to the Queensland community.

The SRV portfolio features iconic venues embedded in the history of the communities they have served for more than 70 years. They are made up of 5 venues we directly own and operate (Gold Coast Recreation Precinct, Sunshine Coast Recreation Precinct, Sports House Brisbane, Toowoomba Sports Ground and Townsville Sports Precinct) and four leased venues (Belmont International Shooting Complex, Magnetic Island Recreation Centre, Leslie Dam Recreation Centre and Yeppoon Recreation Centre). The primary purpose of the Sport and Recreation Venues are to provide regionally significant venues that influence and inspire active experiences for Queenslanders.
Cameron has over 20 years experience within the sport and recreation industry with half that time within the venues industry, with experience working within State & local government, the private sector and in a volunteering capacity.

During Cameron’s time leading the DTS Sport and Recreation Venues team, he has overseen the growth of the venues portfolio that has seen the business more than double since 2015.

Melbourne born Suzanne has a longstanding love for live theatre and entertainment. Her career in main stage theatrical productions commenced with degrees in both economics and music leading to a start in the industry as a Sound Engineer with Arts Centre Melbourne and System Sound. She spent several years working with GFO/Xroads and in 2017 she established JONES Theatrical Group to produce work in Australia and around the world. It is under this banner that Suzanne produced the Australian tours of the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz, Chicago The Musical, Pippin, 9 to 5 The Musical, Madagascar, 2:22 A Ghost Story. Recent and upcoming productions include the brand new interactive magic show Metaverse of Magic, the current tour of Chicago The Musical and the Australian premiere of Peter and the Starcatcher.

Greg Khoury is Executive Director at the Century Venues Group and has a 40-year career in theatre management and live arts presentation that spans the commercial and subsidised sectors. Century are specialists in the revitalisation of live performance spaces and theatres and the creation of new venues.

The group has created and presents festivals and events across the country, runs a boutique artists agency and tours artists and acts here and overseas. Century has driven cultural initiates from the campaign to save the Regent and Capitol theatres through to the establishment of the Next Century Trust, Sydney Fringe Festival, the Live Music Venues Alliance and the Enmore Rd Special Entertainment Precinct with Inner West Council.

Greg is a directors of industry organisations including the 5 Eliza Trust and is currently Chair of the Ballet Society National Alliance.

After 20 years in TV Production and the live music scene, and 5 years in concert touring and video production, Glen commenced as Operations Manager of Rod Laver Arena in 2019. Recently promoted to Head of Production & Operations, at Melbourne & Olympic Parks, he has a strong desire to continue to improve the efficiency, consistency, and safety of all MOPT venues.

Justin is responsible for 24/7 Software’s global commercial operations including marketing, sales, and customer success. He is passionate about partnering with customers around the world and helping to bring the market leader in venue operations technology to the world’s greatest venues. Justin has over 20 years of international experience in high-growth SaaS companies. He has lived and worked throughout Europe and North America and has an MBA from the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow.  Justin is Canadian and an avid hockey player, having played throughout Europe and North America.

Phil King is the current Managing Director of Ticketek Australia.

His previous roles include; Chief Commercial Officer at the South Australian Cricket Association; General Manager of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Coopers Stadium, which encompassed the overall managerial responsibility for the operational and commercial aspects of both venues.

Prior to moving to Adelaide, Phil was the Director of Live Entertainment at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICCS) from 2016 to 2018 and was part of the pre–opening team. From 2011 to 2015 Phil was the Commercial Manager at Qudos Bank Arena (QBA), Australia’s largest indoor arena. Prior to working at QBA, Phil was the Commercial Manager at Suncorp Stadium, widely regarded as the best rectangular venue in Australia, working there from 2004 to 2011.

Phil commenced in the venue management industry at Marvel Stadium in 2001 (formerly Colonial Stadium). Phil is well recognised as a Senior Venue Management Professional with more than 18 years’ experience across Stadia and Arena’s. Phil is an Accredited Venue Manager (AVM), and an alumnus of the inaugural Venue Management School’s Graduate Institute Program, a current instructor at the Venue Management School and a VMA Board Member from 2017.

As ASM Global’s Group Director - Kitchens, Martin oversees the development and implementation of world-class kitchen standards across the company’s family of facilities spanning Australasia, Asia, India and the Middle East.

During his time as Executive Chef of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), Martin led one of the strongest and most experienced culinary teams in Australia, delivering world class standards of fine dining, evidenced by over 70 catering awards including ‘World’s Best’ for Food & Beverage by the International Association of Congress Centres, and ‘Australia’s Best’ by Meetings & Events Australia.

During the 2014 G20 Summit, Martin was responsible for development of menus for 27 world leaders, and eight heads of international organisations including Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia‘s delegation. In total, Martin lead service design and delivery to the 4,000 strong delegation as well as the 2,500 members of the world’s media.

Martin was also responsible for BCEC being the first convention centre in the world to have a kitchen team be invited to represent and compete for their country at the prestigious world gastronomic competition, the Bocuse d’Or. He was the inspiration behind the establishment of the venue’s dedicated Dietary Kitchen –the first in an Australian convention centre–which saw the venue recognised as the industry benchmark for allergen management and control.

Seasonality, quality, and food provenance has been a lifetime passion for Martin, which has driven his belief that ‘fresh is best’ when it comes to food preparation and that a food experience should encompass the sensory elements of taste, touch, look and smell.

2019 – Current - Showtech Australia Pty Ltd
(Rigging, Staging, Automation and Flying Fx)
Position – Chief Operating Officer
2014 – 2019 - Melb and Olympic Parks
Position - Operations and Production Manager
2003 – 2014 - Nine Network Australia
Position - Head of Staging and Design /Special Projects Manager
2000 – 2003 - British Sky Broadcasting ( United Kingdom)
Position – Presentation and Transmission Operator
1993 – 2000 - Nine Network Australia
Position – Stage Manager

Steve has 38 years of experience within the Hospitality and Events industry, 29 years focused on the technology side of the business.

He has held leadership roles in event tech companies such as Oracle (formerly Micros-Fidelio), Ungerboeck Software, Aventri (formerly etouches) and is currently Executive Vice President at the recently announced merger between EventBooking and Ungerboeck, the world’s leading venue management software companies.

In 2022, Steve was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the Event Tech Live Awards, and inducted to their Hall of Fame.

He is also a Certified Venue Executive, achieving this accreditation through the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) in 2022.

Amy Mackie is the global Head of Product for Ticketek, spearheading the strategic development and market implementation of Ticketek's innovative product roadmap worldwide. With 15 years at Ticketek, Amy has been instrumental in driving cutting-edge solutions through the local in-house development team and forging key relationships with leaders like Apple, Afterpay and Qantas to bring industry-first technology integrations to market. Most recently Amy has championed the online accessible ticketing solution, working closely with customers and advocacy groups to deliver an equitable ticketing experience for all fans.

For over 20 years Amy's career has spanned pivotal sectors in entertainment and sport, where she has demonstrated an exceptional ability to leverage emerging technologies as a primary driver for business growth.

Michelle is a seasoned Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience in various industries and sectors. She has held senior leadership roles in notable companies such as the Walt Disney Company, thyssenkrupp, and BHP, working across different regions including Australia, Asia, UK, Europe, and America. In these roles, Michelle has overseen large and diverse workforces, gaining insights into how to effectively manage people across different cultures, locations and organisational contexts.

Currently serving as the General Manager of People & Culture at VenuesLive, the operators of Optus Stadium, Michelle is responsible for managing a workforce of over 3000 permanent and casual staff. Her role involves overseeing all aspects of human resources and organisational development to ensure smooth operations and successful delivery of events at the stadium.

Michelle's holds an MBA from the University of Western Australia and has expertise in organisational development, business transformation, change management, and leadership development.

Paul is the Director of PBM Safety and has a wealth of knowledge in venue operations and greenfield events. With over 40 years of work in the entertainment and events industry and membership in peak bodies, Paul and the PBM Safety Team has delivered event safety and emergency elements on international tours and sporting events such as 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, ICC Women’s and Men’s Cricket World Cups (2020 and 2022), AFL Grand Final Entertainment for Grand Final (2014-2023) and Winery Concert Series for A Day on The Green (2010-2024). The session “Production and Technical Round Table” will be a great opportunity to assess where we are at as an industry, tailor some solutions and share information to develop and a pathway forward.

Tim McGregor is the Managing Director of TEG Live. With a background as an entertainment lawyer, Tim has hands-on experience of operational, marketing, sponsorship and hospitality across the sports and entertainment industry. As the Managing Director of TEG Live, Tim is responsible for TEG Live’s rapidly expanding concert touring and festivals portfolio which now includes MJR Presents, Handsome Tours, Laneway Festival, Knotfest as well as several strategic partnerships across Asia Pacific. Tim draws upon three decades’ experience in major event touring, music festivals, motorsport, theatre and film.

Josh is an extremely experienced ticketing professional, currently serving as Ticketmaster’s VP of Field Operations APAC. With a long-standing history at Ticketmaster, Josh has worked across Fan Support, and our Event Programming Operations teams before stepping into an executive leadership role.

In his current role, Josh is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the operational support for all clients and operations support staff. He works in close collaboration with key business leaders assuring business initiatives are met and client satisfaction is a top priority. The Field Operation teams work through all aspects of ticketing solutions ‘From Onsale to Entry’ ensuring seamless onsales and frictionless entry in service of our clients and fans. Josh’s commitment to excellence and his ability to lead by example have been pivotal in enhancing the way we deliver event ticketing solutions.

Shaun has more than 40 years’ experience in the venue & hospitality industry in the United Kingdom, Bermuda and Australia. Predominantly in hotel and convention management, Shaun has been a pivotal force in the operations of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre since it opened in 1995.

During his time at the Centre, Shaun has been an integral part of developing the Centre’s strong business reputation, building solid relationships and maintaining a high level of repeat business. Shaun has had overall responsibility for the delivery of more than 25,000 events, including Live Events, thousands of local Exhibition & Corporate events & International Conventions which included the Rotary International, The Goodwill Games, The Brisbane Truck Show and G20 Leaders’ Summit which is the world’s most significant business event and was acknowledged as the best ever in the history of the summit.

Shaun has held many Executive and Management roles at the BCEC. Shaun’s current role is the Events & Customer Services Director with a team of over 150 staff, where he is responsible for the successful operation of nine departments: Event Planning, Exhibitor Services, Box Office and Event & Customer Service. He is also responsible for managing and optimising usage of the Centre’s space, business mix and yield and is 2IC to the General Manager.

Milton OBrien CVE is currently the Senior Director of Venues and Commercial for Venues Canberra with oversite of GIO Stadium, Manuka Oval and Exhibition Park. He is responsible for the acquisition and delivery of venue content for all three venues as well as increasing the commercial return on the venues commercial rights.

With over 24 years’ experience in Stadia and indoor Arena’s Milton started his venue management career in Wollongong opening the WIN Entertainment Centre in 1998 and managing WIN Stadium.

From 2009 t0 2013 Milton worked in Qatar as General Manager of Venues and Visitor Services for Aspire Zone commercialising the various venues and developing content across the Aspire Zone.

In 2013 Milton returned to Sydney to take up the role as Acting General Manager of Parramatta Stadium starting a $29m redevelopment. In that time the Western Sydney Wanderers won the Asian Champions League selling out Parramatta Stadium throughout that time.

Milton has worked as a consultant on the new Port Moresby Stadium opening the venue in January 2016 and worked for a number of sporting franchises including licence bids for football and netball.

Milton is a former Board member of the VMA and a Certified Venue Executive.

Patrick is a highly qualified executive with 17 years of experience in the Venue Management Industry. Prior to joining the world of Venue Management, Patrick held a variety of senior management roles in the Entertainment, Leisure and Fitness industries both within Australia and overseas covering both the public and private sectors.

As the Group Executive of Operations and Commercial for Stadiums Queensland Patrick provides management oversight of the organisations portfolio of venues including Suncorp Stadium, the Gabba, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Cbus Super Stadium, People First Stadium, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, the Queensland Tennis Centre, the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre and the Sleeman Sports Complex.

Stadiums Queensland’s assets are currently valued at $3.7B with an average annual turnover of $170M and annual attendance in excess of 5 million people. In 2023, SQ’s venues contributed $1.1B to the Queensland economy, provided an estimated 4,670 full time equivalent jobs and achieved a 97% customer satisfaction rating.

Dr. Alan Patching has a long CV appropriate to our conference. For several years he work as a professional speaker and master of ceremonies/moderator for major conferences throughout Australia and internationally. He's even been on the organising committee for several such conferences, and so has a good sense of venue management from the events perspective. Perhaps more importantly, among the $22bn worth of projects for which he has been project manager or project director, he ranks several high-profile venues among his favourites. These include the Sydney Olympic Stadium, for which he was CEO of the owning entity and owners' Project Director responsible for design, construction and pre-Olympic operations, and Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium for which he was a Project Director. Importantly, he's recognised for his opinion on Olympic-related venues, and has recently been published in The Australian and several city-based newspapers around Australia regarding major Olympic venues. He serves as the Vice President of the Committee for Brisbane and was a member of the sub-committee that wrote a white paper on Olympic Legacy that was launched by John Coates of the IOC.

Patching serves as a professor of construction management and project management at Bond University, and is Director of Industry Engagement for Bond.

Bryan Perez is currently the President and CEO of AXS, a global live event ticketing company with operations in the US, UK, EU, Australia and Japan. Bryan was formerly the Senior Vice President and General Manager for NBA Digital, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the NBA Digital portfolio, including NBA.com, NBA TV and League Pass. Mr. Perez’s professional background also includes serving as CEO of Live Nation’s Global Digital division. In this position, he established and built the new division and was responsible for the company’s worldwide internet, wireless, ticketing, and IT strategy and operations. Bryan holds a JD/MBA from Stanford University and a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mark is an accomplished Safety, Health & Wellbeing Manager at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with over 17 years of experience spanning diverse industries. Currently pursuing a PhD in 'Systems Thinking applied to psychosocial risk management' at Monash University alongside his MBA, Mark is a recognised expert in organisational development, safety, and corporate health and wellbeing. His extensive background includes impactful roles in state and local government, mining, stevedoring, and construction sectors, making him a valued speaker and thought provoker in workplace safety and wellbeing.

Jono has worked in the arts industry for more than 25 years, the past 16 years in senior management roles. Currently Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s Executive Director – Curatorial, his extensive resume covers commercial theatre operations, major events, creative direction, project direction, technical direction and production. He has worked for leading organisations including Sydney Theatre Company, Brisbane Festival, Opera Australia and Queensland Ballet. In 2021 he was General Manager of Theatre Royal Sydney overseeing the grand reopening and refurbishment.

Josh Priestley serves as the Head of Business Development at AXS Australia & New Zealand, part of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), providing ticketing services to over 1,200 partners globally. Notably, AXS stands as the preferred ticketing partner for esteemed entities like Frontier Touring and iconic venues such as The O2 Arena in London and the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Additionally, AXS plays a crucial role in managing ticketing for renowned festivals like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Josh brings a wealth of expertise from diverse sectors including sports, e-commerce, hospitality, and ticketing. Prior to his current role, he held the position of Head of Operations & New Sales Channels at Providoor, an upscale food delivery e-commerce platform founded by chef Shane Delia. In this capacity, Josh led partner relationships, devised account growth strategies, and introduced operational enhancements to drive business efficiencies and explore new revenue streams.

His professional journey also encompasses roles at Tennis Australia, where he contributed towards the success of seven Australian Open tournaments. Notably, as Head of Food & Premium Experiences, Josh focused on enhancing revenue and customer satisfaction within Premium Experience and Retail F&B segments. Furthermore, he has undertaken contract roles at esteemed venues like Marvel Stadium, Wimbledon, and Roland-Garros.

Drawing from his extensive experience in launching innovative products to elevate customer experiences and drive revenue growth, Josh is a firm advocate for venues and events to capitalise on the capabilities of their ticketing partners. He believes there is immense potential for such collaborations to realise ambitious revenue goals and foster heightened fan satisfaction.

Amy Roberts is a communications professional with an extensive background in digital marketing, sales, sponsorship and stakeholder management, and business development. Amy has partnered with various organisations, NFP’s and government bodies to train teams, execute high-impact strategies and help build win-win connections that drive high-impact business outcomes. Her work as the QLD AI Hub Community Manager has allowed Amy to develop her training in the art of networking for the tech-savvy.

Uwe is the founder and CEO of EventSpace3D, headquartered in Perth, WA.

With over 20 years of experience as a web developer and as the leading expert in 3D virtual tour solutions specialized in tourism, hospitality, and commercial work across the APAC region, he leads a dynamic team of software developers and 3D technicians. Together, they deliver even the most challenging custom virtual projects for their clients, bringing spaces to life across Australia and beyond.

Having personally worked with most major hotel brands and venues of all sizes, Uwe has been directly involved in the production of hundreds of prominent venues, including Crown Perth and Optus Stadium. He also collaborates with world-class brands like Porsche Cars Australia and has partnered with several key associations across various Australian industries, such as the Australian Camps Association.

Uwe and his team operate with a niche-oriented focus and have developed several bespoke solutions to meet the vastly different needs of distinct client industries perfectly.

Their custom offerings range from virtualising hotels, venues and stadiums, to the wedding industry and large-scale camp sites (for Scouts, schools, churches) and beyond these, to world-renowned automotive brand dealerships and activations (such as the F1 GP).
In addition, their latest project introduces a world-first 3D solution involving AI which is due to be revealed by May 2024.

With foundations at iconic Australian venues including Stadium Australia (Accor Stadium) and Federation Square, Mitch Seeto has taken his journey international for the past 12 years working at the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games Organising Committee and the Singapore Sports Hub. As a founding member of the ‘Sports Hub’ team, he was involved from the construction phase of the project through to opening and now the almost 10 years of operations across the 10 x world class venues. These include some of Asia’s premier venues including the Singapore Indoor Stadium, OCBC Aquatic Centre, OCBC Arena and the 55k capacity Singapore’s National Stadium.

Uniquely positioned as the gateway between Asia and the West, the fully integrated 35-hectare Singapore Sports Hub was built around the pillars of community, athletes and events and most recently played host to the biggest events in the world ranging from Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Blackpink, Liverpool FC and World Table Tennis.

Nick Skubij is a Director, Actor, Producer and founding member, current Co-Artistic Director and Executive Producer of Shake & Stir Theatre Company. Shake & Stir tour large-scale work to the country’s most iconic venues, alongside mid-scale work to metro, regional and remote areas. Past Shake & Stir productions and National Tours include Frankenstein, FOURTEEN, A Christmas Carol, Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell, Wuthering Heights, Tequila Mockingbird, Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts, Dracula, George’s Marvellous Medicine, Fantastic Mr Fox and Jane Eyre. Nick was the Executive Producer on the National Tour of the hit Broadway musical Green Day’s American Idiot and the National Tour of Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP, co-produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live. The company were associate Producers on the Melbourne run of the hit London production 2:22 A Ghost Story, starring Ruby Rose. The company has been acknowledged with multiple Awards and nomination, numerous APACA (Australian Performing Arts Centre Association) Drover Awards for National Tour of the Year and multiple Helpmann Award nominations. Productions by Shake & Stir are seen by an annual audience of more than 250 000, across each state and territory.

Andrew has more than 20 years’ experience leading high performing teams across areas including infrastructure and public administration and is the Deputy Director-General responsible for the Sport and Recreation and Queensland Academy of Sport divisions in the Queensland Government, Department of Tourism and Sport.

Andrew is leading Sport and Recreation to deliver on Accelerate 2022-2025, the second three-year action plan under the government’s 10 year strategy Activate! Queensland 2019–2029 which aims to build and strengthen the capabilities of the sport and active recreation industry and ensure there are more opportunities for Queenslanders of all ages and abilities to be physically active.

He is also leading the government’s high-performance sports division, the Queensland Academy of Sport, which is responsible for preparing Queensland elite athletes, teams and coaches for world class success with all eyes on the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and onwards to Brisbane 2032 through the 2032 High Performance Strategy.

Prior to working with the department, Andrew spent over 6 years at Economic Development Queensland where he led the facilitation and delivery of projects and programs throughout Queensland in Development Strategy and Regional and Residential Development. He also has experience in property development in the private sector.

Andrew’s extensive experience includes program management, planning and investment, delivery of key sporting capital projects and stakeholder engagement where he works closely with sport and active recreation Industry Peak Bodies, State Level Organisations, key government agencies and statutory bodies including Stadiums Queensland and Health and Wellbeing Queensland to maximise investment and deliver outcomes.

Andrew fosters positive workplace culture and is an advocate for physical literacy, community based sport and active recreation, pathway opportunities to high performance and providing inclusive, quality participation opportunities for all Queenslanders.

Doug Southwell is an Architect and Co-Managing Director of Scott Carver, a multi-disciplinary design practice based in Sydney and Melbourne.

Doug has led the practices ongoing work at the Sydney Opera House since 2010, which included the renewal of the Joan Sutherland Opera Theatre. Recently he led the refurbishment of the Theatre Royal in Sydney and the renewal of the Victoria Theatre in Newcastle, NSW’s oldest remaining theatre. Doug is often involved in the design work supporting business cases for arts and cultural venues and associated funding grants.

Currently representing Meshh Ltd out of London England but residing here on the Gold Coast, Andrew Stone and his team currently provide consumer engagement and behaviour data & analytics to Venues, Rights Holders and Brands throughout the APAC region and across the Globe.
In 25 years working across organisations such as SFX Sports, IMG, eps Global and the Australian Supercars Series, Andrew has seen the evolution of data analytics and more importantly, the increased importance it now plays in successfully managing Venues and Events.

Meshh is a data collection tool now used to passively track wifi enabled devices within your Venue. Arrival & Departure times, Engaged Visitors v Passersby, Dwell Times, Repeat Visits and Journey Paths are just a small selection of what data Meshh can collect on your behalf. Fully compliant under GDPR privacy laws, Meshh provides another extremely useful string to your bow in better understanding the movement and behaviour of people within your Venue.

Mirella Taylor has 20 years of venue industry experience and is currently the Executive General Manager, Venues for Stadiums Queensland.

Mirella started her career in ticketing, before moving to London where she joined the pre-opening team for the 90,000 seat new Wembley Stadium in 2007. Over the next 6 years she was responsible for delivering a huge event calendar which included the London 2012 Olympics, NFL games, concerts and the UEFA Champions League Final 2011.

Returning to Australia in 2013, Mirella joined Stadiums Queensland, where she has held multiple Event and Venue Management positions and in her current role, is responsible for leading a portfolio of venues including Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Cbus Super Stadium, The Sleeman Sports Complex and Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. She is also involved with the project management of 2032 Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure redevelopment projects across SQ’s high performance portfolio.

Mirella has worked on several multisport events and held Venue General Manager roles for the Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Danielle has held a number of hospitality roles in New Zealand and Australia, initially working in culinary front-of-house before moving into the finance side of the business. She then went on to complete an accounting degree and gain her CPA qualification.

A passionate venue professional, Danielle began her journey with Te Pae as part of the pre-opening team in 2019 in the role of Finance Manager, and now leads the administration, finance, payroll and purchasing teams in the role of Director of Business Services.

Meg is the Venue Manager of the famous 97 year old Palais Theatre in St Kilda; Victoria, responsible for the operational delivery for the 145 plus events this year. Since 2017; Live Nation Australia Venues has taken on the Palais Theatre’s operational and restoration works which will see it transformed over a 30 year period.

Prior to that; Meg was previously the General Manager – Rod Laver Arena (RLA) for Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust (M&OPT) until February 2022 demonstrating end to end responsibility for the business and operational performance of the Arena. In addition to building strong relationships with key stakeholders, Meg’s main responsibilities included strategic negotiation, successful execution and financial management focusing on commercial outcomes, customer satisfaction & safety, planning and delivery of successful entertainment and sporting events whilst leading & coaching the RLA team.

Prior to that, Meg was the General Manager – Touring, responsible for booking, managing and contracting, events at RLA, AAMI Park, John Cain Arena and Margaret Court Arena, and overseeing all non-operational aspects of the hirings. She has had contractual involvement in international events such as the The Australian Open, FINA World Cup (Swimming), the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the start-up of Melbourne Victory at Olympic Park.

Meg is a current Board Member of the Venue Management Association (VMA) and chairs the VMA’s Professional Development Committee. In addition, Meg is a past member and Chair of the VMA’s Venue Management School (VMS) Committee, which she served on for 7 years. She has instructed at VMS since 2007 and is very passionate about the development of the future leaders of the venue management industry.

Greg has three decades of experience as an owner and senior manager in one of NZ largest family held catering, events and hospitality businesses. As well as working on some of NZ icon events across Te Waipounamu - South Island of NZ, the business managed several venues including heritage listed buildings. The family sold the business in 2017.

Greg joined the Isaac Theatre Royal in 2022 initially under a short-term contract to provide leadership support and assist the Foundation Board’s strategic review. He was asked to stay on as CEO in 2023 and is excited by the challenges of assisting the Theatre on the next chapter of its incredible journey.

The Isaac Theatre Royal is an Edwardian styled lyrical theatre that opened its doors in 1908. It has seen several significant changes and improvements including a major upgrade in 1928 to assist screening films, 1998/2000 interior improvements including earthquake strengthening and 2004/05 major redevelopment of the stagehouse, Proscenium arch and dressing rooms. The most significant impact on the Theatre’s history has been the extensive rebuild undertaken following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011. This year marks the 10th anniversary of reopening its doors.

Looking ahead, our vision is clear. We aspire to build on our heritage to be the premier performing arts destination in Te Waipounamu. We envision a future where the Isaac Theatre Royal is not only a venue for world-class performances, but also a catalyst for social change, a springboard for local talent and a driver of economic growth in our region.

John is the Chief Executive Officer for Experience Gold Coast - a recently established new entity focused on driving tourism, events, arts and culture, and education outcomes for the City of Gold Coast. John has had an extensive executive and non-executive career across Hospitality, sport, tourism, executive search, business consulting, and in the retail property sector spanning over 25 years. He has held senior roles with global hotel chain Accor as COO - Pacific, executive search firm Odgers Berndtson, and Westfield (Scentre Group) at Group Executive level. He has worked for other iconic Australian brands including David Jones and Westpac, and earlier in his career worked in investment banking in the UK. John has held a number of non-executive roles. He presently sits on the Stadiums Queensland Board, charged with the management of major sports venues including Olympic venues, the Gabba, Suncorp and others on behalf of the Qld State Government.
Formerly based in Sydney, he is the immediate past Chairman of the NSW Government’s lead tourism agency Destination NSW, and was also the youngest ever Chairman of Cricket NSW, a role he held from early 2013 to June 2018. He also served on the Bradman Foundation as Deputy Chairman from 2019 to 2022. John completed the esteemed Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, in Silicon Valley, California, USA. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders, a Fellow of the Customer Service Institute of Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Louise has been involved in many productions over 35yrs including Cats, The Phantom of the
Opera, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Ghost (West End, Broadway), Disney’s The Lion King (Singapore
& New Zealand), We Will Rock You (Japan), Ghost (Korea), Moulin Rouge! (Australia), Billy Elliot (Korea & Japan), Dear Evan Hansen (West End), We Will Rock You (Australia & Japan), MAMMA MIA! (Australia & Asia), Matilda (Korea) & more.

Held positions of Director Adelaide Festival Centre, GM of Dainty Consolidated Theatrical Division,
and Director Koan Marketing.

Since 2002, Louise has been a Producer in Australia of Matilda, MAMMA MIA!, Miss Saigon, Billy Elliot, We Will Rock You, Spamalot, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, Fawlty Towers and SIX the Musical.

Louise serves on the Executive Council of Live Performance Australia.

Marriner Group has been managing five of Australia’s most iconic and spectacular heritage venues for almost 40 years; the Regent Theatre, Princess Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Forum Melbourne and Plaza Ballroom. Since first purchasing the Princess Theatre back in 1986, Marriner Group has meticulously restored these venues, ensuring their viability as live performance and events venues now and for generations to come.

With over 20 years’ experience in the arts and entertainment industries across the areas of theatre, live music and events, Emily leads the Marriner Group marketing team with a strong emphasis on brand, strategy and growth. Emily is passionate about the important role the heritage venues play in Melbourne’s culture, aiming to provide a paramount experience for our clients and thousands of audience members that are welcomed through our doors each week.

s a professional in the venue industry for over 20 years, Mark has held senior positions at venues around Australia, overseeing a number of major international sporting and entertainment events including all codes of football, cricket, court sports, motor sport, concerts, and festivals. Through his career, Mark has worked with all manner of venues in both private and public sectors, including stadia, arenas, race tracks, and community leisure facilities. Mark has held senior, Executive, and consulting roles with some of Australia’s leading organisations. Mark is currently General Manager at The Gabba. Through a COVID ravaged year in 2020, Mark led The Gabba team to be amongst the first venues to welcome fans back in significant numbers as well as delivering the historic 2020 AFL Grand Final. His experience covers the full gamut of venue management including all operational and event delivery areas, contract management and venue design and development. He is an enthusiastic and dedicated venue professional and brings an interactive approach to his VMS sessions. Mark has been active in the development of the venue industry in local and international markets as a Board Member with VMA for five years as well as being a member of the IAVM Diversification Committee, and a member of the IAVM Certification Board for the past five years. Mark graduated the Venue Management School in 2003, was awarded his AVM in 2013, and achieved his CVE qualification in 2015.