Past Conference 2023

Jannawi Dance Clan

From the rich story telling traditions of Aboriginal NSW Jannawi dance clan shines a light on strength, resilience and artistry of Aboriginal women, men, youth and dance culture today. Jannawi dance clan is an Indigenous dance company encompassing modern urban and traditional Aboriginal dance styles with traditional music by song man Matthew Doyle singing in the Sydney languages. The name Jannawi means ‘with me, with you’ in the Dharug language of NSW Jannawi has a passion and are dedicated to continue and revitalize Sydney’s language culture and stories. Jannawi dance clan’s work involves performing traditional ceremonies, welcome to country dances, contemporary dance, music festivals, community and corporate events, educational school shows and workshops for early childhood, primary, high school and teaching in communities. Jannawi practices, performs and teaches to inspire other indigenous people to practice cultural values and identities. To be proud and show our commitment to honour and share knowledge, encourage awareness and understanding of the world’s oldest living indigenous culture. Led by Artistic Director Peta Strachan is a descendant of the Dharug people, of the Boorooberongal clan of NSW. Peta is a professional dancer choreographer, teacher and costume maker with 31 year’s experience in the industry.

Scott Dawkins

The 17-day LGBTQIA+ Sydney WorldPride festival was the biggest global event Sydney had hosted in over a decade. Deloitte Access Economics found the festival attracted over 300,000 unique spectators, with over 1 million in total festival audience. Nearly 70,000 people visited Sydney specifically for the festival, with the NSW Government reporting the festival delivered a $235.4m visitor induced spend. Scott has been working in marketing communications for over 15 years across the major event, government and not for profit sectors. Starting his career as a publicist at BridgesPR in Melbourne, Scott worked on major musicals including The Lion King, Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical and King Kong. He also spent four years at Dainty Group learning the financing side of the live entertainment industry. In Sydney, Scott worked for Opera Australia and Children's Cancer Institute before joining Screen Australia, where he led the marcomms output for the Federal Government agency. Scott was then Head of Communications at Global Creatures, before joining Sydney WorldPride 2023 as Marketing Director.

Joe Calnan

Joe Calnan is Partnership Director - Live Entertainment Ticketing at Cover Genius, the insurtech for embedded insurance that protects the global customers of the world’s largest digital companies including Amazon, Booking Holdings, eBay and Ryanair.  Cover Genius recently expanded its reach in the Live Entertainment Ticketing market by acquiring Booking Protect, the leading specialist in embedded ticket protection for ticket sellers, platforms and live event companies such as Moshtix, Oztix, Seetickets, Seat Geek, Tessitura and Secutix.  In his role, Joe is responsible for leading and executing Live Entertainment Ticketing partnerships across key regions globally. Prior to Cover Genius, Joe held leadership positions at AXS, a global industry leader in ticketing and data solutions, spearheading partnerships and strategy. He holds a Bachelors in Economics and Masters in Finance.   

Lizzie Coles.

Lizzie Coles is the co-founder of TicketHive, which provides a range of ticketing support and consultancy services from the purely administrative build and on sale setup, to ongoing ticketing management and strategy, optimisation of internal processes, training, and much more. Over the past 15 years, Lizzie has had extensive experience overseeing ticketing operations for live entertainment events, managing theatrical venues and greenfield sites, and working as an Executive Producer on a diverse portfolio of attractions across London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Alex Craig

Alex Craig (They/Them) is a Queer, blind dancer, performance maker and access consultant living and working on Gadigal land. Their work centres inclusivity, and aims to foster opportunities for connection, creative participation, and community building. Alex has worked with Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Inner West Council, PACT, Critical Path, Performance Space and Taronga Zoo.

Emily Dash

Emily Dash is an emerging writer, actor, producer, and speaker who works across theatre and screen. Her acclaimed and wide ranging work emphasises social justice issues, community engagement, intersectionality, and expanding perceptions of disability.

Bedelia Lowrenčev

Bedelia (they/she) is a groovy disabled actor, dancer, singer, agitator and theatre maker. Bedelia frequently collaborates with their deaf, twin brother Jeremy, with their current work ‘Collision’ exploring the intersection of queerness, disability and deafness. Most recently, Bedelia performed in her new work, COLLISION for Sydney WorldPride at PYT Fairfield, ANIMATE LOADING at Casula Powerhouse, and interned at Performance Space as a Createability intern. Currently, they are Access Coordinator at Performance Space for Liveworks Festival. Bedelia has a keen interest in communal care, story sovereignty, reciprocity and advocacy in their arts practice. Bedelia lives and works on Wategoro and Wangal Land.

Amy Clare Mills

Amy Claire Mills is an emerging artist, curator and producer. Amy’s artistic practice delves into themes of advocacy, identity, and resistance, which are driven by her experiences as a disabled woman. By connecting to the role of both the artist and subject within her work, Amy explores disability culture and its social and political impacts. Her artworks serve as a provocative form of protest through distinctive, vibrant, and bold mediums. Amy also works at Accessible Arts as the Arts Development Manager. Accessible Arts is the peak arts and disability organisation in New South Wales. We advance the rights of, and opportunities for, people with disability or who are d/Deaf to develop and sustain professional careers in the arts and have equitable access to arts and culture across NSW.  

Julia Edwards

Julia has over 25 years’ experience in leadership roles in the corporate, community and government sectors, including ten years working in senior roles for a range of influential not for profit organisations. With experience in marketing, sales, fundraising and project management and a record of developing valuable relationships through stakeholder engagement, Julia is passionate about building collaborative support to fund research and mental health training programs for the Australian Entertainment Industry. In her role as Chief Executive, Julia is determined to build awareness of Entertainment Assist and to work with the Board to ensure the organisation makes a positive contribution to the mental health and wellbeing of members of the Australian entertainment community.  

Clare Vigers

Clare is Client Services Director for Two Circles, a data-driven sports marketing agency helping rights owners around the world to grow. She leads Two Circles’ marketing and consultancy services in Australia and New Zealand, working closely with clients to understand their business objectives and utilizing a deep understanding of fans and brands to get results. Powered by data, brilliant digital products, and scroll-stopping content, Two Circles have developed unrivalled experience in fan insight and communication, which Clare and her teams leverage to get more people consuming sports in venues and beyond.

Jenn Laing

Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in the Creative and Live Performance industries in Australia. Beginning her career in acting, writing, directing and stage production, Jennifer found herself in arts administration roles to pay the bills (as many of us do!) and went on to specialise in Ticketing, Customer Service, Client Services, CRM, Systems Administration, Front of House Experiences, Data Analysis, Event and Production Management. A passionate arts advocate who has had a variety of roles across many organisations, venues, and festivals – including: QPAC; Sydney Theatre Company & Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre); Sydney Festival; Brisbane Festival; Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Cirque du Soleil (Aus Tours); Sydney Opera House; Brisbane Racing Club; Opera Qld; and Queensland Ballet. Based in Brisbane, Jennifer has most recently joined the VIVATICKET team.

Dimity Vowles

Dimity Vowles embarked on her professional journey over 25 years ago, commencing as a stage manager. Her career transitioned seamlessly from technical theatre to ticketing, where she found her true calling. With an unwavering passion for promoting Queensland artists and companies, Dimity is a seasoned arts manager who has honed her skills across a spectrum of arts management domains. Her extensive experience encompasses ticketing systems and services, sponsorship and philanthropy, comprehensive reporting, and adept data analysis. Notably, Dimity played a pivotal role in the implementation of Tessitura at Queensland Ballet, while nurturing an evolving VIP Ticketing service. Her professional footprint extends beyond Australia, having worked int the West End, London, as well as with renowned institutions including, Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival, La Boite Theatre Queensland Ballet, the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka), and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Currently working as Manager - Ticketing at QPAC, Dimity thrives on forging meaningful relationships in the arts world, bringing a dynamic touch to every project.

Nick Falzon

Nick Falzon has been with Disney Theatrical Group since 2007, was most recently promoted to Vice President, Sales and Analytics in 2017 and reports to Angelo Desimini, Vice President, Marketing, Education, Publicity and Sales.  Nick leads a team of seventeen Broadway Sales & Analytics professionals focused on digital marketing, tourism cultivation, group sales, yield management, dynamic pricing, ticketing operations and consumer relationship management. In addition, he provides oversight for the Box Office of Disney’s flagship Broadway theater – the New Amsterdam. Over the past decade-plus, this team has overseen THE LION KING's pricing and sales strategy, which has been featured in the New York Times ("Ticket Pricing Puts THE LION KING Atop Broadway's Circle of Life" - 3/17/14), helping it become the highest grossing global entertainment property ever. Other team successes include the launch of the Broadway musical FROZEN, the record-breaking productions of ALADDIN at the New Amsterdam Theatre and NEWSIES at the Nederlander Theatre and multiple North American touring productions as well as influencing countless international productions worldwide from Australia to Japan to Mexico.  Nick joined Disney Theatrical Group in March 2007 as Manager, Sales & Ticketing and was promoted in June 2011 to Senior Manager and in December 2012 to Director. While at DTG, Nick has worked on other Broadway productions including BEAUTY & THE BEAST, TARZAN, MARY POPPINS and THE LITTLE MERMAID.  Prior to his time at Disney, Nick worked for Plum Benefits – a corporate benefits program focused on entertainment events – as well as Broadway Across America, where he managed the operations for their New York Group Sales department. Currently, Nick also serves on the faculty of Columbia University’s School of the Arts.  Nick earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory & Composition from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development and is a graduate of The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. Nick also holds a Certificate in Hotel Revenue Management from Cornell’s School of Hospitality Administration. He, his wife Laura, sons Asher and Axson and daughter Nora live in Hoboken, New Jersey. 

Maureen Andersen

Maureen has over four decades of experience encompassing not-for-profit, commercial arts, Broadway, regional ticketing, performing arts and colleges. Her experience spans the ticket office, call centers, season tickets, group sales, marketing, fundraising, strategic planning, and executive leadership. Prior to joining INTIX Maureen had a rich career including VP of Arts & Entertainment at AudienceView, Senior Business Consultant at Paciolan and spent 23 years with The Denver Center for the Performing Arts as Director of Ticketing Services. Maureen and is a frequent speaker at Industry conferences, seminars, and workshops. She is the recipient of several high-profile awards from VenuesNow, INTIX, FutureTix, and Northeastern Junior College.   

Michele Alexander

Michele is the Director of Business Data at AudienceView and has over 30 years of experience working for some of the largest Arts and Entertainment companies across the globe. She is passionate about building innovative data solutions that identify opportunities and achieve business objectives. Her career began in finance, but she soon found herself in box office, where she was catapulted from manual plans to computerisation. This was where she thrived and moved into report writing and eventually database design and all things data. In her role at AudienceView she manages a team of Data Engineers, Data Scientists and a Business Analyst, transforming multiple ticketing systems data, as well as financial and CRM systems that service all areas of the business.

Ian English

Ian English has worked across the local and global ticketing markets for over 30 years and has engaged with small and large operations in a lot of different locations. This has provided a unique expanse of experience and knowledge while experiencing some the best (and sometimes the worst) of the day to day ticketing operations. Since 2018, Ian has worked with Danish company Queue-it, amongst others, to assist their APAC growth, establishing a local technical team and opening a Sydney office. Along with this, other consulting work has been undertaken with site and system reviews, pan Asia projects and more. Working with Queue-it has shown how it’s offering provides a service that often isn’t thought of until it is absolutely essential to use it, “that” major/high demand on-sale. Hear about a few of the ways that Queue-it might assist you to deal with those sometimes challenging on sale demands.   

Pauline Bagnall

Pauline Bagnall is a dedicated professional with a long history of service at the Frankston Arts Centre, where she began her journey in 2001 as a part-time ticketing officer.

Through years of hard work, passion, and a commitment to the arts, she has steadily climbed the ranks and now proudly serves as the Box Office Coordinator.

Pauline's was instrumental in the successful implementation of two ticketing software systems during her tenure. Her team’s attention to detail and tireless dedication ensured that the transition to these new systems was seamless and beneficial to both the organization and its patrons.

With a wealth of experience and expertise, Pauline Bagnall currently leads a dynamic team of 10 staff members within the box office. Her leadership style is marked by mentorship, teamwork, and a commitment to delivering outstanding service to all those who pass through the Frankston Arts Centre's doors.

Beyond her daily responsibilities, Pauline is also an industry enthusiast. She has been an active participant in VAPAC’s Bomnet and has attended various ticketing conferences over the years, staying at the forefront of industry trends and best practices. Her involvement in these events has kept the Frankston Arts Centre at the cutting edge of ticketing services.

Clayton Hamilton

Clayton is a well rounded events professional with experience in all facets of Major Events and Live Events. Clayton most recently worked as the Ticketing & Front of House Services Manager at Sydney Fringe Festival, NSW largest independent arts festival, and also seconded to Sydney WorldPride as a Ticketing Manager for the Pride Amplified program. He now finds himself as the Events and Ticketing Manager at The Star Entertainment Group, leading the concert and live events business at The Star Sydney. Clayton is also the recipient of the 2023 Ticketing Australia Pat Boggs OAM Scholarship

Craig Thurmer

Craig Thurmer is no newcomer to sales and technology development. You know he identifies a new trend, the industry quickly listens. He knows how to make your sales tick and how to take the customer experience to the next level before and after the show. More importantly he has core skills in box office, marketing, philanthropy, and finance. That is rare in this industry. He has worked for such leading companies as Sydney Opera House, Opera Australia, Carlson Marketing and City Recital Hall Angel Place. He has worked for technology companies is Australia and UK. As Client Services Manager at Vivaticket, Craig concentrates on Project Management, Reports and Reporting and upskilling box office, marketing, philanthropy, and finance staff. Always with an eye on data, he is there ready to see our industry succeed.

Dan Armstrong

Dan Armstrong serves as the EVP of Distributed Commerce for Ticketmaster/LiveNation, driving a mission to connect fans with off-platform ticketing in a wide variety of verticals and industries, including growing efforts to connect to the travel distribution ecosystem. Since joining in 2015, he oversees distribution partnerships, product, and operations with companies ranging from TikTok to Spotify, from Google to Meta, as well as travel OTAs and channel managers, achieving the goals of venue and promoter clients to to make it easier for fans to buy tickets - no matter where they are. Prior to Ticketmaster, Dan spent 8 years at the retail e-commerce engine of Connexity/Shopzilla, leading a number of strategic initiatives from syndication to product development. In a past life, Dan spent years in the Hollywood film industry as both a creative consultant and screenwriter.   Dan received B.A.’s in both Film and English from University of Wisconsin-Madison. After more than twenty years in Los Angeles, he now calls London home with his wife and two children.   

Alissa Bavli

Alissa joined Cirque du Soleil in 2021 as part of the relaunch of the organization’s Touring Shows Division.  Over the last 2 years, the Sales Team has grown to 14 and are focused on growing ticket sales and revenue through groups, corporate events and distribution partners.   The Touring Shows Division will support 11 different productions traveling the world in 2023 and will visit just over 100 cities. Prior to joining Cirque du Soleil, Alissa spent 10 years working with the top live entertainment partners at Travelzoo and was also instrumental in the launch of show ticket sales for EBG, the largest corporate benefits platform in the US. Alissa is a proud mom of two and is based in Miami, Florida.   

Andrew Guy

Andrew Guy is the Tourism and Venues Marketing Specialist at the Art Gallery of NSW. His responsibilities lie with for the development of international tourism products and packages, as well as international sales distribution through multiple tourism trade and stakeholder channels.  Prior to this he worked for Opera Australia as the International Tourism Marketing Manager, responsible for developing and implementing the organisation’s post Covid-19 international tourism trade marketing strategy. Over the past two years he’s been in market to the US, UK, Germany, India, Korea, Japan and Singapore.  Prior to this, his career has spanned across a variety of Sydney’s performing arts venues and companies including Sydney Opera House, City Recital Hall, Sydney Theatre Company and Theatre Royal. He has worked with different ticketing API programs including Rezdy and Ingresso.  With a BBus in Tourism Management, he started work in the inbound tourism industry promoting Australian attractions, regions and destinations with Tourism Australia, Tourism Northern Territory and Destination Pacific Australia to both leisure and business travelers in the USA, Canada, UK, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.  He was the Chair of Young ATEC from 2005 – 2008 and awarded the Young Australian Tourism Export Council Award for Excellence in 2007 and the Most Outstanding Contribution to Exports Award in 2008. 

Nick Falzon

Nick Falzon has been with Disney Theatrical Group since 2007, was most recently promoted to Vice President, Sales and Analytics in 2017 and reports to Angelo Desimini, Vice President, Marketing, Education, Publicity and Sales.  Nick leads a team of seventeen Broadway Sales & Analytics professionals focused on digital marketing, tourism cultivation, group sales, yield management, dynamic pricing, ticketing operations and consumer relationship management. In addition, he provides oversight for the Box Office of Disney’s flagship Broadway theater – the New Amsterdam. Over the past decade-plus, this team has overseen THE LION KING's pricing and sales strategy, which has been featured in the New York Times ("Ticket Pricing Puts THE LION KING Atop Broadway's Circle of Life" - 3/17/14), helping it become the highest grossing global entertainment property ever. Other team successes include the launch of the Broadway musical FROZEN, the record-breaking productions of ALADDIN at the New Amsterdam Theatre and NEWSIES at the Nederlander Theatre and multiple North American touring productions as well as influencing countless international productions worldwide from Australia to Japan to Mexico.  Nick joined Disney Theatrical Group in March 2007 as Manager, Sales & Ticketing and was promoted in June 2011 to Senior Manager and in December 2012 to Director. While at DTG, Nick has worked on other Broadway productions including BEAUTY & THE BEAST, TARZAN, MARY POPPINS and THE LITTLE MERMAID.  Prior to his time at Disney, Nick worked for Plum Benefits – a corporate benefits program focused on entertainment events – as well as Broadway Across America, where he managed the operations for their New York Group Sales department. Currently, Nick also serves on the faculty of Columbia University’s School of the Arts.  Nick earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory & Composition from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development and is a graduate of The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. Nick also holds a Certificate in Hotel Revenue Management from Cornell’s School of Hospitality Administration. He, his wife Laura, sons Asher and Axson and daughter Nora live in Hoboken, New Jersey. 

Harry Tomasides

Harry Tomasides is the Chief Revenue Officer of Digonex, the leading provider of customized and automated dynamic pricing solutions for the live entertainment and attractions/tour operator industries. Since 2015, Harry has been instrumental in driving the company’s growth in the United States and internationally. Digonex’s success can be attributed to its cutting-edge pricing solutions developed by their in-house team of PhD Economists and an ever-expanding network of partnerships with ticketing providers. Digonex has a broad portfolio portfolio of clients, including Edinburgh International Festival,  Roundabout Theatre Company, Grand Ole Opry, , Royal Albert Hall, Wales Millennium Centre,  Center Theatre Group, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Six Flags, Shedd Aquarium and Skydeck (formerly Sears Tower) Prior to joining Digonex, Harry served in management roles with ABC/Disney and IHeart Radio.  Harry resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife Christine and 2 daughters.  

Julia Edwards

Julia has over 25 years’ experience in leadership roles in the corporate, community and government sectors, including ten years working in senior roles for a range of influential not for profit organisations. With experience in marketing, sales, fundraising and project management and a record of developing valuable relationships through stakeholder engagement, Julia is passionate about building collaborative support to fund research and mental health training programs for the Australian Entertainment Industry. In her role as Chief Executive, Julia is determined to build awareness of Entertainment Assist and to work with the Board to ensure the organisation makes a positive contribution to the mental health and wellbeing of members of the Australian entertainment community.  

Caitlin McNaughton

As Patternmakers' Manager, Research and Insights, Caitlin leads a team of analysts to deliver research and evaluation projects for arts and community organisations around Australia. She has managed projects for clients such as the Sydney Opera House, The Australian Ballet and ACMI, and works closely on the Audience Outlook Monitor, Australia’s major study of arts audiences. Caitlin's background is in arts management, with extensive experience in data analysis, ticketing, communications, audience development and fundraising. She is committed to accessibility and equity and brings a strong understanding from the frontline of how data can help strengthen the culture and community sectors.    

Luke Trickett

Luke Trickett is the founder of the public equities fund, Blue Stamp Company, which he has led and managed for more than 13 years. Luke has also founded two other fintech startups, Marmalade and Backpocket.   Backpocket is the first payment service in the world that allows customers to checkout and instantly share the cost. Group Organisers are able to book tickets without footing the bill and share a unique payment link instantly with other payers to settle up within a week.   Since launch in late 2022, Backpocket has helped thousands of Aussies pay for group experiences and receives consistently strong customer reviews. 

Beau Vigushin

Beau is an executive leader with a vision to create a happier, healthier, connected society through memorable, fun and inspiring life experiences. Beau recently led the end-to-end customer experience at Arts Centre Melbourne with a focus on engagement, innovation, growth, service and communications. Beau started with Arts Centre Melbourne as a casual usher in 2002 and through years of learning and leadership growth became the Executive Director of Customer Experience from April 2018 - October 2023. Beau has previously been a Board Member with Arts Access Victoria and just finished his term as board member with Tessitura – a global arts and cultural technology organisation. Beau worked on customer transformation projects with Melbourne Recital Centre from 2010–14, and also worked with the Mushroom Group on A Day on the Green and starting up and leading the audience services for the iconic Hanging Rock concert venue in regional Victoria. Beau thrives on enabling others to be their best self, think big, focus on impact and not be bound by tradition.

Heath Wilder

Heath is the Director of Customer Experience for the Sydney Theatre Company and has been delving into Ticketing and CRM for a decade. Previously, they worked as Head of CRM and Business Intelligence for Sydney Dance Company, and in the Sydney Opera House ticketing department, on Gadigal land. Heath currently co-chairs the Neurodiversity & Mental Wellness and analytic Coffee! int the Tessitura International Community.   Away from STC, Heath has a Master’s in Medical Science (Neurophysiology) and a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts. They worked as an actor for 20 years in a variety of mediums from stand-up, theatre, and television, and still have a huge love of their science roots. Heath is active in the autistic community, regularly collaborating on projects providing support and awareness for neurodivergent folk. They operate and administer community forums for autistic adult professionals from around the world.

Caryl Jones

Caryl Jones (she/her) is Tessitura Development Manager at the Royal Albert Hall in London where she has worked for the last 22 years. Sitting in the IT department’s applications team Caryl works with the Hall’s Tessitura users to find and implement solutions for their business needs. Prior to this role Caryl held roles in Box Office and Visitor Services at the Hall. She currently sits on the Hall’s Staff Forum and Wellbeing Steering Group and in the past has sat on Tessitura’s Member Advisory Committee. In a previous life, Caryl trained and worked as a Stage Manager. Caryl is a trained Mental Health First Aider.

Rebecca Brody

Rebecca is an Executive Director of The Lab Insight & Strategy based in Melbourne. She has over 12 years consulting experience, sits on The Lab’s National Executive Leadership Team, and leads The Lab’s Arts, Entertainment, and Leisure client portfolio in Melbourne. Rebecca’s core specialism is in brand development and audience growth strategy, in addition to cultural insights. Rebecca also serves as Head of the Australia Project, The Lab’s centrepiece of cultural insight work which has a team of ten consultants actively monitoring & mapping cultural trajectories within Australia to unlock growth opportunities for clients.