LEIF to headline speaker lineup at Event Summit

The Event Summit 2020, presented by iAuditor, will be headlined by the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF) – the lobby group for Australia’s largest live event businesses, including TEG, Live Nation, Frontier Touring and Live Performance Australia.

The LEIF session will be hosted by James Sutherland (LEIF chair), Geoff Jones (CEO, TEG) and Roger Field (President, Live Nation Asia Pacific).

The one-day conference will take place via Twitch stream on October 14, with filming taking place at The Calyx in Royal Botanic Garden.

They panel will chat about the progress and key strategic direction of the Forum, established during the COVID crisis to provide a voice for live entertainment industry in supporting the safe return of events with live audiences.

“This is a critical time for our industry to unite on a roadmap to bring fans safely back to events and bring jobs quickly back to the live sector, which has been brought to its knees by the event of the last six months and is still facing an uncertain future,” Sutherland said.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Event Summit 2020 to discuss the important work we have been doing with LEIF to that end and to share the important research developed by EY that will help shape the industry’s vision for how we recover as quickly and as safely as possible.”

Matt Colston, associate partner of sports, events and venues consulting at EY, will join the opening session to present the results of a study assessing the economic contribution of the live industry and impact of COVID-19.

Event Summit director Sam Jackson said the upcoming event wanted to be part of the solution.

“As an event professional with over 20 years’ experience, I have personally felt the impact COVID-19 has had on our industry,” he said.

“Whilst we look forward to a time that large events take place, we are highly encouraged by the progress NSW and Australia has made in eliminating COVID cases. With this in mind, we have made the decision for Event Summit be a part of the solution and contribute to the long-term goal of bringing our industry back to life.

“We have an agenda full of engaging expert content that is completely free, provided by our streaming partner, Twitch.

“We’d like to thank our speakers, sponsors and contributors for their emphatic response to this year’s summit. They have all provided significant resources to ensure Event Summit 2020 will go ahead, completely free, to help get our industry back on its feet.”

The virtual edition of Event Summit 2020 will be free of charge, with organisers partnering with Twitch TV, however attendees still have the option to make a donation to Support Act.

“There is no doubt that this year has been incredibly challenging, particularly for those working in the events industry,” Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, said.

“The Event Summit presents an exciting opportunity for event professionals to learn from the best, as we all work together to rebuild the industry and come back stronger than ever.”

Registration and further details at eventsummit.com.au

The full list of speakers is:

• The Hon Stuart Ayres, Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney: Event Open.
• Craig Tiley, CEO Tennis Australia: The Australian Open 2021.
• David Borean General Manager Brand and Customer Experience NEC Australia: Biometrics and AI, CX game changers for venues and events.
• Nicola Lewis, Chief Investment Officer GroupM, Sally Spriggs KFC South Pacific Marketing Director, Shannan Quinn, PRISM MD: Event Sponsorships in a COVID World and beyond
• Johnny Little, Vice President Tough Mudder: Case Study 2020 US Event, Forging Forward with a COVID Safe event.
• Luke Anear, Chief Executive Officer Safety Culture: Helping Organisations build immunity to risk.
• Andrew Waddel, General Manager, Tourism New Zealand, Lewis Mitchel Partnership Lead, Twitch AUNZ , Jessie James (Geekgg), Twitch content creator, Ricky Chanana Head of Sales AUNZ Twitch: The future of live streaming and content.
• Richie O’Neill – CEO Hardware Group, John Curtin – Director Curtin Consulting, Frank Cotela – CEO and Founder OneLove Music Group, Kim Friedlaender, Business Development Director Live Nation Australasia Festival X: Launching a new music festival brand, building and retaining new audience.