Untitled Group Ushers-In Promotions Following ‘Record-Breaking’ Summer Season
Following a bumper summer season during which Untitled Group shifted more than 500,000 tickets, the live events specialist rewards several key employees with promotions.
Among them, Laura Hughes, who rises from head of public relations to director of communications.
Hughes, who has served with the company for seven years, now joins the Untitled Group’s senior leadership team.
Based in Melbourne, Hughes founded the group’s in-house PR team and “has amassed a wealth of experience across marketing, ticketing, programming, event management, and artist operations,” reads a statement.
In her new role, Hughes oversees a consolidated comms department that houses corporate communications, customer relations, and social impact, a move that’s expected to further streamline and enhance the independent company’s brand messaging and external relations.
Meanwhile, the touring and talent team will be led by Chris Sheppard, who rises to head of programming, while Mesh Webb joins the business full-time as programming and operations manager. Webb works alongside Mia-Leigh Ford, appointed to senior tour operations manager, and Ela Rutherford, appointed as junior promoter.
The changes keep coming.
In the festival & event operations, Pantjiti Lawrence is named as workforce manager, Kelly McCaffrey becomes senior event manager, Miranda Nicol is appointed event manager, Ellen Sproule is head of festival operations, and Adrian Bell is appointed senior creative production manager.
Also, Brendan Doidge, as event operations coordinator, and Sienna Henshaw, as creative production manager, both join the company in full-time capacities.
At the same time, Untitled unveils a newly-created department, commercial growth, led by co-founder and managing partner Christian Serrao, with a goal to drive commercial success and strategic partnerships across the group.
Commercial growth encompasses the partnerships team, led by former Red Bull executive Dwayne Thompson, alongside the ticketing team, with Courtney Tahar promoted to head of ticketing.
Currently, Untitled is gearing up for the ninth edition of its flagship four-day camping festival, Beyond The Valley, which rolls out with its Experience Life In Technicolour-themed marketing campaign.
“We wanted to take a different approach to launch Beyond The Valley this year,” Serrao says. “Amid ongoing discussions surrounding the challenges festivals face globally, we aim to remind everyone of the joy and vibrancy that festivals bring to people’s lives”.
For its slate of brands, including BTV, Pitch Music & Arts, Wildlands, Grapevine Gathering, For The Love and Ability Fest, which expands with a show in Brisbane, Untitled won Variety AU’s inaugural Live Business Award, presented June 13 at the Live Business Breakfast in Sydney.
Those 500,000 tickets sold across its 2023/24 festival season, was a “record-breaking” result, as the team produced upwards of 250 events and festivals, booked more than 1,000 artists across its range of fests, tours and clubs shows, and organised just shy of 100 artist tours.