Board and Team

Rocky Bruzzano, Managing Director of Exponet, brings over 30 years of dedicated experience to the exhibition and hire industry. With a deep commitment to corporate governance, sustainability, and innovation, Rocky has shaped Exponet into a thriving business recognised for its excellence and forward-thinking approach.

Starting his career in Exponet’s accounts department, Rocky advanced to the role of Chief Financial Officer, where he played a crucial role in strategic acquisitions and demonstrated his financial acumen. Today, as the owner and Managing Director, he leverages comprehensive expertise in financial, logistical, operational, and general management to lead the company with distinction. The sustained growth and success of Exponet is a testament to his effective leadership and insightful management.

Leo is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Surrey in the UK and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University, as well as Director of Tourism and Business Events International that specialises in assessing the economic impact and legacy of business events.

For over 25 years Leo has been actively involved in the evaluation of business events having undertaken projects for a range of international organisations including the UNWTO, JMIC and ICCA. He was the Chair of the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA).

Leo has been the Director of government and university research centres in Australia and the UK over the past 30 years, including three years as the inaugural Chief Economist and General Manager of Tourism Research Australia. He is a member of the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) Hall of Fame and received an OAM in 2016 for contributions to tourism and education.

Penny Lion GAICD is a Non-Executive Director of Racing SA and Adelaide Venue Management Corporation (AVMC) and the Clare Valley Wine & Grape Association. Graduating from the AICD, her governance experience spans NFP, government and the private sector. As the Executive General Manager, Events at Tourism Australia, Penny headed Business Events, executing global marketing and distribution activities within a $35B sector; and Industry Events, showcasing Australia’s tourism offering and consequently generating up to $8.5B in sales to Australia’s tourism industry.

Notably, she solidified the $12M Bid Fund Program which positioned Australia to capture new international business events, with 40+ event wins totalling $400M+ prior to the pandemic. After more than 11 years at Tourism Australia, Penny left executive employment to become the Managing Director of her family’s wine company and build a portfolio of complementary non-executive directorships.

Dan Londero, CEO and Founder of Turnkey Event Solutions, is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of experience across global business units in Australia, China, and the UK. He has successfully led joint ventures in emerging markets such as China, India, and Turkey, and launched multiple startups in Australia and China. As an experienced board member, Dan has served as director and chairperson on various boards internationally, bringing strategic insight and governance expertise to his roles.

A dedicated Executive Mentor, Dan is known for his ability to connect with people and foster their success. His passion for talent development, leadership, and stakeholder engagement drives his approach to employee engagement and coaching. As a voluntary Director with the Australasian Exhibition and Event Association, he led the rollout of the Emerging Leaders Program, continuing its expansion with the Australian Business Events Association in 2023 and 2024.

A passionate advocate for Western Australia and the business events sector, Gareth is the CEO of Business Events Perth. Proudly calling Perth home, Gareth has been with the organisation for more than 16 years, promoting WA as a leading destination for business events.

Appointed CEO in 2019, he has a strong focus on working collaboratively with key stakeholders, clients and member partners to drive strong outcomes for the business events sector. Gareth’s spare time is spent with his family creating memories on new adventures exploring WA and its vast natural landscapes.

Matt is the CEO and co-founder of Talk2 Media & Events. Talk2 ME owns and runs a variety of trade and consumer exhibitions throughout Australia. Every year Talk2 ME works with some of Australia’s best brands as partners on exhibitions that attract almost 200,000 highly engaged visitors through their doors.

Talk2 Media & Events was appointed to run Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) in August 2017 by the Melbourne Convention Bureau.

Prior to launching Talk2 ME, Matt was Managing Director of Diversified Communications Asia, with offices in Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and India. Between these operations, he was responsible for over 60 events annually, including 30 trade and eight consumer shows, and 30 conferences / congresses. Matt was also International Director for Diversified Communications as it looked to expand into new markets.

Matt is a Board Member of the Exhibition & Events Association of Australia, and is Vice Chairman and Board Member of Business Events Council of Australia.

Before joining Diversified, Matt held senior positions in other media companies, including newspapers, magazines and television production.

Julia is a passionate and driven tourism and business events professional with over 20 years experience.

In her 13 years with MCB, Julia has contributed strongly to the growth and success of the organisation in the global business events market. In her time as CEO, Julia has driven stronger strategic alignment with Visit Victoria through her role on the Visit Victoria Leadership Team for the overall benefit of the visitor economy.

In 2021, Julia was appointed to the role of Vice President of The Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB), a demonstration of her leadership and expertise in the business events industry in Australia. She is also currently a Councillor on the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) and on the Executive Committee of the Board of the BestCities Global Alliance, an alliance of 11 leading global cities that harness the power of collaboration and community to create positive impact through business events.

Julia holds a Bachelor of Business (Catering and Hotel Management) and a Masters of Business (Hospitality and Tourism Marketing). She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her sales experience includes 13 years experience in a number of international hotel chains.

Nicole is Managing Director of Arinex and a leader in the global events industry, representing excellence through her active involvement in numerous industry groups.

She served as President of the Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia (EEAA), is a Councillor with the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), a member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), and holds a Director role with INCON Group, a global partnership of conference organisers.

Additionally, she is a member of the International Association of Professional Conference Organisers (IAPCO) where she also sits on the IAPCO Quality Review Panel for PCO members.

Angie Becker is the Chief Sales and Customer Experience Officer at Victorian Convention and Event Trust, overseeing Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Nyaal Banyul, Geelong Convention and Event Centre.

With over two decades of experience in hotels, hospitality and events, she previously held Senior Leadership positions at Crown Melbourne and Hyatt International Hotels, where she led transformational initiatives that delivered multi-million-dollar growth. Angie is recognised for her expertise in revenue optimisation, customer experience enhancement, and building high-performance teams.

Colette is the Founder & CEO of The Conference Room and Australia Conferences & Incentives, a global multi award-winning, full service business event agency renowned for innovative design of incentive travel, conferences, special events, and Australian destination management. Blending creativity with strategic precision since 1997. Colette's extensive industry experience includes international wholesale travel as well as airline operations.

She is an active member of the business events community, having served as President of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, Australia & New Zealand (SITE ANZ) from 2020 to 2022. Her contribution to industry achieved global recognition, most notably with the Kevin Forde Spirit Award in 2023, awarded by her SITE peers.

Her agency has garnered international acclaim, winning the prestigious SITE Crystal Award in 2021 and the ADMEI Award for Best Event in 2025. She holds qualifications as a Certified Incentive Travel Professional (CITP) and is celebrated as Australia's first Destination Management Certified Professional (DMCP). Her memberships reflect her commitment to industry and include the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI), and Australian Marketing Institute (AMI).

Jasmine Pohl is the Exhibitions & Event Development Manager at Adelaide Convention Centre, where she leads the Centre’s dedicated Exhibitions team, overseeing event planning and logistics for external client exhibitions. In addition, Jasmine manages the Centre’s internally produced consumer events, including Cellar Door Fest and Cellar Door Fest Winter Edit. Cellar Door Fest—Adelaide’s favourite food and wine festival—was recently judged Best Consumer Show at the 2024 ABEA Awards.

A passionate advocate for the next generation of business events professionals, Jasmine supports industry growth through her role on the ABEA Emerging Leaders Council.

Melissa Brown is the inaugural CEO of the Australian Business Events Association. She is a business development and marketing specialist with over 20 years of experience driving results for multinationals, not-for-profits, SMEs, and start-ups across industries and geographies, including the UK, USA, and Hong Kong. She has worked with leading organisations such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce in London, Australian Associated Press, Telstra and Talent International.

Brown holds key advisory roles, including being a member of the ACCI Tourism Committee; a Tourism SWAG Member for Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA); an Advisory Panellist for Curtin University Tourism, Hospitality, Events Discipline & Tourism Research Cluster; and on the Advisory Committee for the Hospitality, Tourism, and Travel Employment and Skills Platform Project (eeger). The latter, funded by Austrade and managed by Accommodation Australia. She is also a Global Ambassador for the University of Technology, Sydney.

Melissa is passionate about aligning sales, marketing, brand, and product strategies to drive growth. Her ability to manage diverse stakeholders makes her a dynamic advocate for the business events industry.

Domenic most recently worked as the CEO of the Exhibition & Events Association of Australasia (EEAA), a position he has held since December 2021. During that time, worked with ABEA’s Project Development Group to help establish and set-up the new entity. Domenic’s association with the EEAA goes back having been a Director of the Association for 13 years from 2003 until 2016, with the last three as the Associations President.

Prior to working with the EEAA, through his private consultancy business, he worked with the Boating Industry Association for 28 years on the Executive Management Team, and as the head of the Marketing & Events Pillar of the business. For 23 of those years, amongst other shows, he was at the helm of their flagship event, the Sydney International Boat Show.

Domenic has had exposure to events and trends internationally having served on the Executive Committee and Director of the International Federation of Boat Show Organisers (London) for three years.

He has lectured at several educational institutions on a variety of marketing and event management subjects originally on a full-time basis, and more recently as a guest lecturer.

With over 17 years of experience in the business events industry, Hayley Beveridge is a proven expert in driving sales and delivering exceptional event solutions.

Her career spans venue representation, event organization, and bureau management, both within Australia and internationally. Hayley’s strategic acumen and sales-driven approach have consistently resulted in securing high-profile events and forging valuable partnerships. Renowned for her innovative solutions and exceptional organizational skills, Hayley is dedicated to maximizing value and creating unforgettable business events.