Our Councils

Stephen Wood holds law and economics degrees from the Australian National University and has worked in hospitality for over 30 years. He is a passionate events industry professional and has played an active part in the wider industry. Stephen is a Director of the Canberra & Region Tourism Leaders Forum, Deputy Chair of the Canberra Convention Bureau and formerly Chair of the Canberra Business Chamber Tourism Taskforce.

Most recently Stephen has taken on the role of Chair of the ACT Chapter for the Australian Business Events Association.

Before returning to Canberra he spent 13 years working at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) drawn there in 2000 by the opportunity to work and be involved in the Sydney Olympics. At the SCEC Stephen held a number of operational, sales and strategic positions. In his final role as Director of Operations he was an active member of the Executive Team, responsible for the future strategic planning of one of Australia’s largest and busiest venues.

In his current role as General Manager, National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC), Stephen is enjoying steering the NCCC into a strong time of rebuild and growth for Canberra and the events industry in the ACT. Stephen believes the events industry in Canberra has a bright future full of opportunity there for the taking.

Jessica Ferguson has nearly twenty years’ experience in event management with a strong focus on conferences and exhibitions. Jessica has an extensive background coordinating events for major event venues across Australia and New Zealand. With a background in convention centre’s including the SCEC and PCEC prior to working for an event management agency, Jess currently leads The Arinex Group’s business development department. Her passion lies in collaborating with stakeholders to create innovative solutions and pushing boundaries for events to enhance the participant experience.

Hannah von Bibra brings extensive venue and commercial expertise to her role as State Chair for Victoria, backed by a career spanning some of the most iconic and complex venues in Australia and abroad—including Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Town Hall, and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Hannah has been part of the Executive Team at Melbourne Royal (which manages Melbourne Showgrounds and the Melbourne Royal Show) for over five years. She is recognised for her strategic approach to enhancing the customer journey, building strong, collaborative partnerships, and delivering outcomes that benefit all stakeholders. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to the growth and innovation of Victoria’s business events industry.

A professional in the international event, tourism and hospitality industries, Simon has more than 25 years’ experience in sales, marketing and management of event venues, destinations and hotels. As General Manager of the National Wine Centre, he is responsible for developing the Centre’s wine, education, tourism and events business and managing external partnerships.

Prior to joining the National Wine Centre, Simon spent 10 years at the Adelaide Convention Centre, as the Director of Sales and Marketing and General Manager. Having held a range of senior management roles in hotels, destination marketing and tour operations Simon has gained extensive experience in the North American, European, Asian and Caribbean markets.

Dan is a passionate advocate for the Business Events sector.

Moreton Hire is a family-owned business with a 55-year history investing in Australian Business Event. As the General Manager of Moreton Hire, Dan has a reputation as a reliable and professional leader within the industry. Site safety, delivery excellence, and world-class customer service are at the core of his leadership philosophy.

Under Dan's guidance, Moreton Hire has consistently delivered exceptional event solutions, earning the trust and loyalty of clients across Australia and now internationally. His commitment to innovation and quality, sustainability and people is valued across industry stakeholders.

General Manager

Jessie is General Manager of the Northern Territory’s largest and most experienced exhibition company, Fusion Exhibitions. From 2015, Jessie has worked across all aspects of the company and brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership into the Business Events sector.

Fusion Exhibitions service the Business Events industry, specialising in the installation of shell scheme booths, professional design of custom-built displays, event styling, furniture and display equipment hire, and signage.

Helen Mantellato has been putting the needs of business events and exhibition clients first for almost four decades. In her role at ICC Sydney, Helen is the Senior Business Development Manager dedicated to building strong relationships with clients and developing a solid pipeline of events covering two market segments – both international and exhibitions. As a key industry contributor, Helen’s role encompasses creating opportunities across the global and local business events community by engaging major stakeholders, including through her recent appointment as Chair of the NSW Branch of the newly established Australian Business Events Association (ABEA).

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.

Damien brings over 30 years of extensive experience in specialised exhibition logistics and the broader freight forwarding and logistics industry. Throughout his career, he has held senior management roles across various sectors, demonstrating his expertise and leadership.

A passionate advocate for the Australian exhibition industry, Damien founded GEL Events in 2002. Under his guidance, the company has become Australia's premier provider of freight forwarding services for fairs and events, supporting the industry's growth and success.

General Manager

Sarah Goldfinch joined Adelaide Convention Centre as General Manager in February 2024 following an illustrious career leading luxury and lifestyle hotels, including operating her own consultancy, Goldfinch Hospitality, offering strategic and operational direction to clients in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

Sarah has held senior leadership roles within IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor Hotels, led the opening of the new Crowne Plaza Adelaide hotel, consulted for the luxury Oval Hotel at Adelaide Oval, and enjoyed a seven-year tenure as General Manager at Novotel Barossa Valley Resort, with a focus on business events. She works closely with Business Events Adelaide to attract major national and international business events.

Sarah has served on numerous boards supporting regional development, events and tourism, including Business Events Adelaide and Artisans of Barossa.

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.

With over 15 years of experience in tourism and business events industry and having recently joined Experience Gold Coast, the move interstate has been rewarding and exciting.

Previously working at the NZICC (New Zealand International Convention Centre) and MCEC (Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre) for over 10 years, her roles have been to drive business growth into venues which a focus on international and national events.

Toni is an accomplished events industry professional with over 25 years’ experience delivering technical production for events. As Senior Manager, AV Business Development at ICC Sydney, she combines deep industry expertise with a strong focus on customer experience and a passion for creative, collaborative production.

A dedicated advocate for industry education and inclusion, Toni serves as Chair of the Education SIG for ABEA and is the founder of Women in AV Australia. She is committed to building accessible career pathways and creating a diverse and inclusive industry.

Recently named Connected Magazine’s Most Influential Person in the AV Industry, Toni is known for her leadership, strategic vision, and unwavering support for the next generation of event professionals.

Kristen is the Sustainability and Impact Manager for the Victorian Convention and Event Trust, overseeing two venues - the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Naarm, and the new Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre in Djilang (set to open in mid-2026). MCEC is highly regarded globally, as a leading venue in environmental sustainability; accessibility; inclusion; community partnerships and engagement; and meaningful consultation and collaboration with traditional owners.

Kristen has a diverse background across various sectors, including local government, tourism, hospitality and events with expertise in operations; project management; strategy development and implementation. Kristen is passionate about driving change improving outcomes for the planet and people. Recently she achieved the Sustainability Reporting Professional certification from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

As Marketing & Communications Manager at AV1, Andrew oversees all aspects of brand strategy, customer engagement, and industry communications. He plays a key role in shaping AV1’s market presence, driving awareness, and fostering connections within the business events industry. His work includes developing and executing marketing campaigns, content creation, public relations, and strategic partnerships, ensuring AV1 remains at the forefront of innovation and thought leadership in event production.

With a background spanning Gartner, The Convention Centre Dublin, Macquarie University, and UNSW Roundhouse, he brings extensive experience in marketing and the business events industry.

As Chair of the ABEA Emerging Leaders Council, he is passionate about supporting the next generation of business events professionals.

A passionate, creative individual with over 10 years of experience in the non-profit, tourism, events and sports and recreation industries. As a Business Development Manager for Business Events Perth, I help bring national and international business events to the beautiful state of Western Australia, with a focus on championing our Tourism & Events, Creative Industries and Primary Industries sectors.

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.

Jo-Anne Kelleway is the International Industry Ambassador for Freeman Company. Jo-Anne was Founder & CEO of Info Salons Group, which she established in Sydney in 1990. Today, Info Salons Group is involved in over 750 events per year worldwide, assisting major event organisers such as Reed Exhibitions, UBM Asia, Deutche Messe, Informa, and Diversified Exhibitions with the development and growth of their events.

Never afraid of travelling to exotic places, she confidently expanded her organisation into emerging markets throughout the Greater Asian region. The Group has offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Dubai, with representative offices in Cairo & Saudi Arabia. In 2019, Jo-Anne sold the business to Freeman Company in USA.

Freeman is a global leader in events, and with the industry’s largest network of experts, Freeman’s insights shape exhibitions, exhibits, and events that drive audiences to action. Their integrated full-service solutions leverage a 96-year legacy in event management as well as new technologies to deliver moments that matter.

Jo-Anne is also very active in the industry as both Digital Innovation and Industry Partners Special Interest Board Member for the International Association of Fairs & Exhibitions (UFI) and the Chair of Life Members Special Interest Group for Australian Business Events Association (ABEA).

Damien brings over 30 years of extensive experience in specialised exhibition logistics and the broader freight forwarding and logistics industry. Throughout his career, he has held senior management roles across various sectors, demonstrating his expertise and leadership.

A passionate advocate for the Australian exhibition industry, Damien founded GEL Events in 2002. Under his guidance, the company has become Australia's premier provider of freight forwarding services for fairs and events, supporting the industry's growth and success.