Industry veteran Glen Rainsbury has joined Ticketek as general manager for Australia and New Zealand.

Rainsbury, who will be based in Melbourne, brings a wealth of experience to the role that includes senior positions at the Chelsea Flower Show, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba) and Etihad Stadium (now Marvel Stadium) in Melbourne. In recent years, he has held executive roles with both Live Nation and Frontier Touring, and in 2020 helped coordinate the work of the new Live Entertainment Industry Forum, for which he was named one of IQ’s Unsung Heroes.

He was most recently director of venue strategy and business development for AEG-aligned promoter Frontier Touring.

Rainsbury joins alongside another new hire for Ticketek parent TEG, which has also appointed Lee Jones to the role of director of ticketing solutions. Both Rainsbury and Jones will report to Cameron Hoy, TEG’s CCO and managing director of ticketing.

“Glen’s CV gives him a 360-degree view of the live entertainment sector, [which] makes him a great fit for this new role”

“Glen’s CV gives him a 360-degree view of the live entertainment sector. It makes him a great fit for this new role, which is key to Ticketek’s strategy to ensure we continue to lead the industry with an enhanced operated model as our industry emerges from Covid-19,” says Hoy.

“I am thrilled that Lee is leading our ticketing solutions team to ensure the full breadth of Ticketek’s technology and capability is deployed and leveraged for the benefit of our partners globally. Lee’s experience in ticketing strategy and solution design is unequalled in our industry.”

Geoff Jones, CEO of TEG, adds: “Glen’s extensive experience, dedication and attention to detail make him a great addition to Cam’s team as we continue to roll out TEG’s integrated model.

“Lee’s commitment to delivering excellence to our partners is second to none, we are thrilled she is stepping into this vital new role.”

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Unsung Heroes 2020, published in IQ 95 just before Christmas, is a tribute to some of the organisations and individuals who have gone above and beyond to help others during a year unlike any other – be that through their efforts to protect the industry, or helping those who were in desperate need.

We turned to the readership and asked you to nominate worthy causes and personalities for consideration as the inaugural members of our Unsung Heroes awards. Now, IQ can reveal the dozen most-voted Unsung Heroes of 2020, continuing with LEIF’s Evelyn Richardson and Glen Sainsbury, who follow Paul Reed of the Association of Independent Festivals.

In late May of 2020, when it was clear that the industry was looking at a long and uncertain return to normal operations as Australia came to grips with the Covid-19 pandemic, the concept of the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF) was brought to life by TEG chief executive Geoff Jones and Roger Field, president of Live Nation Asia Pacific.

They enlisted key players from across the music, sport and venues sectors to form an executive committee that was representative of virtually every industry sector and each state and territory across the country – the first time that parties from the full breadth of the entertainment industry had gathered around a table to collectively advocate for the industry.

One of the key deliverables identified in the first meetings was to develop guidance for the industry to which venues and promoters could operate as safely as possible in the new Covid world – a task that Frontier Touring’s Glen Rainsbury was asked to co-ordinate.

“Working with LEIF chairman James Sutherland, we developed a structure that included ten separate working groups led by subject matter experts,” says Rainsbury. “The teams were tasked with developing guidance specific to their areas of expertise and which had to be general enough to be applicable to a broad range of event settings and reflect the regulatory advice of every state and territory, and venue types from clubs to stadiums. It required a very particular approach and discipline.”

“The work has been used by clubs, arenas, stadiums, festivals, and promoters in the development of their Covid-safe plans”

Rainsbury says the commitment of the 50+ contributors was immense. In a matter of weeks, the heavy lifting was largely complete and it was a case of honing the mountain of submissions into a cohesive work. “As it stands, the work has been used by clubs, arenas, stadiums, festivals and promoters in the development of their Covid-safe plans on their way back to operating,” he says.

Various states and territories have also drawn upon the guidelines in drafting their solutions, while Rainsbury and Tim McGregor, also from LEIF, have become the sole representatives from the commercial sector on the National Covid-19 Arts and Health and Advisory Committee.

“It was a privilege to work with the extraordinarily talented people from across the industry who gave their time and IP to deliver something that has assisted the industry to bounce back so quickly. It was the team’s fine work and effort,” adds Rainsbury.

As the chief executive of Live Performance Australia, Evelyn Richardson’s dedication to the live entertainment sector has never been in question, but while many in the industry were forced to pause their careers, Richardson doubled down on her workload to help LEIF lobby for assistance.

“It was a privilege to work with the extraordinarily talented people … who gave their time and IP to deliver something that has assisted the industry to bounce back so quickly”

With LEIF’s support, the LPA led the industry advocacy for federal government to provide emergency funding to the live entertainment industry. The A$250 million (€156m) package provided by government included $75m in grants and a $90m loans scheme targeted at the commercial sector.

LEIF and LPA have further called for the establishment of a business interruption fund to offset risks of cancellation or postponement over the next three years as the industry rebuilds.

Richardson tells IQ, “The most significant achievements of LEIF have been, firstly, the collaboration with our sporting colleagues with information sharing and support during a tumultuous period across the country and globally; and secondly, providing a united voice to governments with respect to advocacy, and raising the profile of the commercial entertainment industry, both in terms of its economic and social contributions to the broader economy.

“As we move forward, we hope to build on this, so our industry is recognised for the significant role we play as employers, providers of content to commercial and government-owned venues, and our critical economic alignment with other industry sectors such as tourism and hospitality.”

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Australian venue veteran Paul Sergeant has announced the formation of Paul Sergeant Events (PSE), a Melbourne-based event management company specialising in securing and promoting niche events in Australia.

Sergeant – a former head of several major Australian and international venues, including Wembley Stadium, Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena), Suncorp Stadium and, most recently, Etihad Stadium – says his mission statement for PSE is to support the “array of quality, niche event content around the world that is seeking to expand beyond its own boundaries, but doesn’t necessarily have the resources or knowledge to take on a move into Australia”.

The new company will also provide advisory services to the rights-owners of fringe sports events and venues in Austria, who “often require a helping hand to support their growth”.

At PSE, Sergeant (pictured), who stepped down as CEO of Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium last year, is joined by CFO Chris Charleson, head of commercial Sarah Brady and head of operations Glen Rainsbury. “I’ve always worked on the basis that you need to know where the talented people are, and these people are among the best in the industry here in Australia,” he explains. “Chris, Sarah and Glen are highly respected across the sport and entertainment business internationally. They know what they’re doing, have immense experience and aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and make things happen.”

Charleston is a former COO/CFO of ticketing market leader Ticketek, while Brady headed up consumer business departments at sports clubs including the Brisbane Lions, South Sydney Rabbitohs and GWS Giants. Rainsbury, meanwhile, has held sales and operation roles at Brisbane Entertainment Centre and the Gabba cricket ground, as well as the Royal Horticultural Society and the Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows in London.

“These are exciting times for a new business”

Most recently, they formed the core management team at the 53,359-capacity Etihad Stadium. “During the three and a half years we worked together, we secured and successfully delivered a vast array of massive international events,” continues Sergeant, “including the world record breaking UFC 193, Australian Speedway Grand Prix, Edinburgh Military Tattoo and concerts by Coldplay, Adele, Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift and many others.

“In addition to delivering major events, we were also integral to many varied improvements and developments at the venue. Because of our experience, catering, technology and playing surface improvements were among the many areas that made significant progress under our watch – and this expertise is now available for others to tap into.”

“Of course, none of this success is possible without the support of a wide network of others. We have had the benefit of working with a vast number of staff, freelance operators and other specialist organisations. We’re well networked across the globe and know who to turn to when we need to when it comes to delivering successful projects anywhere across Australia and New Zealand.”

While Sergeant’s main focus will be in the new business, he retains his role as a board member of PMY Group.

“These are exciting times for a new business,” he concludes, “and we anticipate making announcements about several projects in the coming months.”

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