Venue Management Association hires new CEO
Michael Brierley has been appointed CEO of the Australia-based Venue Management Association (VMA).
Brierley (pictured), who begins his new role today (2 January), was most recently secretary of the Queensland division of Commonwealth Games Australia, and has previously served in senior roles at the Institute of Sport Management and youth charity Apex Camps.
He succeeds Bluesfest’s Steve Romer as VMA chief executive.
Steve Harper, appointed president of the association last May, comments: “I am very much looking forward to having Michael on board. He brings with him well-rounded and extensive experience that will serve the organisation well.
“I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead such a well-respected organisation through the next phase of its growth”
“Michael’s key focus will be to provide strong organisational and financial leadership to the organisation, build on the VMA brand throughout the region, significantly grow the membership programme and deliver quality education and professional development product to the industry.”
“I am extremely delighted to be given the opportunity to lead such a well-respected organisation through the next phase of its growth,” adds Brierley.
“I am looking forward to working with the dedicated board and committees of the VMA, and wider stakeholder group across the Asia-Pacific region, to continue to build on the 30-plus years of valued contribution to the venue management industry.”
VMA is a trade association for venue managers in the Asia-Pacific region. Together with the affiliated International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), it has more than 5,000 members, including representatives of AEG Ogden, Melbourne & Olympic Parks, Venues Wellington, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Adelaide Festival Centre.
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Melbourne’s Steve Harper named VMA president
Steve Harper, director of arenas at Melbourne & Olympic Parks (Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, Margaret Court Arena), has been appointed president of the Venue Management Association (VMA).
Harper (pictured), who has been on the board of the Queensland-based association since 2012, succeeds Trevor Dohnt.
“It’s a pleasure for me to take on this role,” he comments. “I feel both honoured and privileged that the VMA has given me their support.”
VMA is a trade association for venue managers in the Asia-Pacific region. Together with the affiliated International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), it has more than 5,000 members, including representatives of AEG Ogden, Melbourne & Olympic Parks, Venues Wellington, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Adelaide Festival Centre.
Following last week’s bombing of Manchester Arena in the UK, Harper offered VMA’s “prayers and thoughts” to its “venue colleagues in the United Kingdom, as well as with all of the people touched by the horrific events experienced in recent days.”
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Beyoncé’s VMAs show a hit – on Facebook
Beyoncé’s performance at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) at Madison Square Garden on Sunday has been viewed over 18 million times on Facebook – nearly three times the number of people who watched it on television – further underlining the importance of the social network as a leading platform for concert video.
The American singer, whose Live Nation-promoted Formation world tour will resume on 7 September at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, played a 15-minute medley of songs from her new album, Lemonade, at the annual awards ceremony, which was viewed by 6.5 million people on MTV and sister TV channels.
Beyoncé won eight of the 11 awards for which she was nominated, including the coveted video of the year prize for ‘Formation’.
In June Kelly Clarkson become one of the first musicians to harness Facebook’s new live-streaming feature with a week-long series of mini-concerts from the singer’s home to her 15 million+ Facebook fans.
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