100 Movers & Shakers in the UK Events Industry

1
The Top
100
Movers
& Shakers
in Events

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The events industry is stuffed full of talent, bursting with
creativity and home to some truly inspiring individuals.
We wanted to shine a light on those event professionals
pushing the boundaries and driving the industry forward.
To do that, we turned to some of the event community’s
most respected professional bodies, trade press, industry
commentators and leaders (as well as our own Eventbrite
experts) and asked them to nominate those individuals
who deserve to be recognised.

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The result is a peer-nominated list of 100 professionals making
waves across the spectrum of events, including:
• Arts, Entertainment & Culture
• Charity & Fundraising
• Conference & Exhibition
• Endurance
• Music & Festivals
The list features both up and coming youngsters and industry
veterans, but what they all demonstrate is innovation, thought
leadership and a drive to make a difference. These are the change-
makers - the ones to watch in 2016.

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The Top
100
Movers
& Shakers
in Events

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Index
Arts, Entertainment & Culture ......... 7
Charity & Fundraising .................... 28
Conference & Exhibition ................ 49
Endurance ...................................... 70
Music & Festivals ........................... 91

7
Arts,
Entertainment
& Culture

8
Tom O’Leary
DIRECTOR OF LEARNING
Science Museum
As well as leading Learning at the Science Museum,
Tom has been putting on amazing Ted events since
he started TedXParliament in 2012. He now has the
licence for TedXLondon which will take place later
this year.
Arts, Entertainment & Culture

9
Jade Coles
SENIOR MEMBERS EVENTS STRATEGY MANAGER
Soho House Group
Shoreditch House programs an amazing array of
events spanning arts, culture and emerging music:
Jade curates the whole program and is responsible
for delivering dozens of events each month.

10
Sam Moyo
FOUNDER
Morning Gloryville
Conscious clubbing is a growing events trend and
Sam is behind Morning Gloryville - the global event
that kicked off this scene. She has an inspiring vision
and energy!

11
Jo Vidler
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Wilderness Festival
As one of the founders of Secret Productions, the
team behind Wilderness as well as the Secret Garden
party, Jo is pioneering a new brand of lifestyle
festivals, with boundary-pushing acts and attractions
at each year’s events.

12
Emma Keith
HEAD OF BROADCAST & PRODUCER
National Theatre Live
Emma was recently appointed Producer/Head of
NT Live, having been the outstanding deputy of
David Sabel, who trail blazed the scheme in 2009.
The Event Cinema market is projected to grow to
$1billion worldwide in the next two years or so, and
Emma is certainly developing new ways of accessing
this market - while ensuring National Theatre
remains true to its mission. She’s also lovely!

13
Kirsty Hoyle
DIRECTOR
Include Arts
I worked closely with Kirsty to set up the Relaxed
Performance Project in 2012-13, which was designed to
welcome people to the theatre that might not otherwise
feel welcome, particularly those with autism and their
families. 5000 people participated in the pilot, 60% of
whom had never before been to the theatre as a family -
30% had never been at all. She is continuing to seek ways
to make arts organisations more accessible to their very
core. She’s passionate, honest and has a great sense of
humour (this is starting to sound like a dating ad!).

14
Richard Evans
DIRECTOR
Beamish Museum
Richard has transformed the Beamish Museum into
the most visited attraction in the North East, where
he runs many events. He’s probably way too modest
to accept any sort of nomination, but he is constantly
thinking about how to tell the history of the North
East while running an innovative, sustainable, much-
adored organisation visited by more than 600K
people per year. I wrote about them a few years ago
here - but the story has only gotten more compelling.

15
Vanessa Reed
DIRECTOR
PRS for Music Foundation
Vanessa has trail blazed a number of new initiatives,
including ensuring women composers are supported
and recognised, and is generally a fearless,
collaborative leader.

16
Rupert Loman
CO-FOUNDER
Gamer Network
Rupert was still in sixth form when he co-founded
the Gamer Network. He now runs an international
business with over 50 employees, and events
reaching over 100,000 dedicated games fans each
year. That’s incredible scale, and combined with
their media properties, he continues to innovate
how to run a successful integrated media and
events business.

17
Duncan Sime
CO-FOUNDER
Indy Man Beer Con
Duncan, along with the other co-founders of the
Indy Man Beer Con, have really been pioneers in how
beer festivals can become more open and accessible
to those who are not just CAMRA members and
traditional ale fans. As the Financial Time said,“Indy
Man Beer Con has rewritten the rules on what a
British beer festival looks like,” and Duncan has been
a key figure in making this happen.

18
David Neal
CEO
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
David has been the CEO of the Llangollen
International Musical Eisteddfod for almost 3 years
now, and it continues to go from strength to strength,
cementing its place as a globally recognised event
and a highlight of the Welsh cultural calendar, with
over 50,000 people attending it each year.

19
Dave Pichilingi
CEO
Sound City
Having built up Sound City into an internationally
recognised success, it’s tesiment to Dave’s restless
spirit and ambition that he’s continued to innovate
and completely change aspects of the event -
all involving a level of risk - to keep it fresh and
interesting. Always leading from the front, he’s
someone to pay attention to.

20
Tim Wilson
CREATIVE PRODUCER
Heritage Arts Company
Tim founded HAC in 2007 and leads all the
company’s major artistic and entrepreneurial
projects from inception to delivery, including the
VAULT Arts Festival. The festival took place over six
weeks in 60 different events, with up to 20 shows per
night and was designed to provide a unique and fair
platform for emerging talent in theatre and the arts.

21
Tom Creed
THEATRE, MUSIC & OPERA DIRECTOR
Freelance
Tom is an experienced director and curator who
has worked on major Irish cultural events such as
Cork Midsummer Festival, Kilkenny Arts Festival
and Dublin’s bid to be European Capital of Culture in
2020. He is a member of the EFFE International Jury
for the European Festivals Association and a board
member of Macnas, an internationally acclaimed
street performance and spectacle company.

22
Jo Mangan
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CEO
The Performance Corporation
Jo started The Performance Corporation, based
in Co. Kildare, Ireland, as a theatre production
company but has transformed it over the last decade
into a large-scale arts festival known for boundary-
breaking work. She commissions, curates and
supports the work of artists through a variety of
programmes and acts as a consultant for diverse
arts organisations. Jo is also an activist for the
arts at a political level through Ireland’s National
Campaign for the Arts and Theatre Forum.

23
Tessa Clarfelt
SENIOR ARTS & CULTURE PROGRAMMER
MAMA & Company
Tessa is responsible for planning, curating and
booking the arts and performance content across
MAMA’s Wilderness Festival, Lovebox and Citadel
Festivals. Her achievements include bringing
DISTRIKT, a well know Burning Man camp to London
and creating The Imaginarium, an experiential events
space at Village Underground in East London.

24
Jeremy Newton
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
The Prince’s Foundation for Children & The Arts
Jeremy heads up Children & the Arts, a charity which
aims to give disadvantaged children access to high-
quality arts activity. Through its large-scale national
arts projects, it uses the arts as a platform to inspire
and enable personal and social development.

25
Tess Acheson
DIRECTOR
Secret Arts Foundation
The Secret Arts Foundation funds, supports and
promotes artists’ projects in the UK and abroad. It
champions art that is interactive in its approach,
participatory in its social stance and emotive in its
realisation and seeks to take art out of gallery and
into the community. Tess hand curates events and
helps to produce immersive market spaces.

26
Adriana Marques
HEAD OF ARTS AND CULTURE
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Adriana is an experienced curator and leader in the arts,
known for delivering challenging projects. Her experience
includes commissioning and delivering 26 major artworks
on the Olympic Park with an extensive public programme;
curating international exhibition programmes; raising
significant funds from public and private sectors;
integrating arts and culture programmes into public sector
organisations, and advocating for arts and culture through
teaching and writing. She is also currently a curatorial
board member for Rise Art, selecting emerging artists for
exhibitions and events, and on the Public Art Advisory Panel
for the Bristol Arena.

27
Alison Lord
ARTS & CULTURE PROJECT LEADER
Sheffield Hallam University
Alison is a specialist in managing and producing dance,
arts and social inclusion projects. Projects she’s overseen
include Hatch, helping people aged 16 to 25 to organise
and manage open mic and photography events, and
Your Future, an arts programme for people experiencing
domestic violence. In her role at Sheffield Hallam, she
works in partnership with University departments and
external arts and culture organisations to develop arts and
culture activities for students.

29
Mike Zywina
FOUNDER
Lime Green Consulting
Mike is very impressive. He runs his own fundraising
consultancy Lime Green and has a very interesting
blog which touches on subjects others don’t. I
particularly appreciate his support of and interest in
small charities. He actually first came to my attention
when I was Chief Exec of the Small Charities Coalition
and I have helped at one of his trainings, which offer
considerable value to the charity community.
Charity & Fundraising

30
Nisha Kotecha
FOUNDER
Good News Shared
Nisha owns and runs the positive charitable news site,
Good News Shared.At a time when mainly negative
stories about charities have been getting into the news,
she provides a different perspective. She spreads the word
in all sorts of ways, including a popular podcast.She was
on Rotaract’s national executive and the President of her
London Branch and she regularly writes guest blogs for
prominent organisations. She has a background in the
small charity sector which helps her understand that, as
important as they are, it isn’t only the massive campaigns
and huge charities that matter.

31
Katherine Sparkes
FOUNDER
Flamingo Creative
Katherine is a phenomenon. It would probably take
less time for me to explain what she doesn’t do than
what she does! She’s the Chief Exec of Getting on
Board (a charity encouraging people to become
trustees), set up the Flamingo Foundation, which does
incredible work helping vulnerable people and set up
Flamingo Chicks too, an inclusive ballet school for
children with disabilities. She’s just amazing!

32
Carlos Miranda
FOUNDER & CEO
I.G. Advisors and Social Misfits Media
I love Carlos’s work and there is no-one else like him that
I’ve found, at least not in the UK (he’s originally from the
States). He owns I.G.Advisors and Social Misfits Media
and is vocal about a range of issues that are important
for the sector. I particularly like the publications his
company has created, bringing together top people
from social media platforms to discuss issues related to
the charity sector.Well worth a read. Carlos is great at
bringing people together and a really dynamic person
with a creative mind.

33
Liz Tait
DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING
Battersea Cats & Dogs Home
As well as being Director of Fundraising at Battersea
Dogs & Cats Home, Liz is very actively involved
with the Institute of Fundraising. She is Chair
of the National Convention Board, a Learning &
Development Committee member and a Trustee. She
is also a Trustee of Action for Hearing Loss.

34
Richard Turner
HEAD OF OPERATIONS
SolarAid
Richard is an experienced fundraiser, having spent
the last 25 years working for charities like ActionAid
and Oxfam. He currently heads up the team at
SolarAid team. It’s mission is to eradicate the
Kerosene lamp from Africa by the end of the decade.

35
Rachel Hunnybun
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Sweetpea Charity
Rachel is responsible for developing new initiatives
at Sweetpea Charity, which cares for vulnerable and
disadvantaged children. She is currently working
on a new trading arm of the charity, Greenhouse
Fundraising, to provide support, training and
consultancy to other charities. She is also an
accomplished public speaker.

36
Meredith Niles
STRATEGY & INNOVATION DIRECTOR
Marie Curie UK
In addition to her day job, Meredith is an Advisory
Panel Member on fundraising think thank Rogare,
Honorary Treasurer of reading charity BookTrust and
a Trustee for no less than three other charities.

37
Will Cardy
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
Platypus Digital
Still only 27,Will has led digital foundation and
campaign work for charities like Global Justice Now.
He saw the potential in Denmark Hill charity The Bike
Project (recently featured in The Evening Standard),
working with them as his pro bono charity and helping
them raise money online through donated bikes.

38
Fran Swaine
HEAD OF DIGITAL
Platypus Digital
Fran has worked with charities like Relate to connect
their online counselling offering with those who need
it most through shrewd digital marketing strategy,
and delivered quality digital marketing training
for charities like Citizens Advice and Sue Ryder to
sharpen their digital expertise.

39
Amanda Neylon
HEAD OF DIGITAL
Macmillan Cancer Support
Amanda has transformed the digital offering at
Macmillan in her four years as head of digital there,
growing their online fundraising and service delivery
many times over. She has become one of the most
respected voices in the charity digital space.

40
Simon Blake
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
NUS
Simon spent many years transforming sex education
and young people’s health in the UK. He has taken his
unique, vibrant leadership to the NUS, and continues
to lead the judging of the best charity CEOs on social
media each year.

41
Chris Bray
HEAD OF MARKETING & INCOME GENERATION
Eden Valley Hospice & Jigsaw
Chris is a visionary events professional who has
successfully directed numerous inspiring large-scale
charity events to the very highest of standards. His
career has included 10 years at the MS Society as
Head of Conferences where he took the helm of MS
Life, the charity’s biggest lifestyle event, attracting
more than 3,000 visitors annually.

42
Claire Rowney
DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION, CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS
Cancer Research UK
Claire is responsible for innovation across Cancer
Research UK’s fundraising and marketing portfolio.
She leads Cancer Research UK Events team, which
delivers more than 300 events each year including
Race for Life, Pretty Muddy, Shine and the UK’s first
ever women only marathon. Given Race for Life is the
largest fundraising event in the UK, her leadership and
continued growth of the event is something others can
look to for best practices and inspiration.

43
Tracy Johnson
UKSF CONFERENCE MANAGER
Stroke Association
Tracy has a long track record in the events industry,
including seven years as Marketing Services Director
at industry association Eventia (now EVCOM). Last
year she joined the Stroke Association to manage the
UK Stroke Forum (UKSF), the largest multidisciplinary
stroke conference in the UK with over 1,300 attendees
and 50+ exhibitors.

44
Tristam Jones
HEAD OF MASS PARTICIPATION
British Heart Foundation
Tristam has specialised in charity events for the last
eight years, working with major charities such as
Macmillan, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and now,
British Heart Foundation. He heads up a 30-strong
events team to organise a range of 70 bespoke
and third party events. Career highlights include
overseeing management and development of one of
Europe’s largest events with 28,000 participants: the
London to Brighton Bike Ride.

45
Sally Wilton
FOUNDER
The Nomad Cinema
Sally not only founded the UK’s first roaming pop-
up cinema, but used it as a force for good, donating
100% of the profits to charity.The team continue to
drive innovation in cinema, with live actors, music and
some of the most beautiful venues in London

46
Rebecca Elcome
HEAD OF EVENTS
Ark
Rebecca is an inspiration when it comes to running
mission driven events. She has a relentless focus
on engaging donors through immersive event
experiences that have impactful results.

47
Mary Dobson
FOUNDER
London Young Charity Professionals
Mary, whilst working in Special Events at the NSPCC,
has also founded the capital’s fastest-growing
charity networking event. In starting London Young
Charity Professionals, she’s successfully brought
the community together to network and share ideas.
Frequently touted as one to watch!

48
Vicky Fallon
HEAD OF FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGNS
Save the Children UK
Under Vicky, Save the Children’s flagship fundraising
event - Christmas Jumper Day - has gone from
strength to strength, and by forging new partnerships
and building it’s digital reach this is set to continue.

50
Jason Allan Scott
FOUNDER
VenueMe
Jason is just a force of nature, and deservedly a well
known and respected figure in the live events industry
with a string of successful events and happy clients
under his belt.
On top of that he has just launched a book about
how to make it in the industry and at the same time
launched VenueMe, a new event tech startup. He is
also host of the‘The Guestlist’podcast.
Conference & Exhibition

51
James Morgan
CO FOUNDER
Event Tech Lab
An industry veteran who now passes on his knowledge
to the new breed at the University of Westminster
whilst also working with the International Special
Events Society (ISES) to further the industry. He also
founded Event Tech Lab, the world’s first incubator for
emerging technologies within the sector.

52
Jim Curry
FOUNDER
Exhibitor Smarts
Jim recently founded Exhibitor Smarts, a company
that helps exhibitors perform better, harder and
become more engaged. He writes great, no bullshit
articles that really hit home. He’s someone who’s not
afraid to share his opinion.

53
Gareth Dimelow
FOUNDER AND CREATIVE STRATEGIST
LIFTD
Formerly the Director of Strategy and Planning at George
P.Johnson, Gareth is the founder of LIFTD, a new strategic
communications consultancy. Used to bridging the gap
between knowledge and creative expression, Gareth has
developed insights and communication platforms for a
wide variety of clients, from Samsung,Yellowtail and IBM
to Toyota, Mini and Zumba. He is also a prolific blogger on
popular culture, politics and technology, as well as a keen
‘early adopter’of all things digital.

54
Jackie Mulligan
PRINCIPAL LECTURER AND DIRECTOR OF ENTERPRISE
International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism and Hospitality
Jackie leads the event management degree course
at Leeds Beckett University, now one of the most
popular of such courses across the UK. She is also
VP Education at Meeting Professionals International
(MPI) UK & Ireland, ensuring educational content is
available through MPI events for chapter members
and other event professionals.

55
Helen Moon
FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN
EWL Club
Helen launched the EWL (#Eventprofs Who Lunch)
Club in the summer of 2015. EWL is a networking
and education forum for UK event professionals that
helps bring together a diverse and eclectic industry -
a great and necessary initiative.

56
Kirk Thomas
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Athena Events Group
Kirk launched Athena in 2015 after 12 years in
conference and events publishing, latterly with Mash
Media. Kirk is also the organiser of the monthly
EventHuddle, a Question Time-style panel discussion
focusing on tough topics that other events may avoid.

57
Alistair Turner
MANAGING DIRECTOR
EIGHT PR & Marketing
Al launched his own PR agency in 2015 following
more than a decade with events PR specialist, Davies
Tanner. In his first few months, he has already secured
a series of new clients and is also a keen supporter
of industry initiative Britain for Events. He is also the
president elect of industry association ISES UK, so his
influence looks set to continue growing.

58
Alan Newton
CO FOUNDER & CEO
Eventopedia
Alan takes an interest right across the sector and is
one of the big‘debate starters’on Twitter for various
themes. He is involved in an exciting project seeking
crowdfunding and has set up a Klout ranking initiative
for the industry, too.A real genuine guy and talent.

59
Annie Byrne
EDITOR
Exhibition News
She has had a meteoric rise since joining Exhibition
News as a reporter just a couple of years back. She
has won social media awards for blogging and is
driving that publication to new highs.

60
Selina Chavry
GLOBAL MANAGING DIRECTOR
Pacific World
Selina is meteoric riser. Still very young, but through
sheer hard work and intelligence has moved into an
extremely influential position globally. (Check out the
latest edition of CMW magazine for a big interview
with her).

61
John Martinez
CEO
Shocklogic
John is an experienced events tech professional,
and is a giant of a personality with tons of
enthusiasm and pioneering in that niche.

62
Rosa Garriga Mora
MEETING ARCHITECT
Kenes Group
Rosa has recently been appointed the first-ever
‘meetings architect’at Kenes.This is hailed as a
breakthrough for event ROI, as she is part of Elling
Hamso’s Event ROI Institute.

63
Martin Lewis
MANAGING DIRECTOR
CAT Publications
Martin is the driving force behind respected event
industry publications Meetings & Incentive Travel
and Association Meetings International and has been
tackling the industry’s most controversial topics head
on since 1987. He has pioneered two leading industry
award programmes, helped fund and lead vital industry
research, and helped to establish the UK’s Meeting
Week, as well as the industry’s official charity Meetings
Industry Meeting Needs, which has funded worthy
causes both at home and abroad.

64
Fiona Pelham
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Sustainable Events
Fiona is MD of Sustainable Events and Positive
Impact, which exist to make the events industry more
environmentally friendly, and chairs the development
of the ISO 20121 event sustainability management
system standard. She is also the 2016 chair of the MPI
(Meeting Professionals International) board.

65
Kevin Jackson
DIRECTOR OF IDEAS & INNOVATION
The Experience is the Marketing
Kevin is as influential as he ever has been through his
work with ISES (International Special Events Society
UK) and countless other industry bodies.Also he
recently launched a‘new breed’of event agency; The
Experience is The Marketing, designed to change the
way events are sold to businesses and brands.

66
Richard Hingley
GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR
drp
Richard started at drp on work experience some
30 years ago and now leads the creative & design
division. He works with major brands devising creative
solutions, many of which have been award-winning.
He has also introduced innovations in both strategic
delivery, ROI and engagement measurement, and is a
driving force at drp and in the industry in general.

67
Julie Davidson
DIRECTOR
Davidson James
Julie has a wealth of experience of the conference
world and has worked for many of the top agencies.
She is expert in brand communications and delivers
great events for a variety of world class brands.

68
Sam Wilson
DIRECTOR
EcoEvents.com
Sam strives to bring the sustainability factor to all the
events she works on and help companies become
more green and environmentally aware, which should
be both applauded and acknowledged.

69
Dale Parmenter
GROUP CEO
drp
Dale has over 35 years of experience within the
conference and creative world and is a well known
and respected industry figure. He started drp group
from an outbuilding at his parents’ house and has
built it into one of the UK’s leading communication
companies, with 130 employees and offices in
London and Worcestershire. Dale is currently on the
board of industry association EVCOM as Immediate
Past Chairman.

71
Mark Leinster
CEO
Obstacle Course Racing Association UK
Last year the UK was the first country in Europe to host an
independent Obstacle Course Racing Championship. Throughout
2015 races across the UK acted as qualifying rounds and those
that made the cut took part in the final in November 2015. As
OCRA UK were the organisers of this entire initiative the amount
of work that this took was incredible. Mark took the helm of OCRA
at a challenging time and not only executed a fantastic event,
but also restructured the entire organisation for the benefit of its
members and community. He has worked so hard on the setting
up of a government approved governing body and building great
relationships with his counterparts across Europe and the World
to move towards unification of the OCR (Obstacle Course Racing)
industry. He is an absolute legend of a man.
Endurance

72
David Hellard
FOUNDER
Beer Belly Running
David set up the first elite race team in the country
(used to be called inov8 OCR, now called British
Military Fitness Race Team) and he is the voice of
‘Bad Boy Running’ – a podcast with over 10,000
listeners – in which he regularly talks about OCR and
how great it is.
Endurance

73
Endurance
James Parrish
RACE DIRECTOR
Nuclear Races
James is the UK’s leading innovator in terms of
obstacle design, course variation and above all,
quality of product.

74
Rich Burnett
DIRECTOR
AWOL Adventure
Rich is incredibly passionate about sports
participation, he’s not only the Director of one of the
most innovative photo-sharing technology platforms
in the country, but he’s a runner, a marketer and
a great guy. Photo-sharing is one of the most
underrated requirements of any event and AWOL
now allows event organisers to use its platform for
free, but also trains event photographers so everyone
gets the most value out of their photos. This is
innovation with a win-win model at the heart of it.
Endurance

75
Endurance
Pete Rees
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
Mudstacle
Pete is one of the most influential media friends to the
OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) scene. He started a blog
three years ago, which became a website and is now
one of the most popular media channels in the OCR
community. Mudstacle has hosted award ceremonies,
event video highlights and has been a huge contributor
to help grow the OCR sport throughout the country. His
passion, vision and relentless drive is commendable.
He’s also incredibly nice, a genuine good guy.

76
Alistair Gammell
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Earnest Agency
Last year Alistair Gammell added a new face to Earnest
Agency, and focused on creative and sponsorship strategy
to the sports industry. This is an incredibly bold, but
necessary, move to bring more value to an industry that
needs more commercial and creative guidance. What’s
impressive about this move is that Earnest Agency have
award winning B2B campaigns and as such they’re not
following the crowd (or resting on laurels) but are gambling
on their own skillset to bring something new to the table. I’ve
also been a client of theirs, and they’re so easy to work with,
an absolute pleasure.
Endurance

77
Endurance
Will Dean
FOUNDER AND CEO
Tough Mudder
In 2010, Tough Mudder put on its first event, which
welcomed about 5,000 people. Since then, Tough
Mudder’s hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses
have tested the strength, stamina, mental grit and
camaraderie of 1.5 million participants around the
world. As the global industry leader, he’s still setting
the pace today.

78
Simon and
Julie Freeman
FOUNDERS
Freestak
Simon and Julie launched Freestak Ltd four years ago, working
exclusively with brands in running, cycling, triathlon and the
outdoors. Freestak helps clients communicate effectively and
authentically with end consumers. The team at Freestak is now
working on a technology-driven project that will revolutionise the
way brands engage with online influencers. As well as that, Simon
and Julie launched Like the Wind magazine two years ago. Each
quarterly issue has 100 pages of gripping stories and beautiful
visuals that explore why we run and the spirit of the sport.
Endurance

79
Endurance
James Elson
FOUNDER
Centurion Running
James has been an incredibly positive and
influential figure in the world of UK ultrarunning.
Ultra distance events 10 years ago were the
preserve of the niche runner in the UK. It’s due in
no small part to James that ultramarathons have
grown enormously in the UK. Through his company
Centurion Running, he’s brought an ever growing
series of incredibly professional, high quality and
flawlessly run races to the UK.

80
Charlie Dark
FOUNDER
Run Dem Crew
Charlie is the founder and leader of the Run Dem
Crew. This is an urban running collective that brings
together a mixed group of people, with a shared
passion for running, creativity and community. The
‘Crew’ has gone from strength to strength since
Charlie started running with a few friends late at
night nearly a decade ago. Now Charlie leads 500
people at RDC and is at the forefront of a global
movement of running crews, connected by shared
views and interests.
Endurance

81
Sophie Radcliffe
ATHLETE & SPORTS WRITER
Challenge Sophie
Sophie completely changed her life around when
she left a lucrative career in the City and started
following her dreams to become an endurance
athlete and adventurer, under the name Challenge
Sophie. With a keen understanding of what brands
and consumers are looking for, Sophie has created
a loyal following and is taking her adventures to the
next level all around the world.
Endurance

82
Martin Yelling
FOUNDER & CO PRESENTER
Marathon Talk
Martin is a coach, athlete and commentator who co-
founded running podcast ‘Marathon Talk’. There has
been almost four million downloads of the podcast
which covers topics ranging from athletes at the very
elite end of the spectrum to complete beginners.
Martin and his co-presenter Tom Williams have a
great sense of humour and a deep understanding
of the sport of running, which makes the ‘Marathon
Talk’ podcast a must for many runners in the UK and
all around the world.
Endurance

83
Colin Spafford
HEAD OF OPERATIONS
Reaper events
Colin puts on great, testing and fresh events. He
always has a trick up his sleeve.
Endurance

84
Dean Newman
EVENT DIRECTOR
Judgment Day events
Dean is the country’s most infamous course planner
and bringer of pain to thousands! He is always
looking for new ways to push his racers and isn’t
afraid to get out on the course and test it all himself.
Endurance

85
Endurance
Doug Spence
CO OWNER
Dirty Dozen Events
Dirty Dozen Races are challenging obstacle races
with great courses. Their obstacles will test you
whoever you are.

86
Jim Mee
OWNER
Rat Race Adventure
Rat Race Adventure produces a huge range of
fantastic events which suit everyone from beginners
right through to the hardcore racers.
EnduranceEndurance

87
Thomas Mannah
DIRECTOR
Obstacle Course Consultancy
Thomas has worked with clients including Nuclear
Races, Judgement Day, Back 2 The Trenches and
OCRA UK to help them perfect their marketing,
commercial and PR strategies, and now he’s
launching his own OCR event – All Out Races. It is
the UK’s first LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender)
mud run and is being organised in conjunction with
London Pride. It takes place on June 18 as part of
Pride Festival Week and 10% of all ticket sales will be
donated to Pride.
EnduranceEndurance

88
Mark Ussher
CEO
The Sports Media Agency
Run for Charity is a new concept launched by the
Sports Media Agency, designed to help charities
within the running events sector. The new initiative,
spearheaded by Mark, aims is to help increase the
number of people running and raising money for
charity every year. In addition to this, it also aims to
reduce the costs faced by charities when fundraising
via running events so that more of the money
fundraised goes directly to the causes supported.
Endurance

89
Bear Grylls
FOUNDER
Bear Grylls Survival Race
Bear Grylls has become known around the world
as one of the most recognised faces of survival and
outdoor adventure. Last year brought his renowned
spirit of endeavour, fitness and adventure to the
Obstacle Course Race (OCR) market, with the
launch of the inaugural Bear Grylls Survival Race
(BG Survival Race). The races feature ultra-dynamic
Bear-Grylls inspired obstacles set over 5km, 10km
and 30km courses.
Endurance

90
Daniel Scott
FOUNDER
Ultm8 Warrior
After a 17-month placement with Spartan Races,
Daniel launched Ultm8 Warrior, a junior obstacle
course challenge. Ultm8 Warrior strives to create a
safe and controlled environment where children can
enjoy new and exciting forms of physical exercise
and aims to increase participation in physical activity
amongst children 5 to 15 years of age.
Endurance

92
Peter Taylor
DIRECTOR
Cuffe and Taylor
In the last three years, concert promoter Cuffe and
Taylor has gone from strength to strength. The
business continues to grow and Peter has big plans
for the future.
Music & Festivals

93
Andy Smith
DIRECTOR
From The Fields
Andy is Director of From The Fields, which organise
Kendal Calling, Forgotten Fields and Live from Jodrell
Bank. He is a very quietly spoken guy and very much
a gentleman. Quite rare in the festivals sector. The
business continues to grow and he’s not scared to
try something new.
Music & Festivals

94
Lee Denny
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
LeeFest
The nicest man that you will ever, ever meet in the
festival sector. I met Lee when LeeFest was in year
two/three and was just growing. Last year, LeeFest
took a year out whilst Lee launched another
festival called Camp Fire. But this year, LeeFest
is back. You might have seen Lee and the festival
team on the television over Christmas in the
Android ad. Young guy, ambitious, always happy to
talk and loves Nandos!
Music & Festivals

95
Ralph Broadbent
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Count of Ten Group
Count of Ten produces so many festivals including
Truck and Y Not, which continue to grow and grow.
Ralph and his team continue to create new and
exciting events for their audience.
Music & Festivals

96
Tom Lawson
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Festival Awards
This year’s UK and European Festival Awards was the most
successful yet in terms of ticket sales, sponsorship and
industry feedback.Tom isn’t just a great event producer,
he is one of the most pleasant people you will ever deal -
proof that, even in in this industry, nice guys can excel.And
that fact that Tom has day-to-day dealings with the owners
& directors of pretty much every music festival in the
UK and Europe, plus other major stakeholders (sponsor
brands, suppliers, media, etc.) makes him one of the best
connected and influential people in the business today.
Music & Festivals

97
Julian Tremaud
ENTREPRENEUR & FOUNDER
FanTeamz
As founder of FanTeamz,Julian is reinventing the art
of fan-to-fan festival marketing.A very smart guy, he
has almost single-handedly built his platform from
scratch and sold it to major events in three countries,
without a penny of external investment. I have seen
festival organisers literally salivate when they discover
what this platform can do for them. He currently has
VC’s falling at his feet because they can also see that
this will change everything.
Music & Festivals

98
Mary Varney
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Snack Media
At last - a boutique social media agency that really understands
the live music events world. I’ve worked with Snack Media
and experienced first-hand their ability to super-charge the
social media reach and engagement of a live event, adding
phenomenal value to the event, its audience and its partners.
Their secret is the caliber of their staff and, having had a lot of
insight into the world of digital media myself, I can vouch that
they don’t come smarter or more clued-up than Mary. I see
social media amplification as a major growth area in the live
events industry over the next few years, and I expect to see
Mary as a major player in this movement.
Music & Festivals

99
Dan Walsh
OWNER & FOUNDER
Full Fat
Dan has pioneered the art of festival and tech
communications and now owns and runs his own
super successful marketing and communications
agency for the entertainment and lifestyle sectors.
Its broad and diverse range of clients covers six
core divisions; Major Events & Festivals, Food
& Drink, Bars & Restaurants, Travel & Tourism,
Videogame & Technology and Fashion & Lifestyle.
Music & Festivals

100
Suzanne Bull MBE
CEO
Attitude is Everything
Professionally Suzanne has done a remarkable
amount for improving deaf and disabled people’s
access at festivals and venues across the
country. Every year more gets achieved and her
organisation is growing, even in the wake of cuts.
She’s also personally very caring, happy to share
her time and contacts to give insight to those she
works with.
Music & Festivals

101
Fiona Stewart
DIRECTOR
Green Man Festival
Fiona is one of the UK’s most accomplished
festival promoters and has grown Green Man to
become one of the leading medium-sized festivals,
often selling out a month or two early when other
comparable festivals don’t sell out until a few days
before if at all. All without having the benefit of
owning the festival site. She did the same at the
Big Chill before.
Music & Festivals

102
Sharon Hodgson MP
MP
House of Commons
Despite being Shadow Children’s minister, as a
member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on
Ticket Abuse Sharon has tirelessly pursued some
of the wilful profiteering taking place at secondary
ticketing marketplaces, which often make it
impossible for grassroots fans to attend hot ticket
gigs. This includes campaigning for changes in
the 2015 Consumer Rights Act and the current
consultation.
Music & Festivals

103
Chris Tofu
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Continental Drifts
A person about as steeped in live gigs as it’s possible to
be, Chris Tofu is responsible for many of the after-hours
bands playing at festivals such as Bestival, Glastonbury,
Secret Garden Party, Lovebox. His organisation also helps
charities such as Attitude is Everything.
Music & Festivals

104
Goc O’Callaghan
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
ArcTanGent
Goc is not only Festival Director for ArcTanGent, the
award winning festival for connoisseurs of Math-
rock, Post-rock, Noise-rock and Alt-rock, she is
also founder of GocStock. Goc single-handedly
organised the free-to-attend festival, which ran from
2006 to 2010 in a bluebell Forest in Kent. Recently
she was voted onto the Strategic Board of the
Association of Independent Festivals to help direct
the organisation’s future.
Music & Festivals

105
Rebecca Cronin
FESTIVAL MANAGER
Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food & Wine
Rebecca helped lead the team at Ballymaloe House
in Cork in devising and staging the first Ballymaloe
Literary Festival of Food & Wine in 2013. It has since
grown to become the biggest gathering of food and
drink writers in the world and has put the venue back
on the map.
Music & Festivals

106
Beth Heath
OWNER
Beth Heath Events
Beth specialises in food and drink events and has
organised events ranging from the Ludlow Food
Festival, Shrewsbury Food Festival, and one of
the biggest Halloween events in the UK at Tulleys
Farm in West Sussex. Beth manages a team of 100
temporary staff for the event, which attracting more
than 60,000 people over 3 weeks.
Music & Festivals

107
Patrick O’Donnell
CO FOUNDER & EVENT DIRECTOR
Unsigned London Festival
Patrick is Co-Founder of the Unsigned London
Festival, which champions unknown and unsigned
musical acts. The festival, which is free to attend,
takes place across four stages, and is ensemble
of over 150 of London’s brightest talent across
Indie, Rock, Jazz, Folk, R&B, Reggae, Classical and
electronic genres.
Music & Festivals

108
Lachie Gordon
DIRECTOR
Bassline Productions
Lachie took his experience as director of Bassline
Productions, one of the country’s leading event
production and management companies, and poured
it into Noisily Festival. As Director of the festival, he is
responsible for presenting a diverse lineup of electronic
music, alongside mind bending visual arts and
performances. The festival, which takes place in the
beautiful setting of Coney Woods in Leicestershire, is
now in its third year and continues to earn rave reviews.
Music & Festivals

109
Andy Rea
CO FOUNDER
2000trees Festival
Andy, together with five friends, started 2000trees,
an independent music festival in the picturesque
Cotswolds, winning the Grass Roots Festival Award
2010 and the ‘A Greener Festival Award’ for its
commitment to sustainability. The 5,000-capacity
event pulls together the best new and underground
British music, is one of the greenest festivals in the
UK and features high quality, local food and drink.
Music & Festivals

110
Lak Mitchell
CO FOUNDER
BoomTown Fair
Lak is Co Founder of the BoomTown Fair, a vast
festival of music and arts in Winchester.With 22 main
stages, 102 themed mini venues, over 2km of winding
street set, nine completely immersive districts and
over 500 artists across a huge spectrum of genres,
this is unlike any other festival.
Music & Festivals

111
Ian Kenyon
FOUNDER
Retro Trax Festival
DJ Ian Kenyon is creator of the ‘world’s first ever
two-day outdoor camping 100% Old Skool event’.
The Retro Trax Festival brings party-heads one of
the best selections of dance music from the late
80s and early 90s, which wowed a generation in the
warehouse and rave scene.
Music & Festivals

100 Movers & Shakers in the UK Events Industry

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100 Movers & Shakers in the UK Events Industry