22 Conference Producers Serving Melbourne in 2026

Conference producers serving Melbourne include professional conference organisers, event directors, agency producers and operational leaders. As of August 2026, these 22 people are working on conferences and business events in Melbourne, from local agencies and city offices to major annual platforms.

The list is designed to help association leaders, corporate teams, speakers and event partners understand who is doing this work and what different production models look like. Some people lead conference-only firms. Others work across association congresses, exhibitions, incentive programs or business event platforms. The common thread is responsibility for turning an idea, committee brief or commercial goal into a real event.

The scope includes people based in Greater Melbourne as well as senior producers whose organisation has a Melbourne office or whose current work directly serves Melbourne. That distinction matters because many conferences are delivered by distributed teams, while the venue, delegates and live production remain local.

The names are presented alphabetically by surname for easy navigation. Each entry focuses on the person's current role, their connection to Melbourne conference production and one useful part of their experience. Together, they show the range of people a conference host might encounter when planning program, production, registration, stakeholder management and the delegate experience.

Why conference producers matter

Conference producers matter because they connect strategy with live delivery. A conference can have strong speakers and an important purpose, but it still needs someone to turn those assets into a coherent experience with clear timing, reliable systems and calm decisions.

That work begins well before the room opens. Producers help a client shape the brief, define responsibilities, build a practical timeline and coordinate venues, suppliers, committees, speakers, sponsors and delegates. During delivery, they protect the program while solving the issues that inevitably appear around people, technology and logistics.

Melbourne's conference sector supports several production models. Professional conference organisers can take responsibility for an association's full event cycle. Creative agencies can add production design and audience experience. In-house teams can bring deep knowledge of a particular platform or audience.

The useful question is fit. A host needs to understand the complexity of the event, the experience already inside the organisation and the responsibilities that need an external owner. Good production also protects attention, so delegates can focus on the content instead of the machinery behind it.

1. Amber Anderson

Director and Lead Conference Manager, The Conference Group

Amber Anderson is Director and Lead Conference Manager at The Conference Group, a professional conference organiser based in Melbourne and serving clients across Australia. Her role combines senior oversight with direct conference management.

The firm describes itself as led by experienced directors who remain closely involved in every project, and its published client work shows what that means in practice. When the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse ran its first ever conference gathering, the centre's then chief executive credited the team with steering a brand new organisation through a hybrid event for more than 250 people. That combination of strategic decisions and day-to-day delivery matters most when a host is building something for the first time.

2. Renee Bennett

Director, WALDRONSMITH Management

Renee Bennett is Director of WALDRONSMITH Management, whose principal office is in South Melbourne. She is based in Perth and leads the firm alongside her role as managing director of Encanta Event Management, so her connection to Melbourne runs through the business rather than her postcode.

In February 2026 WALDRONSMITH Management passed into her ownership and leadership from founding director Kate Smith, and she has kept the Melbourne firm, which has more than three decades of history, running as its own brand. Her own record covers more than two decades and hundreds of conferences, congresses and complex stakeholder driven programs across Australia, New Zealand and internationally. Succession is one of the least discussed challenges in this industry, and this is a rare public example of it being handled openly.

3. Denise Broeren

Co-Founder and Director of Business Development, Think Business Events

Denise Broeren is Co-Founder and Director of Business Development at Think Business Events, a professional conference organiser with its head office in Port Melbourne. The firm works with associations, government and industry groups on complex conferences.

In July 2026 the company became an accredited member of IAPCO, the international association of professional congress organisers, and Denise framed the milestone in terms of the company it puts the firm in rather than the badge itself. Being part of IAPCO, she said, connects the team with a community of leading professional congress organisers around the world. For an association weighing up an organiser, that outward looking instinct is a useful signal, because conference practice moves quickly and a firm that only talks to its own market tends to notice late.

4. Silke Calder

Event Director, AIME

Silke Calder is Event Director of AIME, the Asia Pacific business events exhibition and learning platform held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Her role brings together exhibitors, buyers, content, operations and major event partners.

AIME 2026 was the fifth edition delivered by Silke and her team, and the event's official opening announcement described it as the largest show delivered under her direction, with more than 750 exhibitors from 36 countries and territories. South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Uganda joined the show floor for the first time. Her work shows what production looks like when a program, a trade marketplace and a city's industry relationships all have to work as one.

5. Anna Civiti

Founder and Director, AC Events Management and Consultancy

Anna Civiti is Founder and Director of AC Events Management and Consultancy, a Melbourne based boutique professional conference organiser working across association and corporate conferences, exhibitions and incentive programs.

She brings more than 20 years in event management and, unusually for a small consultancy, publishes her own industry commentary rather than marketing copy. In a piece written in February 2026 she argued that a premium event experience is no longer about excess or glamour but about intent, detail and how an event makes people feel. That view is worth hearing for any host weighing spend against the experience delegates will actually remember.

6. Amber Coupe

Founder and Creative Director, We Are Phoenix

Amber Coupe founded We Are Phoenix in Melbourne in 2013 and expanded it nationally in 2021. She leads the agency as Founder and Creative Director, working across conferences, summits and large scale corporate programs.

The agency's conference credits have been recognised publicly rather than only claimed. Its work on WISE X, a 900 strong conference and gala for WISE Employment, and on TalentFest were both finalists in the Australian Event Awards congress and conference categories. Amber has also spoken about what makes that possible, pointing to the people behind the agency rather than the events themselves. For hosts who want creative direction and conference discipline in the same team, that pairing is the point.

7. Tammy Crupi

Director, Fruitbowl Events Agency

Tammy Crupi is Director of Fruitbowl Events Agency, a Melbourne company delivering corporate events, conferences, festivals, activations, government events and community celebrations across Victoria and Australia. Her role spans strategic planning, stakeholder coordination and live delivery.

Tammy created Fruitbowl more than 25 years ago and the agency has kept technical production in house rather than subcontracting it, through a sister audiovisual company founded by one of her own producers. Her published experience centres on leading complex projects with high level stakeholder engagement, particularly government events and programs. That matters for conference clients because the hardest part is rarely the run sheet. It is holding many parties to one plan.

8. Maree Di Pasquale

Group CEO, Arinex

Maree Di Pasquale is Group CEO of Arinex, a conference and event management business with a Melbourne office in Hawthorn East. She leads the group across its conference, exhibition and destination work.

Under her leadership Arinex secured a five year contract for the Melbourne Motor Show, which returned in April 2026 across 30,000 square metres of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. She described the agreement as a testament to the work of the whole group rather than a personal win. Multi year contracts of that size are useful to understand, because they show how a producer builds institutional memory into an event instead of restarting every year.

9. Lexie Duncan

General Manager, WALDRONSMITH Management

Lexie Duncan is General Manager at WALDRONSMITH Management, where she holds day-to-day leadership of the firm's client work from its South Melbourne base.

She returned to the business events industry in February 2026 after stepping away in 2021, arriving with the change of ownership to take on operations at a firm that records more than 750 events delivered. Her own background covers 15 years leading end-to-end conference delivery for diverse industry sectors. People do leave this industry and some come back, and a producer who has done both tends to have a clear view of which parts of the job are genuinely worth the effort.

10. Claire Graham

Director of Operations and Content, AIME

Claire Graham is Director of Operations and Content at AIME, where she is responsible for how the show runs and what delegates hear while they are there.

She came to the role by an unusual route. After managing operations for AIME in 2024 she joined the AIME team permanently as director of operations and content ahead of the 2025 show, following earlier work at Interpoint Events. Combining operations and content in one role is a deliberate choice, because the program and the floor plan constrain each other more than most hosts expect.

11. Siobhan Jensen

Director of Conferences, ICMS Australasia

Siobhan Jensen is Director of Conferences at ICMS Australasia and is the named contact for the professional conference organiser's Melbourne office in Southbank.

She joined ICMS Australasia in 2018 after more than six years running corporate events in Dubai, having started out in hospitality in New Zealand, and has created events for anywhere from ten to thousands of delegates. Her own profile ends with the line that she has not met a spreadsheet she does not love, which is a more honest description of conference direction than most job titles manage. That range, from a small committee workshop to a multi day congress, is what a Melbourne office of a national organiser has to cover.

12. Heather McDowell

Director, MECCA Concepts

Heather McDowell is a Director of MECCA Concepts, the Melbourne conference and event company she formed in 2005 with fellow director Rachel Washington.

MECCA Concepts has acted as secretariat for the Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand since 2007, a secretariat appointment now approaching two decades. Heather is the named contact for sponsorship, speaker and program enquiries on the association's 2026 conference, so the relationship is not simply historical. Long secretariat appointments are worth noticing, because they usually mean the producer has learned an association's culture rather than just its calendar.

13. Jessica Moebus

Senior Event Coordinator, ICMS Australasia

Jessica Moebus is a Senior Event Coordinator with ICMS Australasia, supporting committees, delegates and sponsors across conferences run through the organisation's Melbourne office.

She joined that office in 2018 as a conference assistant, was promoted to conference services coordinator, and in that role managed over 10,000 delegates before moving into her current position. She was also Victorian state runner-up in the MEA Ungerboeck Young Professional Award in 2019 and now takes an active lead in training new event assistants and coordinators. Delegate services is where most conference complaints begin or end, and it is a genuinely specialised craft rather than an entry point.

14. Hannah Pickford

Executive Director, ASN Events

Hannah Pickford is Executive Director at ASN Events, a professional conference organiser whose only office is in Melbourne and which specialises in medical, scientific and professional association conferences.

She has more than 13 years in professional conference management, and the firm sets out her philosophy plainly. Conferences should do more than fill a program, on that view. They should create the conditions for real connection, meaningful mentoring and collaboration that outlasts the event itself. That is a useful standard for any committee measuring an event only by attendance and surplus.

15. Mike Pickford

Executive Chairman, ASN Events

Mike Pickford is Executive Chairman of ASN Events, the Melbourne based professional conference organiser he built into a specialist in scientific and medical association work.

Planning for his first event started in 1989, and he has since represented the event management industry on the Business Events Council of Australia and his peers on the council of the Professional Conference Organisers Association. His firm's Melbourne delivery includes the World Health Summit Regional Meeting at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Industry representation matters to conference hosts more than it sounds, because the people who sit on those bodies tend to be the ones thinking about where the sector is heading.

16. Letitia Potashnyk

General Manager, Events, MSE Events Group

Letitia Potashnyk is General Manager, Events at MSE Events Group, a business founded in 2002 and operating from Nunawading in Melbourne's east.

Her stated remit is researching, developing and implementing engaging events, conferences and incentive programs, which puts her across the full arc from concept to delivery rather than a single stage of it. Her colleagues note that she plays weekly tennis, runs and does reformer pilates, and is still the first to polish off a block of chocolate and the one who keeps the office supplied with baking. Incentive programs and conferences ask different things of a producer, and running both builds a useful instinct for what an audience will actually enjoy.

17. Susan Ryman-Kiernan

Managing Director, Wise Connections

Susan Ryman-Kiernan is Managing Director of Wise Connections, the Melbourne conference and incentive company she founded in 1998 after relocating from the United Kingdom in 1996.

She has delivered conferences and incentives in more than 30 countries and served on the board of Meetings and Events Australia from 2010 to 2018. Her firm was named the Victorian professional conference organisation of the year at the final Meetings and Events Australia awards in November 2025. A quarter century running one firm from one city is its own kind of evidence, because reputation in this sector is built almost entirely on repeat clients.

18. Jenene Stanford

Senior Event Producer, Wise Connections

Jenene Stanford is Senior Event Producer at Wise Connections, working across finance, automotive, government, information technology and association events from the firm's Melbourne base.

Her published career has an unusual shape. She was with Wise Connections from 2008 to 2011, left, and returned in 2020, bringing more than 20 years in the industry with her. She describes her approach to producing in terms of collaboration and communication, working with every stakeholder to find how a message will actually connect with an audience before deciding how to stage it. Producers who return to a firm after a decade away usually bring a sharper sense of what the house does well.

19. Kim Stevenson

Co-Founder and Director of Strategic Operations, Think Business Events

Kim Stevenson is Co-Founder and Director of Strategic Operations at Think Business Events, leading operational thinking from the company's Port Melbourne base.

She brings over 30 years of industry experience, and the firm describes her strength as coordinating complex event operations and anticipating challenges before they arrive, then devising solutions calmly. Think Business Events has delivered more than 300 conferences since 2006 for associations, government and industry. The best conference experiences usually come from risks being resolved quietly, well before a delegate or speaker has any reason to notice them.

20. Rachel Washington

Director, MECCA Concepts

Rachel Washington is a Director of MECCA Concepts, the Melbourne company she formed in 2005 with Heather McDowell, specialising in conferences, professional seminars, product launches and other events across Australia and internationally.

Her service model covers the connected details that shape a conference, including delegate registration and support, speaker management, session programming, abstract handling, sponsor recruitment and production liaison. On the aviation law association's 2026 conference she is the named contact for registration and accommodation while her fellow director handles sponsorship, speakers and program. Splitting a secretariat that way is a quiet mark of experience, because delegates and speakers need different kinds of attention at different points in the year.

21. Sarah Weatherby

Associate Director, Conferences, Arinex

Sarah Weatherby is Associate Director, Conferences at Arinex and is based in Melbourne, working on major national and international conference programs.

Her current portfolio includes Women Deliver 2026, one of the world's leading conferences on gender equality and the health, rights and wellbeing of women and girls, which Arinex brought to Melbourne. Events of that scale place a city's whole business events infrastructure under load at once, from accommodation and transport through to accessibility, translation and security. Working on one is a useful reminder that a conference producer's real client list includes the city as well as the host.

22. Peter Zafirakos

Event Manager, MSE Events Group

Peter Zafirakos is Event Manager at MSE Events Group, overseeing conferences, corporate events, hospitality programs and incentives for the firm's clients from its Nunawading base.

He started at MSE in 2013 while completing a Bachelor of Business in event management and has since worked across apparel and merchandise, corporate hospitality and the financial side of the business before taking on event management. That route through the commercial functions is unusual and useful, because it shows a producer how creative choices, operations and budget decisions push against one another. Hosts often find that the most practical conversations happen with someone who has had to reconcile all three.

What these producers show about conference production

Across these profiles, the clearest pattern is that strong conference production combines people skills with systems. The producer has to listen carefully, translate different priorities and then turn them into decisions a team can actually deliver.

Another pattern is the value of range. Some people have moved through registration, coordination, venue operations and senior management. Others connect creative direction with technical production, or have delivered association congresses alongside exhibitions and incentive programs. That variety builds judgement, especially when a brief changes or a supplier problem affects the program.

The organisation model also shapes the work. A founder led firm can keep senior decision makers close to each project. A larger organiser can bring specialised teams and repeatable processes. A creative agency may help most when audience experience and physical design are central to the brief.

For clients, the practical lesson is to look beyond a job title. Ask who will own the day-to-day decisions, how responsibilities will be divided and how the producer will communicate when the plan changes. The best fit is the person and team whose way of working matches the real complexity of the conference.

How to use this list

Use this list as a starting point for understanding the Melbourne conference production landscape, not as a shortcut around a clear brief. Begin by writing down the event's purpose, audience, format, timing and the parts your internal team can genuinely own.

Then compare those needs with the roles and experience shown here. A multi day association congress may need end-to-end registration, program, sponsorship and committee management. A corporate conference with a strong creative concept may need deeper production and audience experience capability. A growing annual event may need operational systems that can scale without losing the personal touch.

When you approach a producer, keep the first exchange written. Share the draft brief, likely dates, venue status, audience size, decision path and any fixed constraints. Ask what the producer would own, what remains with your team and what information is needed for a written proposal. That creates an early record of assumptions and open questions before anyone invests heavily in a detailed plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a conference producer do?

A conference producer turns an event brief into a practical program and delivery plan. The role can include timelines, venue and supplier coordination, speaker support, registration, sponsorship, production, stakeholder communication, live operations and post-event reporting. The exact scope depends on the event and the producer's organisation.

How is a conference producer different from an event planner?

A conference producer often carries broader responsibility for program, stakeholders, delegate systems and live delivery, while event planner can describe a wider range of social, corporate or public events. In practice, titles overlap, so the written scope and named responsibilities matter more than the label.

When should we engage a Melbourne conference producer?

Engage a producer once the purpose, audience and likely timing are clear enough to write a useful brief. Earlier involvement can help with venue, format, budget structure and responsibility mapping. Large or complex conferences usually benefit from more lead time than a simple one day event.

What should be in the first written brief?

Include the event purpose, audience, possible dates, venue status, format, program outline, decision makers, internal resources and any fixed constraints. Be clear about which tasks need an external owner. This helps a producer respond with relevant questions and a useful written proposal.

Can one producer manage speakers, sponsors and delegates?

Yes, some professional conference organisers provide end-to-end management across program, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, registration and onsite delivery. Other producers specialise in creative or technical production. Confirm the exact responsibility split in writing so important tasks do not sit between the client, venue and suppliers.

Conclusion

Melbourne conferences are supported by people with very different paths into production. Some lead professional conference organising firms. Some have grown through coordination and delegate services. Others bring creative, commercial or major event experience to the conference environment.

That diversity is useful because conference briefs are not interchangeable. A scientific congress, association conference, business exhibition and leadership event may use similar venues and suppliers, but the program, stakeholder and delegate needs can be very different.

The strongest next move is to turn your event idea into a short written brief before approaching anyone. Define the purpose, audience, likely dates, decision makers and the areas where you need ownership. Then use the profiles above to identify the production model that best fits the work.

A clear brief makes the first exchange more useful for everyone. It helps a producer understand the real challenge, gives your internal team a shared picture of the event and creates a better foundation for a written proposal.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Brisbane based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. The Working Genius framework was created by Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group. Jonno works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world. To enquire about a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Related Reading

If speakers are also part of your planning, this guide to keynote speakers for association conferences in Melbourne can help you build the next part of the brief, and this list of motivational speakers in Melbourne is useful when you want energy at a particular point in the program. For a wider view of the city's leadership community beyond the events sector, this directory of influential leaders in Melbourne is a good place to start.

Plan the leadership part of your conference

Planning a Melbourne conference and need a practical keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session to fit the program? Jonno White helps leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. Email jonno@consultclarity.org with the event brief and audience.