The Venue Management Association is pleased to announce Andrew Travis AVM, as the new Dean of its prestigious educational program, the Leadership Institute (LI).
As Chief Operating Officer of Melbourne & Olympic Parks, Andrew is responsible for the operation of a precinct notably acclaimed for hosting the Australian Open Tennis and was the former Gold Coast Suns (AFL) Chief Executive Officer. Andrew shares a passion for the education of our industry and in conjunction with his experience as a Venue Management School (VMS) and LI Instructor since 2013, the VMA Board is confident Andrew will continue to drive the success of the LI.
The VMA Board would like to thank outgoing Dean, Anthony Duffy AVM, on his outstanding contribution to the program over the past 3 years as Dean of the LI. Anthony continues to serve as both a VMS and LI Instructor, and VMA Board Member.
Leighton Wood, VMA President notes, ‘Anthony steered the Leadership Institute to record breaking numbers and developed a program recognised as an educational benchmark for senior managers and executives in the industry. The VMA Board is confident, with the appointment of Andrew, the LI will continue this success with its relevance now greater than ever before.’
Andrew Travis AVM, newly appointed Leadership Institute Dean.
Last week, the VMA’s industry leading Venue Management School was due to take place, however, with COVID-19 forcing the cancellation, it was the first time since 1993 this amazing learning experience could not physically be delivered to the students.
To assist the 2019 Year 1 students remaining engaged and connected, the VMS Committee held a Virtual Town Hall for each of the classes. Hosted by Wayne Middleton CVE, VMS Chair and newly appointed LI Dean, Andrew Travis AVM along with VMS and LI Instructors from across the globe, the two sessions afforded the students the opportunity to discuss current issues and reconnect with both their classmates and Instructors.
The discussions were dynamic and provided an insight particularly around the innovation venues are adopting to succeed in a COVID world, how the industry is shaping up for 2021 and what the future looks like for the venue management industry.
As one of the core education programs of the VMA, the Venue Management School and Leadership Institute, is the only industry run school of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.
The VMS combines the ultimate venue industry networking experience with a two-year program featuring workshops, discussions and presentations to explore 35 topics essential to the venue industry.
The School has gained the reputation as a world class education facility in the venue management space and has been a turning point in the careers of nearly 1000 industry professionals over the last 25 years.With its unique program that has been designed by the industry, and for the industry, the program is delivered by senior industry experts who are passionate about our industry and about developing the industry leaders of the future.
VMS Chair, Wayne Middleton CVE, notes, “As a residential program the School offers students the opportunity to learn from the best and develop and connect with other venue professionals from across the region. Imagine being able to sit down with a Senior Executive of a major venue at breakfast and engage with them as they freely share their knowledge and experience. There is no other education experience in our industry that allows the opportunity for such intimate career defining networks to be developed”.
The VMA’s Venue Management School and Leadership Institute return next year commencing Sunday 7th November 2021.
For further information on the Venue Management School or Leadership School contact education@vma.org.au.