BOMnet Meeting #3 – In-Person

Please check the discussion forum for more information.

• Date: Tuesday 22nd – Wednesday 23rd, July.
• Location: Chapel Off Chapel (12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran, VIC, 3181)
• Agenda
• Travel & Accommodation Information 
• Book your ticket

Centred around Future Proofing: Facts, Fables & Fellowship, VAPAC’s BOMnet conference dives into the future of our sector through the lenses of ticketing innovation, wellbeing in a venue context, and strategic marketing.

We’ve invited leading boutique firms, trailblazing agencies, and respected experts in the field to explore how they’re future-proofing their work—and their clients’—through cutting edge technology and strategic thinking. You’ll gain practical insights into navigating legal frameworks, building sustainable careers in our sector and integrating AI ethically and effectively in real-world campaigns.

From emerging tech and dynamic pricing models to evolving policies, wellbeing, and the future of audience engagement—this is where it all comes together.

Guest Speakers & Presenters

Kelsey Dubar
Marketing & Events Manager
Little Rocket

Little Rocket is an experienced team, passionate about delivering quality-marketing services across a broad range of disciplines and mediums. Consider us your crack team of specialists that can assist you with anything from strategy, planning, creative, branding, digital, advertising, public relations and loyalty solutions. We work to brief and consult in a collaborative process to ensure you get the best experience and execution available. Our solutions are delivered in a timely manner, with clear communication and accountability paramount.

Julia Edwards
Chief Executive
Entertainment Assist

Julia has over 25 years’ experience in leadership roles in the corporate, community and government sectors, with many years working in senior roles for a range of influential not for profit organisations. With experience in developing valuable relationships through stakeholder engagement. Julia is passionate about building collaborative support to fund research and mental health training programs for the Australian entertainment industry. In her role as Chief Executive, Julia is determined to build awareness of Entertainment Assist and to make a positive contribution to the mental health and wellbeing of members of the Australian entertainment community.

Mark Salvestro
Marketing and Administration Manager
Arts On Tour

Mark Salvestro is the Marketing and Administration Manager at Arts on Tour. Prior to that, he worked in both the programming and box office teams at Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC), for Ticketmaster in Melbourne, and as a journalist in Cooma in regional NSW, where he grew up.

Mark is also a multifaceted creative having worked as an independent theatre producer, playwright and performer, and has toured his own works in regional NSW and to Fringe Festivals across Australia.

Damon Smith
Musician, Filmmaker, Writer and Mental Health Advocate

Damon Smith is a Melbourne-based, multi-award-winning musician, filmmaker, writer and mental health advocate whose work lives at the intersection of creativity and lived experience.

Renowned for his dynamic live shows, Damon’s electrifying blend of virtuosic New Orleans-style piano, blues balladry and razor-sharp storytelling has drawn comparisons to Dr John, Nina Simone and Harry Connick Jr. His critically acclaimed albums – including A Fresh Harvest From Old Seeds (produced by Jeff Lang) and Skeletons Skeletons Skeletons – have topped the Australian Blues and Roots charts and earned rave reviews nationwide.

But Damon’s impact extends far beyond the stage. As a published writer, filmmaker, educator and full-time artist, Damon is living proof of the challenges and the power of creating while neurodivergent. Diagnosed with OCD, ADHD and bipolar disorder, he speaks openly about rejection, burnout and the often-invisible toll of life as a working artist. From being ghosted by festivals to navigating under-resourced systems and battling internalised stigma, Damon offers an unfiltered, deeply compassionate look at what it means to survive and thrive in the arts.

His award-winning documentary Mental As Everything (ABC/SBS) explores the connection between mental illness and creativity with raw honesty and dark humour, earning him national TV and radio coverage and a devoted following. He has conducted mental health and wellbeing workshops across Australia, helping artists, students and communities explore the emotional impact of creativity and how to maintain good mental health while making work that matters.

Damon has performed at major festivals including Port Fairy Folk Festival, Blues on Broadbeach, Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Festival of Voices, and has collaborated with renowned artists such as Rebecca Barnard, Barney McAll, Ali McGregor, Joe Camilleri and Wilbur Wilde. In 2024, he made history as a finalist in the International Blues Challenge Melbourne heats, the only tie-breaker event ever held, and won a Music Victoria Award, triumphing over international acts like the Teskey Brothers.

Whether on stage, in film, on the page or in a workshop, Damon speaks with rare humour, heart and urgency about the role of the arts in mental health, and why advocacy, compassion and truth-telling in creative spaces are more important than ever.

Meghan Kelly
Head of School, School of Communication & Creative Arts, Faculty of Arts & Education
Deakin University

Professor Meghan Kelly is the Head of School, Communication and Creative Arts (SCCA) at Deakin University, Melbourne and Geelong, a school in the top 10 in Australia for art and design, English literature and communication and media studies. SCCA has a strong ethic of critical and creative inquiry, balanced by a deep appreciation of the power of practice and professional application. The school offers many disciplines; design, animation, film and television, dance, theatre, visual arts, photography, advertising, public relations, journalism, digital media studies, writing and literature. Students can traverse these disciplines throughout their studies at Deakin, emerging as unique cross-disciplinary graduates.

Kelly’s research is in the areas of visual communication design, participatory design practices and the impact of process to achieve respectful, culturally owned outcomes in professional design practice. Kelly co-authored the Australian Indigenous Design Charter and the International Indigenous Design Charter document that led to the ARC Grant on Protocols for Indigenous-led creative practice (2022-2025). Kelly has co-authored with Dr Jonathan Sweet the book Museum development and cultural representation: Developing the Kelabit Highlands Community Museum (2018) and the book Codesign: People, Participation, Practices (2025) with Professor Simone Taffe. Kelly is currently working on a new publication mapping the working experiences of women in the communication design industry internationally.

As one of Australia’s leading, most progressive universities, Deakin has built a strong reputation for both excellence in education that leads to employability and research that has a positive real-world impact.

Fiona Brook
Director
Zilla and Brook

Fiona Brook is an experienced communications and public relations specialist with highly developed skills in strategy and influence developed over 24 years. Fiona founded Zilla & Brook Publicity in 2011, building one of the most well-regarded creative communications agencies in Melbourne with a focus on arts, design, film and music.

Fiona has an extensive network in local and national media and a substantial track record of success in securing editorial placement for a significant portfolio of clients in major festivals and events, local councils, cultural institutions, architecture, design, arts, music and film. Placing a high value on integrity and authenticity is at the core of Zilla & Brook. The agency’s client list is enviable as is the number of organisations who continue to build their reputation and brand with Zilla & Brook year after year.

Patrick McCarthy
Manager Strategic Initiatives and Engagement
Creative Australia

Patrick McCarthy is an arts sector leader and theatre-maker. He is currently Manager Strategic Initiatives and Engagement in the Creative Workplaces team at Creative Australia. From 2021-2024 he was Executive Director of the Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres. Prior to this role he held leadership positions with peak industry bodies in the construction and higher education sectors. In 2023-24 he was Co-Convenor of the Arts Industry Council of Victoria, and Convenor of the Performing Arts Presenters Associations consortium. He has also worked extensively as a playwright and director for over 15 years, collaborating with some of Melbourne’s most acclaimed actors and designers. He holds post-graduate qualifications in both playwriting and policy development and is passionate about building a stronger and more connected arts sector.

Sanicki Lawyers

Sanicki Lawyers is a boutique Prahran firm specialising in commercial law, working primarily with creative industries and small businesses. Since our founding in March 2009, we’ve combined creative and commercial expertise to offer a wide range of legal services. Our dedicated team offers practical, cost-effective legal advice, empowering clients to focus on what they love. Our team’s diverse backgrounds ensure innovative and practical solutions for businesses and creative needs. Sanicki Lawyers is proud to have worked with a line-up of the biggest names in entertainment. Our commercial law team has also supported many vibrant and emerging businesses to thrive, locally and across the country.

Sponsors