What attracted you to the Huddle team?

It was an easy decision. The brand is all about awesome people doing awesome things and that’s what I want out of my work life. It felt like a no brainer.

For the last 10+ years, I have been educating people on the importance of technology and its role moving the events industry forward. The founders of Huddle have a very clear business philosophy, leading with technology, and this resonated so well with me. Huddle offers an environment where it’s not only ok but encouraged for me to unleash my passion and inner nerd.

You bring a wealth of event production experience with you to Huddle. How will you leverage that experience in our new role?

I have spent a large amount of time in this industry working in various capacities, starting as an AV technician, to working in event and technology sales as well as producing large scale events. I have developed a diverse range of skills and have had amazing opportunities not to just sit in one lane. Apart from being a lot of fun, the benefit of this diverse experience is that I can see the connections between the creative, the technical and the nuts and bolts of producing events. This diverse perspective really helps me deliver events that have that little bit of extra awesome-sauce.

What was the biggest thing you learned from your time working in the USA?

In the US, the industry is more specialised, whereas in Australia, you need to be able to do a bit of everything. Both have their advantages, but I enjoyed taking on roles that focused on one specific area, like strategy for example, and dive deep into that aspect. I got the chance to work out what it is about events that gets me excited and how I could use my skills to create maximum impact. It was great to have that opportunity.

What do you most enjoy about being back in Australia?

The coffee and easy access to vegemite! From a work perspective, it would be the ‘one in all in’ nature of our industry in the Australian market.  That end goal vision and drive to make things happen as a team is something really special and I love being part of that.

Huddle has a major focus on sustainability. Is that something that is important to you?

It’s just not good enough these days to run an event without considering its impact on the environment. Companies are under pressure from their employees and their customers to be responsible and reduce their carbon footprint. Sustainability needs to be at the forefront of every event strategy and must be threaded throughout the entire program. It goes beyond recycled coffee cups. Working with a brand that not only recognises this but makes it a key focus of the strategy excites me.

What is your favourite part of producing events?

I love collaborating with people. Watching how creative people can be in a brainstorming session in those initial conception stages, is my ultimate favourite. There is an amazing energy created in a room when the team and the client are bouncing ideas off each other all with the same end goal in mind.  When you hit that magic moment, it can be incredibly electrifying.

This is an interesting time to start a new business – why now?

Covid has forced us to better utilize technology to keep businesses moving forward. But if there is one thing that has been clear, it is the incredible human need to stay connected. Meetings and events will be different in the future, but they will be back – stronger than ever. Now is the time to begin building up our industry and take advantage of all we have learned throughout the pandemic. Huddle’s focus on technology has them perfectly positioned to ensure our clients are set up for success in this next phase of meetings and events.

Contact Rod to chat about how the Huddle Australia Team can enhance your meetings and events program.