MARK GOSLING - SPARK ARENA

CHAIRMAN (2017 - present)

Mark has worked in various areas of entertainment all his life. Starting with band management in the early 1980’s he progressed to tour and production management via a few years as an agent working with bands like The Smiths and Primal Scream. His production management career took him all over the world with Take That, The Chemical Brothers, New Order and many others. When he came to New Zealand 20 years ago he worked on the Big Day Out for ten years as well as many other freelance projects both here and overseas.
In 2011 he was asked to manage U2 at Mt Smart on contract for what was the ARC in those days and then moved into a permanent role with Regional Facilities Auckland as the Head of Stadium Events, a role that developed over time with the addition of both Western Springs and North Harbour Stadiums.
In 2016 Mark took up the role of CEO at The Trusts Arena. He set about increasing the breadth of live entertainment in the venue and improving the perception of what the venue can achieve in a broad range of events. In January 2022 Mark took up his current role as General manager at Spark Arena.

Mark was first elected to the board in 2017 and became Board Chair in 2020 since when he has been actively involved in the Covid-19 response for EVANZ. He is passionate about advocating for venues and the wider events industry in these difficult times.

JOELENE ELLIOTT - EVENTS VENUES ROTORUA

VICE CHAIR 2016 - present

Born and raised in a small eastern bay town, Joelene moved to Rotorua after finishing high school to study Tourism at Waiariki Polytechnic, which led to employment with Tourism Rotorua Marketing as a Marketing Assistant. 

An opportunity arose to work at the Rotorua Convention Centre where she completed a Diploma in Tourism Industry Management, graduated from Public Venue Managers School and was promoted to Operations Manager for the Rotorua Convention Centre, Civic Theatre, Soundshell and Tea House.

With her background and experience (spanning over 15 years so far) she continues to work in the industry managing Rotorua’s  premier facility, the Energy Events Centre.  Also in 2013 she completed the Accredited Venue Manager (AVM) programme designed to recognise extensive venue management experience, contribution and qualifications for middle to senior managers.

CHRIS MINTERN - EDEN PARK

2021 - present

Chris has over 16 years' experience in the venues and events industry in Sydney, Melbourne & Christchurch.

Formerly Head of Operations for Venues Ōtautahi  Chris lead a fantastic group of people to deliver approximately 400 events per year (pre COVID) at the Christchurch Arena, Orangetheory Stadium, The Christchurch Town Hall, Hagley Oval and the Air Force Museum on New Zealand.

His experience in events and venues started on the ‘client’ side working for the AFL (Australian Football League), AFL clubs (GWS Giants, Collingwood Football Club) and the Parramatta Eels (NRL) managing the fan and member experience via the delivery of games, club events and game day experiences, working with venues such as the MCG, Sydney Showgrounds and Parramatta Stadium to ensure they delivered the best possible experience for members and fans. In 2015 he was provided an opportunity to work on the ‘venue’ side as Operations Manager with Vbase managing the five venues mentioned above.

In 2023 Chris moved to Eden Park to take up the role of General Manager, Operations at Eden Park.

JAMES WILSON - TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL

2019 - present

James is Manager Arts and Culture at Tauranga City Council. Prior to that he was Manager of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre. Originally from Maidenhead, in South East England, James trained as a theatre director at Rose Bruford Drama School in Greenwich, South East London, and worked for a variety of arts venues in London including Lyric Hammersmith, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, and The Orange Tree Theatre.

Arriving in Aotearoa in 2005, James worked as General Manager for Massive Theatre Company, prior to joining Q Theatre as Executive Producer, just as the building was opening to the public. James was Chief Executive for Q Theatre between 2012 and 2018, leading the venue to become four-time winners of the EVANZ ‘best small venue’ award.

James served on the Executive board of PANNZ, and co-chaired the organisation for 4 years. As part of his work with PANNZ, James was involved in the development and launch of TourMakers, and worked closely with the exec and management team of PANNZ to grow the annual arts market into a key event for festivals, producers and venues, both in NZ and Internationally.

James is passionate about developing the profile of regional presenting venues, and working collaboratively with a range of venues to bring the best in touring performing arts work to regional audiences.

JAMES PARKINSON

2020 - Present

As Director of Auckland Stadiums James leads a dedicated team of venue professionals that run Mt Smart Stadium, Western Springs Stadium, and North Harbour Stadium.  Hosting over 640,000 visitors a year (in normal times!) he has embedded a strong culture of placing the customer at the centre of everything they do in order to deliver as much value as possible back to industry partners. 

With a 22-year involvement in the event venue industry the last eight years has been very much focused on the stadia sector. His previous consulting career saw him involved in a wide range of event venues throughout the country including theatres, convention centres, indoor arenas, and exhibition facilities.

MARK MEKALICK - NELSON COMMUNITY VENUES

2020 - Present

Mark has been working in the venue management industry for ten years. He started his career in 2010 as an Operations Assistant at TSB Hub in Hawera after graduating from Massey University. After a number of years working at that facility he was offered the opportunity to become the Facility Manager. Mark worked at the TSB Hub for seven years before accepting the role of Venue Manager of Trafalgar Centre and Trafalgar Park in Nelson where he has been for the last three years. One of the proudest moments of his career so far was when the Trafalgar Centre won Medium Venue of the Year at the 2019 EVANZ Awards. 

ASHLEY QUENSELL - P4G

2018 – present

Ashley’s background in the entertainment and events industry spans 20+ years where he has been directly involved in the strategic service delivery and venue security management of many high-profile events, festivals and concerts, as well as entertainment arenas and sporting stadiums in New Zealand, culminating in his current position as GM National Operations at P4G.

Ashley is very passionate about the New Zealand entertainment sector especially in his specialist areas of major event and venue security. Highlights of his career include RWC 2011 as Lead Venue Security Manager of Eden Park and North Harbour Stadium, The British & Irish Lions Series in 2005 and 2017 as a Multi-Venue Security Manager, and The 36^th Americas Cup Village in 2021 as General Manager of Security. More recently he adds the Women’s RWC 2021, Women’s CWC 2022, and FIFA WWC 2023.

Ashley currently sits on the P4G Board, as well as an elected Board Member at New Windsor School (Presiding Member) and Blockhouse Bay Intermediate School in West Auckland. In 2023 he was elected onto the Mt Albert Grammar School Pasifika Advisory Committee (Komiti Faufautua). He has an excellent understanding of governance and strategic planning and he aims to contribute towards initiatives that will benefit EVANZ Associate Members.

Ashley joined the EVANZ Board in November 2018 as a co-opted member, and was then elected by the Associate Members as their Representative in November 2020.

SALLY-ANNE COATES - GENERAL MANAGER

2019 - present

Sally-Anne started her career as  Press Officer at The Hexagon Theatre in the UK and has worked in a variety of roles in venues of all shapes and sizes including Wembley Stadium. Switching to the commercial sector, she worked in marketing and retail for household names including Royal Doulton and T-Mobile before moving to New Zealand  in 2003.

Most recently, Sally-Anne was Business Development Officer at New Plymouth EventVenues with responsibility for securing and promoting events at the TSB Showplace, TSB Stadium, Yarrow Stadium and the TSB Bowl of Brooklands. She is also the Manager of New Zealand Chamber Soloists, a piano trio who perform nationally and internationally.

She looks forward to growing EVANZ and to continually improving the networking and professional development opportunities on offer to members and associate members.