OUR TEAM

Saxon is passionate about all things venues and events!

Saxon has over 20 years direct hospitality, event management and venue/facility management experience within Australia’s leading venues and hotels.

Launching his first business venture at age 19 whilst completing a Bachelor of Business, Saxon successfully operated ‘ICE Events’, a leading event management company for six years before selling the business, whereupon he then created Venue Management Services - a business that specialises in the management of private and government-owned venues and faciltiies.

Under Saxon’s guidance and expertise, VMS has become a rapidly growing business providing specialist and integrated venue and event management services across Australia. VMS manages sites in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

 

• 20 years hospitality experience in venue and event management within Australia’s leading venues and hotels

• Bachelor of Business Degree in Management and Catering

• Venue management, operations and logistics experience

• Catering management expertise- events from 5 to 2000 guests

• Event venue design

• New venue design, set-up and policy implementation

• Allied member of the Venue Management Association

• Completed the accredited ‘Graduate Institute of Venue Management’ through the Venue Management Association

• Past President of the Rotary Club of Melbourne Park- a young members Rotary Club 

• Active member of the Rotary E-Club of Melbourne

• Active philanthropist 

 

VMS also retains a dedicated ‘Event & Conference Services’ division which provides event and conference management, entertainment, themes and styling services to an enviable client database of Australia’s leading corporations.

Erica has an extensive event, business, sales and catering management background achieved from working in some of Melbourne’s most iconic venues, they include:      

• Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena at Melbourne Park (home of the Australian Open)

• The Melbourne Cricket Ground (The Peoples Ground)        

• Flemington Racecourse (home of the Melbourne Cup)        

• Hotel Sofitel

 

Outside of Melbourne, Erica has worked in venues including the Sydney Cricket Ground, Vector Arena in New Zealand and the opening of the National Sports Stadium in Singapore.

 

Having worked for all four of the major catering companies in Melbourne (Delaware North, Spotless, Epicure and Peter Rowland Catering) she has an enviable knowledge of running venues and events.

 

Erica has completed extensive industry research across Australia and the USA where 10 venues across 5 states were visited with research including:

 

• Explore international hospitality trends, new innovations and presentations

• Visit international venues expanding industry knowledge while gaining key insights and ideas

• Exposure to supply right activations and retail marketing opportunities

• Insight into Corporate Sales & Marketing strategies

• Research “best purpose-built” venues and “best practice”

• Gain an exposure to international corporate event standards

 

This research was invaluable in providing Erica new ideas, innovations, inspiration, knowledge and the confidence to implement change for growth in a functioning business.

 

Erica is passionate about the provision of excellent customer service. She leads by example and likes to motivate her team with outstanding leadership qualities.  She enjoys coaching and mentoring her team for career progression, facilitating training and developing staff in guest service and service delivery.

The Honourable Peter McKay has joined the VMS Management Advisory Team to lead VMS successfully into the future and ensure prudent operational and stakeholder management for its portfolio of venues.

 

• Peter has been a Member of Parliament for 23 years in the Tasmanian Upper House, having been Leader of the Government, Minister for Health and Human Services, and a Member of Cabinet for 10 years.

• He is a Director of National Strategic Services Pty Ltd (NSS) and it's Health Services arm – WHA.

• He has owned, developed and operated his own businesses in tourism and agriculture during which he has brought fledgeling tourism ideas to commercialisation and viability.

• Peter owns and operates his family wine business in Cambridge, Tasmania.

• Currently, he is a fundamental part of the development team at VMS and his drive and ideas are instrumental in the growth of VMS.

• Peter has considerable knowledge of the tourism industry, the wine industry and governance at a high level, of marketing, technology development, and Government and Government relations (as a former Minister).

• He is very experienced in community consultation and has strong, first-hand knowledge of the competing issues facing venue operators

Abbey Williams provides catering and events management expertise to all VMS managed venues .

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Abbey's passion for food, hospitality and customer service drives her to create memorable and exciting events.

Abbey loves to invest time in developing unique events, incorporating special menu items and entertainment to ensure clients have the very best experience for their individual event.

Abbey has experience in almost every aspect of the hospitality and events/conference sector, coordinating and managing large 700 delegate conferences, exclusive 20-person wow incentives, through to the kitchen operation of a busy function centre.

 

Abbey has worked from the ground up through all levels of hospitality and still loves diving in and working behind the bar on busy nights, prepping food in the kitchen and managing front of house operations.

Abbey was the Catering and Venue Manager at The Clocktower Centre in Melbourne which has allowed her to wear many different ‘hats’ - being involved in everything from the initial quote to event management and catering for all the amazing events in the Centre. Superior attention to detail and creativity is given to all her functions, meetings and events, resulting in very happy clients.