31 AUG - 3 SEP 2026 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Judy is the Owner/operator of CATALINA Restaurant, Rose Bay, an enduring Sydney restaurant icon and harbourside gem, which recently celebrated its 30th birthday. Judy was born in New Zealand and made her way to Sydney in 1978. She began her career working with her late husband Michael at Len Evans’
Tara Senam is the founder of Meraki Hospitality Group, a leading collective of venues on the Central Coast. With over a decade of hands-on experience in building, operating, and scaling successful hospitality brands, Tara is passionate about transforming the industry’s reputation into one of respect, opportunity, and long-term career pathways
Chef Josh Niland has transformed the way we cook, transport, age and store fish. His ethical, sustainable and revolutionary approach has received global recognition. Fellow chefs, marine experts, seafood companies and fishmongers have applauded and embraced his new philosophy. He is a multi-award-winning chef, restaurateur and author.
Stevan Premutico is one of Australia’s most influential restaurant tech entrepreneurs, with a career dedicated to making hospitality better, smarter, and more human. He founded Dimmi, the platform that transformed how Australians book restaurants (acquired by TripAdvisor.) He then went on to create me&u, the global leader in Order &
With a career in hospitality that’s taken them across the globe, Marianne now leads the café experience nationally for Allpress. Blending international insight with a deep love for local coffee culture, they focus on creating meaningful customer moments and building strong, connected teams
Recognised as a trusted voice in foodservice, Venessa Barnes is known for connecting the dots between people, products and brands with clarity and impact. Starting her career as a chef, Venessa moved into senior business development and marketing roles with some of the industry’s leading names, including Top Cut, Simplot
Bex has worked in the hospo and events space for over 2 decades. She creates memorable experiences for brands and manages a number of events across Australia. As Project Manager for Crunch since April 2025, Bex has been connecting hospo venue owners and councils with Crunch. She is keen to
Scott is the Editor and general operations manager at Scout, Broadsheet Media’s jobs board. The platform is primarily focused on hospo and Scott has a passion for helping venues establish themselves by building a successful team.
Drew joined OpenTable in 2022 after spending 14 years with the Expedia Group where he occupied senior leadership roles focused on growing the business in the UK, Asia Pacific, and the US. Drew’s broad hospitality experience and business acumen, combined with his human-first approach to leadership, has led to positive
For over 30 years, James has loved being involved in the Hospitality Industry. He has been a hands-on practitioner in almost every position; kitchen hand, waiter-of-the-year, a partner in a fine-dining waiter school, manager, caterer, tertiary lecturer, restaurant-of-the-year judge, restaurant and bar owner, COO of a large hospitality franchise and
