Vale: VMA Past President and founding member Gareth James

Australasian Leisure Management is saddened to report the death of Gareth James at the age of 74.

Described in an obituary in The Age as “the most distinguished and visionary stalwart of the venue management profession who served it with commitment and distinction”, Gareth was a founding member and Past President of the Venue Management Association (Asia and Pacific) who, born in the United Kingdom, migrated to Australia in the 1970s.

His career in the entertainment and venue industry began in the finance department of JC Williamson Theatres, before transferring to the position of Assistant Manager of the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne.

In 1974 he worked as a Tour Manager (treasurer) for a number of Michael Edgley’s shows including Shirley Bassey and the Georgian Dancers, before becoming Treasurer/House Manager at the Perth Entertainment Centre from December 1975 to August 1980.

He then was appointed Theatre Manager of His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth for 12  months until he returned to the Perth Entertainment Centre as its Manager from August 1981 to June 1983.

In 1983 he returned to Melbourne as Assistant Director at Olympic Park responsible for the management of its Sports and Entertainment Centre and the Glasshouse.

In 1984 he was appointed General Manager of the Sydney Entertainment Centre and after two years in that role he returned to Olympic Park as its Chief Executive a position he held for the next ten years until December 1996.

There was a short period from January to June 1997 when Gareth joined Ogden IFC to manage Stadium Australia in Sydney in the lead up to the Olympics but when the opportunity presented itself to him to manage the amalgamated Olympic Park Trust and Flinders Park (the Melbourne and Olympic Park Trust) he returned to Melbourne as Chief Executive of that organisation from 1997 until his retirement in 2005.

The Venue Management Association
As described by fellow VMA Past President, Linton R. Lethlean, in the early 1980s Gareth envisaged that an association of those involved in the venue management industry, particularly sport stadiums and entertainment centres, would provide an opportunity for its members to share their knowledge and experience in the management issues they dealt with on a daily basis.

This led to the first formal conference of venue industry leaders at Olympic Park Melbourne in 1989 under the banner of the Australian Venue Managers Conference.

Lethlean advised “what was to become the Venue Management Association (VMA), which today has 1,000+ members, was conceived in 1987 and born in 1989.

“And it is to Gareth James whose vision and commitment brought it about, that credit is due (and) by 1994 the future of the VMA was well established and it was in the hands of its members with an active board of Directors and with various subcommittees covering such activities as a newsletter, the school, the convention and trade show, membership, secretarial services and finance.”

Gareth also went on to drive Public Venue Management School in 1994, assisted by academics Jim Kable and Jennifer Radbourne from the Business Faculty of the Queensland University of Technology.

Thereafter he established strong links with the USA-based International Association of Venue Managers (IAAM -now IAVM).

Consultant
After retirement from the Melbourne and Olympic Park Trust he re-joined Ogden IFC as Coordinator of the venue management component for the Singapore Sports Hub Bid in 2006 and 2007 and as a venue development consultant in Abu Dhabi.

He was also Chief Executive of the statutory authority responsible for the Falls Creek Alpine Region and its facilities for a short time.

In the mid 2000s, Gareth had been diagnosed with throat cancer and for nearly 20 years courageously battled the ongoing limitations and afflictions that beset him.

Legacy
Dexter King longtime President and Chief Executive of the International Association of Venue Managers wrote “this man Gareth James was truly a visionary and stalwart venue professional with a passion for enhancing both organisation and individual success.

“He was the standout example of genuine interest of individual and corporate hospitality. A servant leader he widely gained the trust and faith of all his colleagues and acquaintances.

“We became good friends, allied with a mutual view of what the benefits of a global network of venues might achieve. During my tenure as President and then CEO of IAVM I was often reminded of the foundation that was established by Gareth forming the incredible relationship between VMA and IAVM today.

“Thank you Gareth. You will be missed and in memory always cherished”.

Gareth Anthony William James
3rd May 1949 to 18th November 2023

Click here to read the full obituary from VMA Past President Linton Lethlean.

Image: Gareth James addresses the Australian Venue Managers Conference in 1989.