VMA names 2022 student scholarship winners

The Venue Management Association (Asia and Pacific) has announced Claire Wardley and Emma Walker as winners of scholarships to attend the annual Venue Management School or VMA Leadership Institute in 2022.

Through its industry partnerships with Ungerboeck and Event Health Management, the VMA provides two scholarships for students to attend its management development programs, with each scholarship created to reflect and reward the applicants’ great work across several key themes that translated into everyday actions.

The Ungerboeck Diversity, Equality and Inclusiveness Scholarship was designed to celebrate the diversity in our industry and support the next generation of venue managers who help shape the future of events, making them more inclusive for all.

Selected as the 2022 winner, Walker, Event and Operations Coordinator at Northern Territory Major Events, commented “I am grateful for the opportunity to attend Venue Management School through the Ungerboeck Scholarship.

“This scholarship aligns with my career goals in the event industry. Opportunities like the Venue Management School will aid me in progressing through the operational levels of the major event industry and help develop my skills so I can have an impact on inclusivity in events.

“This scholarship is also a recognition of what Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC) are doing as an organisation and their key focus on mirroring the diversity of the NT in the events industry. I look forward to seeing what I can achieve in the future, with the backing of NTMEC and the knowledge I obtain throughout the course.’

Steve Mackenzie, Executive Vice President at Ungerboeck, added “congratulations to Emma Walker for being the first ever winner of the Ungerboeck Diversity, Equality and Inclusiveness Scholarship. “We were impressed with Emma’s application and I can’t wait to see more of her achievements in the coming years.

“In the meantime, I look forward to meeting with Emma in person at the Venue Management School in November.”

With innovation essential to survival, evolution and success, Event Health Management supports the accelerated development of the future leaders of the venue management industry through the Innovation Scholarship.

The Event Health Management Innovation Scholarship winner for 2022 is Claire Wardley, Venue Manager at Australian Grand Prix Corporation.

Welcoming her recognition “to be selected as the recipient of the Event Health Management Innovation Scholarship for 2022 is such a huge privilege. Winning this scholarship provides me the opportunity to learn from other experts in the venue management field, as well as providing the perfect environment to connect, share and create great experiences for our customers.

“I am looking forward to meeting other industry professionals and sharing stories on how we can innovate in this new challenging but equally exciting environment, whilst keeping customer safety and experience at the forefront of what we do.

“Thank you to the Venue Management Association and Event Health Management for the support and the opportunity. It will be an honour to represent the Australian Grand Prix Corporation at the VMS School, my bags are packed already.”

Hugh Singe, Managing Director at Event Health Management, declared “congratulations to Claire Wardley for being selected as the inaugural scholarship winner. We are looking forward to watching Claire and future recipients thrive after attending the Venue Management School.’

Ungerboeck further supports the industry by offering the VMS Year 1 Ungerboeck Bursary, providing the top-scoring Year 1 student with their student enrolment fees for Year 2 of the program.

The ASM Global Scholarship Award is awarded to the best graduating Year 2 student, and covers enrolment and travel costs to the International Association of Venue Manager’s Graduate Institute program in the USA, valued up to $10,000. Enrol now to be in the running for these amazing opportunities.

This year’s Venue Management School and VMA Leadership Institute is being Salt Resort in Kingscliff, NSW from Sunday 6th to Friday 11th November 2022.

Click here for information and to enrol.

Image: Scholarship winners Emma Walker (left) and Claire Wardley.