SPEAKERS:
Alf Olofsson
His life in the music business begins as a bass player in a punk band and after develops into tour managing, label owning, management, government organizations consulting for strategy and branding through music, as well as producing live music events and festivals around the world. Born in Sweden and based in Stockholm, London, Paris and Valencia for large parts of his career, Alf gained a solid insight into the European music business. His focus on music export and event building have also established networks in Japan, China, India, North America, South America, Europe, and Russia. Among the organizations that he have worked with are: ExMS-Export Music Sweden, SI-Swedish Institute, UD-Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Canadian Heritage. For the last 8 years Alf has added education and mentorship as a focus working with the Berklee College of Music in Valencia and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Arlette Hovinga
Arlette is a publicist and marketing/media director from The Netherlands. Focusing on release- and tour promo, she works all over Europe to represent everything jazz, experimental, world, or indie. When not on the road with colleagues, clients, and friends such as Jason Miles (Marcus Miller, Miles Davis) and she can be found organizing press tours for festivals such as So What’s Next? (NL), Szczecin Jazz Festival (PL), and Sicilia Jazz Festival (IT). In the past, she’s been known to work with The Four Tops, Earth Beat Agency, Matt Bianco, and many others. Her hobby, besides having the best job in the world, involves books, reading, collecting vintage cookbooks, and learning languages.
Darek Mazzone
Darek Mazzone is a DJ, filmmaker, producer and cultural strategist whose work bridges music, media, technology and humanitarian impact. Born in Poland and emigrating to the US at a young age, he has built a career dedicated to global storytelling and cultural exchange. As a longstanding host on KEXP, he has played a pivotal role in transforming the station into a global platform for music discovery. His show Wo' Pop has championed numerous international artists, whilst his work helping curate KEXP's YouTube channel, which has over 4 million subscribers, has produced compelling in-studio performances. Mazzone has worked extensively in technology, advertising and startup ecosystems across Asia, collaborating with organizations such as UNESCO, UNHCR, NetHope and Microsoft. His humanitarian work includes projects at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, where he used technology and media to empower displaced communities. As co-founder and executive director of SAMA: Music & Art, he has produced over 300 hours of programming celebrating international artists. Through his latest venture, Old Age Recording Co., Mazzone continues amplifying emerging voices and driving cultural exchange.
Duygu Mühürdar
With degrees in Ethnomusicology and International Relations and nearly a decade of experience in the music industry, Duygu Mühürdar has worked as a booker, programmer, promoter, event producer, music writer, radio host, and vocalist. For three years, she produced and hosted the Jazzville radio show while also writing about music and politics for online magazines. After working in broadcasting and content production at Karnaval Media Group, she took on roles in booking and programming at Beşiktaş Kültür Merkezi, Zorlu Performing Arts Center, and most recently, Pozitif Müzik A.Ş.
Her notable achievements include curating the programs for Digilogue Summit, Sónar Istanbul Festival, Sónar +D, and MIX Festival, advancing and field operations of Babylon Soundgarden 2024 and the 34th Akbank Jazz Festival, as well as managing the booking processes for renowned artists such as IDLES, Röyksopp, Moderat, Ludovico Einaudi, and Róisín Murphy.
Currently, she works as a freelance and project-based booker and programmer, providing consultancy services in the live music sector. She curates the radio show "Breakfast Club" on Literal Radio and has a YouTube show “Duyduk Mu? / Have We Heard?” where she explores the intersection of music, culture and sociopolitics on PekiTivi.
Elena Rosberg
Elena Rosberg is a journalist, cultural commentator, and one of the most recognizable voices in Bulgarian media. Host of “The Naked Lunch” on Z-Rock radio for nearly 20 years, she has interviewed icons like Bon Jovi and Alice Cooper, with her work cited by global outlets such as Blabbermouth and Loudwire. She contributes to Bulgarian National Television with a segment on music and cultural diplomacy. Currently pursuing a PhD on music’s diplomatic role, she is a recipient of the “Zlatno Pero” (Golden Feather) award for cultural contribution.
Eleonora Mihova
Eleonora Mihova is the CEO of Ticket Station – one of Bulgaria’s leading ticketing companies and the exclusive partner of the country’s largest music promoter. Under her leadership, the company has grown into a recognized market leader, known for its high standards, innovation, and seamless access to top-tier events. She also runs the Event Management Department at Fest Team, where she oversees event organisation, logistics and coordination for some of the biggest live music events in Bulgaria. With significant experience in event management and ticketing systems, Eleonora is a proven professional focused on artist hospitality and event organization.
Frank Bolder
Frank Bolder worked for 10 years as director of the Liberty Day Music Festival in Utrecht and for 5 years has been an agent, tour manager and musician at Crossroads Blues Agency. Also, he was the Co-founder of Black & Tan Records. Frank worked for 5 years as a booking agent for Frank Bolder Music Management / Bolder Music Agency. He also worked as a production manager for the Slagwerk Festival (Drummer’s Festival). Since 2006 Frank has been one of the Program Managers for the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam. Since 2009 he has also held the position of Sr. Music Program Manager for LantarenVenster in Rotterdam. He also served in many jury’s (Jazz Ahead, Edisons, Boy Edgar Prijs, InJazz, etc.) and worked as cultural advisor for the City of Utrecht and the Dutch Performing Arts Fund.
Georges Perot
Georges Perot is a French-Greek professional and the founder of MESO Events, as well as the artistic director of Athens Music Week.
Involved for two decades in different fields and positions of the Music ecosystem (Co-Founder of Kosmos Radio 93.6, e-Terra Records and Van Dog Events), Georges has produced dozens of special events (for TV shows, Music Awards, Olympic Games) and has participated in numerous European Music Projects (HEMI Music Innovation Hub, JUMP- European Music Market Accelerator, European Live Music Association).
He is the Founder of the “European Music Day” organizers network, the Founder and Artistic Director of the Athens Music Week, the co-founder of Music Tech Europe Association and an Executive Board member of the Federation of Music Conferences. MESO Events is the Greek partner of the Music Tech Europe Academy programme and of the newly born project SONIC “Strategic Opportunities for New Innovative Changes in Music Policies”
Haftor Medbøe
Haftor Medbøe is a Professor of Jazz & Improvised Music at Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland where he leads Post Graduate Research in the School of Arts & Creative Industries. He is Co-editor in Chief at Jazz Research Journal, Equinox Publishing, founding Chair of the Scottish Jazz Archive and holds a position on the Board of Directors at Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. As practitioner, he has to date released 16 albums of original music and presented his work extensively on the international stage. His academic research focusses on aspects of his own artistic practice and on understandings of the creative communities of artistic production.
Ivo Dimchev
Ivo Dimchev is the founder of Stereofox, a forward-thinking music discovery platform, curator, and independent record label launched in 2013. Blending a deep passion for music with a sharp product mindset, Ivo has spent over a decade in Berlin’s startup ecosystem, specializing in paid user acquisition, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and tech product management.
Since its inception, Stereofox has grown into a global platform with a catalog of over 1500 tracks and a mission to spotlight emerging talent across genres. The label offers end-to-end creative and marketing solutions for artists, spanning digital streaming strategies, radio placements, and physical releases, bridging the gap between data-driven growth and authentic artist development.
Maria Brachmańska
Maria Brachmańska is a creative director and media producer based in Vienna, Austria. Her work focuses on three core areas: innovative digital media, developing award-winning brands, and marketing strategies that make a real impact in the creative industry. Over the years, she’s worked with clients in the music, audio, tech, and fashion worlds.
Through her marketing agency, Substandart, she develops strategies that support artists in reaching the right audience and staying true to their vision—without compromising their authenticity. The agency also works with companies in the creative industry to tell their stories in the digital space through engaging content, smart social media campaigns, and advertising that delivers real value.
Nick Hobbs
Nick Hobbs is the founder of Charmenko, Charmworks & Charm Musics Turkey, Serbia, Croatia-Slovenia, Hungary, Czechia-Slovakia and Poland. He’s a concert promoter and talent buyer who’s specialized in Eastern Europe since the early 80’s. His artists’ agency, Charmworks, works with an eclectic roster of artists from all over the world. He also has a parallel life as a music & theatre maker, writer, researcher, dance & yoga teacher, green activist and photographer.
Vlad Enăchescu
Vlad Enăchescu is the Managing Director of Eventim Romania since December 2024. With over 25 years of experience in the television industry, he possesses a strong background in media, broadcasting, and content development. Throughout his career, he has led major productions, established successful media brands, and consistently embraced innovation in audience engagement. Originating from a family deeply rooted in the arts — his father a renowned choir conductor and his mother a famous opera singer — Vlad has maintained a lifelong connection to music and culture. This fusion of creative heritage and media expertise positions him uniquely at the intersection of culture, technology and ticketing.
Zarya Vrabcheva
Zarya is an interdisciplinary designer with a wide range of experience in the field of architecture, spatial and set design. This broad spectrum has allowed her to create, think and build in a variety of scales, typologies and clients. Her passion for culture and performance arts brought her to the London-based studio Stufish in 2018, where she continues to nurture her interest for designing sense-stimulating and thought-provoking environments all around the world. She is always thrilled for exchange of ideas with diverse disciplines and curious of innovative and sustainable methods, materials and technologies. She enjoys engaging with projects that have a cultural and social impact through the power of art and design and is encouraged to create narrative environments that are able to conceive processes, tell stories and provoke interaction by elevating the audience experience. Zarya has been involved in numerous shows, from the very early creative phase all the way through to construction. Some of those include Madonna – Madame X and The Celebration Tours, The Pink Floyd exhibition, Elton John – Yellow Brick Road, ABBA Voyage, Global Citizen, Weekends with Adele, Beyoncé Renaissance Tour, Andrea Bocelli in Lajatico and most recently Adriatic Sound Festival.
Yordan Zhechev
Yordan is Bulgaria’s most-awarded creative director. Ever. His advertising career, up until his recent departure from guts@brainsDDB, spans two decades, seven Agency-of-the-year-titles, and has seen him lead campaigns in multiple markets. Yordan launched IKEA and Telenor in Bulgaria, and works with brands like McDonald’s, Heineken, ABSOLUT, Ford, etc. He is also a member of Bulgaria’s advertising governing body. Outside of advertising Yordan is part of a jazz bar (Ж Jazz Room), a bakery (&bread), an independent bookstore (Mahala), a regenerative garden (Sezon), a breakfast joint (Sabale), a bi-weekly food-world podcast (Drob&Chili). Oh, and a premium chocolates brand (La Fève by Pavel Pavlov). Way outside of advertising Yordan is a father of three boys.
Anna Velikova
Anna Velikova is Head of PR and Communications at H&M for Eastern Europe, with over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, sustainable development and public events. She worked on projects for international brands such as UNICEF, Procter & Gamble and Diageo in one of the largest advertising agencies in Bulgaria. She was a PR manager at Zagorka (Carlsberg Group), where she led communication campaigns and CSR initiatives at a national and international level. Since 2019, Anna has been part of the H&M group, where she develops and implements sustainable policies and organizes some of the most glamorous and original events for campaigns and special collections of the brand.
Emile Londonien
Matthieu Drago, Théo Tritsch, Nils Boyny form the French trio Emile Londonien, emerges from the Strasbourg scene and the Omezis collective, which includes about twenty artists, musicians, DJs, and videographers. Emile Londonien soaks up the English jazz scene of the last fifteen years to offer a personal version. The three musicians were trained at the Strasbourg Conservatory and first began collaborating as part of the multidisciplinary Omezis Collective. Along with contemporary improvisors like French saxophonist Émile Parisien, who inspired the group‘s name, the trio draw inspiration from a blend of sounds, from modal jazz and funk to electronic dance traditions.
Georgi Linev
Composer and producer Georgi Linev is the founder of Kan Wakan, а project, which started in the USA. He has three albums under the alias, one of which was released under the legendary label Verve. His abilities have led him to work with names like Thundercat, Moses Sumney, Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Baby Keem and Emily Armstrong (current lead singer of Linkin Park). Early in his career, he made LA Weekly’s list of best young songwriters. Linev is also part of the duo Woomb, who released their debut EP, made their first international tours, and appeared at showcases such as ESNS in Groningen, SoAlive in Sofia, MMB in Bucharest, MENT in Ljubljana. Woomb also received a nomination for the European Union’s MME award, and will be on the Electric Castle and Sziget stages this summer.
Ivan Yotov
Ivan is the founder of FRAGMENT – an independent creative and event agency based in Sofia, Bulgaria. In less than five years, the agency has earned the trust of global brands such as Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max, Pernod Ricard, L’Oréal, as well as a number of leading local clients. Operating across Europe, FRAGMENT is recognized for its focus on brand experiences that merge conceptual depth, cultural relevance, and measurable emotional impact. With over 15 years of experience in events, communications, and brand strategy, Ivan approaches branding as a matter of experience, not just exposure. At FRAGMENT, he leads campaigns that turn audience attention into lasting emotional connection.
Nikolay Kirov
Nikolay Kirov is an operations manager at EXE, primarily involved in music programming, as well as branding, marketing and advertising. He is also a DJ/producer, and is involved in artist management, which includes branding and presentation to an audience. Besides, he is responsible for EXE‘s music labels as A&R.
Sava Dimitrov
Born in 1971 in Sofia, Prof. Sava Dimitrov began clarinet studies at age 10. He graduated from the National School of Music “Lyubomir Pipkov” (1990) and earned his degree from the National Academy of Music (1995), where he has taught since 2000. He is also a longtime faculty member of the National School of Music (since 1996) and a visiting professor at the University of Skopje (since 2014).
Prof. Dimitrov became Dean of the Instrumental Faculty of the National Academy of Music in 2016 and was elected Rector in 2020. An acclaimed soloist and chamber musician, he has performed across Europe and recorded extensively for Bulgaian National Radio and the National TV. His scholarly work includes The Bulgarian Clarinet School (2007), The Clarinetist’s Path (2011), and several anthologies. He founded Bulgaria’s only clarinet quartet and is the initiator and artistic director of the “Sava Dimitrov” International Clarinet Competition (est. 2020). He frequently serves on juries at major competitions.
Svetoslav Todorov
Svetoslav Todorov is a journalist and editor, but outside writing, he is a long-time DJ, manager, and event organizer. He is the co-founder of the 17-year-old event platform Indioteque and has managed bands such as Bulgaria’s highly promising act Woomb and rockers The Black Swells. His writings, mostly oriented towards art, culture, education, and human rights, have appeared in Capital newspaper, Dnevnik, the monthly magazine VIJ and Boyscout. He is also a Bulgarian correspondent for foreign publications (Balkan Insight, Veridica, Reporting Democracy).
Jan Hoozee
Jan Hoozee was born and raised in Ghent, Belgium, where he studied cultural anthropology and cultural management. He is a DJ, amateur musician and radio producer. He used to run the internationally acclaimed world music record label Zephyrus Records and produced more than 20 albums. Currently Jan is the artistic director and programmer of Trefpunt Festival, and the main organizer of the Ghent Festivities (Belgium), a ten-day city festival attracting more than 1.5 million people.
Trefpunt Festival is still the core, the soul, the biggest and most diverse organizer of the huge open air event, the Ghent Festivities, bringing local and international artists in world music, jazz, folk, pop, rock and hiphop, as well as street theater, circus, dance, visual arts and debates.
Jan Hoozee / Trefpunt is the leading partner of Sounds Of Europe, a collaboration project funded by Creative Europe of 13 festivals from 11 countries that gives opportunities to bands from around Europe and exchanges expertise through residencies and sessions around Europe.
Olivier Rey
Olivier Rey has been a musician for over 20 years and an activist in the music world for more than 30 years, organizing major French festivals. He is now Director of Babel Music XP, the economic and cultural forum for contemporary world music held in Marseille. A Mediterranean crossroads for contemporary world music, the event takes place every year in March and brings together the entire music industry around an international trade show, professional meetings and a festival.
Lisa Nasta
Lisa Nasta is a seasoned event manager and programmer. She also coordinates music educational programs and is the Director of the Re-Play Music C.I.C; a non-profit community project that donates musical instruments, educates and entertains children, and is a permanent fixture at Kidz Field, Glastonbury Festival. The Re-Play Music Project has won two Music Industry Awards for “Environmental Initiative & Sustainability” from the Music Industry Association of Britain (MIA) & America (NAMM). Lisa is currently an area coordinator & production manager for Glastonbury Festival’s Green Futures Field and does programming and production for several other festivals.
