SPEAKERS:
Dr. Mike Duignan
Founder & Chair of the Centre for Events & Festivals
Dr Mike Duignan is the Founder and Chair of the Centre for Events & Festivals, the international professional body for the events industry. He is a Professor at the University of Paris 1 and Editor-in-Chief of the Event Management Journal. Internationally recognized for his expertise on the planning, impacts, and legacies of major events, Mike studies how governments and communities can maximize the long-term value of hosting large-scale sports, cultural, and business events. Over two decades, he has advised and researched globally, evaluating events across economic, environmental, and cultural dimensions. He previously directed the UK Olympic Studies Centre and held senior academic and research roles at the University of Surrey and University of Central Florida.
Anca Lupeș
Founder of Mastering the Music Business (MMB) & President of RAW Music
Anca Lupeș is one of Romania's most experienced music industry professionals, with a career spanning media, concert promotion, publishing, and artist management. She is the first Romanian to earn a Master's degree in Music Business from Berklee College of Music, making her a pioneer in music business education in her country. In 2016, she founded Mastering the Music Business (MMB), Romania's leading international music conference and showcase festival, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025. Anca is also the President of RAW Music, an NGO functioning as Romania's official music export office. Through RAW Music, she facilitates international connections and opens doors for Romanian artists at major European festivals like Eurosonic, Glastonbury, and Sziget.
Araceli Tzigane
Director of Mapamundi Música
Araceli Tzigane began her work in music dissemination in 2000, driven by a passion for sharing the sounds she loves. She is the director of Mapamundi Música, the global management and booking agency she founded in 2007, specializing in outstanding acoustic music from around the world. Araceli is also the founder and administrator of the Transglobal World Music Chart and co-hosts the radio show Mundofonías with Juan Antonio Vázquez, broadcast in 18 countries. She serves on the board of the European Folk Network and regularly participates as a jury member in international music competitions.
Götz Bühler
Artistic Advisor to the jazzahead! trade fair, conference and festival
Götz Bühler, music journalist and author, radio/TV presenter of the “Jazz thing Mixtape” on ByteFM and OneJazz.net as well as the German Jazzprize, is the Artistic Advisor to the jazzahead! trade fair, conference and festival. Held annually in Bremen, Germany, the jazzahead! is the world’s largest gathering for the Jazz industry, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026 with Sweden as its partner country.
Cesar Andion
PR, Talent Export for Live Nation & Head of The Spanish Wave
Cesar Andion is a music industry veteran with over 38 years of experience, spanning local artist management, record label distribution (Sub Pop, Epitaph), and live promotion. Since 2006, he has been part of Live Nation Spain, where he currently handles PR, Talent, and Export in Madrid. Cesar is the head of "The Spanish Wave", an influential showcase export programme for Spanish talent. He acts as a promoter and director for various projects including AMF, Madrid Music Days, and Dcodelab at Dcode festival. Additionally, he shares his extensive knowledge as a lecturer for the Live Nation Live Music Master at UCM, the Eastern European Music Academy, and other international music platforms.
Edyta Rogowska-Żak
Free Voice–Free Mind | Producer & Manager, ROXSA Festival
Edyta Rogowska-Żak is a Berlin-based Polish artist, educator, and cultural manager with a Master’s in Sociology. She leads the musical project Duxius, blending theatre and music into a genre she calls "Polish Future Retro," which focuses on emotional and social awareness. Her debut album, Remanence (2022), fuses multilingual lyrics across genres, and her work has been recognized by Music Export Poland. Edyta also runs the "Free Voice-Free Mind" workshop, a transformative experience focused on voice, body, and mental well-being, emphasizing breath control, resonance, and stress reduction. Additionally, she manages and produces the ROXSA Festival in Bad Sülze, a cultural event dedicated to revitalizing the town through art, community engagement, and creativity.
Petra Hradilová
Director of Czech Music Crossroads and ART&LIFE Festival
Petra Hradilová has been an active leader in the Czech cultural scene for over 20 years. She is the director of two major events in Ostrava: the international Czech Music Crossroads showcase festival and conference, and the multi-genre ART&LIFE Festival in the Streets. Under her leadership, Czech Music Crossroads presents roots, acoustic, folk, fusion, and jazz music from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and international guests (including Taiwan and Estonia) to global professionals and journalists. Meanwhile, the ART&LIFE Festival is a free open-air event drawing over 20,000 visitors with its vibrant program of international music, street theatre, and giant puppets.
Patricia Pascal
Founder of Jazznewblood & Senior Producer at Tomorrow's Warriors
Patricia Pascal is a London-based music professional with over 20 years of experience as a manager, producer, and talent booker, specializing in Jazz and World Music. She is the long-time manager of internationally acclaimed artist Carmen Souza. In 2015, Patricia founded Jazznewblood.org, a platform showcasing youth jazz talent, which includes the JazznewbloodALIVE showcase at the EFG London Jazz Festival and a UK-broadcasted radio show. In 2022, she joined Tomorrow’s Warriors as Senior Producer and Emerging Artist Programme Lead, creating development pathways for young musicians. She also heads their International Outreach Projects, collaborating with European institutions like Belgium's Brosella Festival and France's Jazz à Tours to foster cross-cultural partnerships.
Francesca Cerretani
Event and Office Manager of Europe Jazz Network
Francesca Cerretani is the Event and Office Manager of Europe Jazz Network (EJN). She is responsible for managing the network's virtual office, overseeing the production of EJN events, and supporting project leaders in organizing the annual European Jazz Conference. Her role also involves managing the EJN Board administration and assisting the General Manager with grant applications and financial reporting. Francesca holds a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature, with diplomas in translation and digital corporate mediation. Following her work as a translator, she spent over a decade (2001–2013) managing the production of international theatre and music events before joining EJN.
Tsvetan Tsvetanov
Alarma Punk Jazz
Tsvetan Tsvetanov has been a radio host of shows about "music that is rarely heard on the Bulgarian airwaves" since 1996 (since 2002 on the Bulgarian National Radio). He has been organizing concerts since 2008 under the name "Alarma Punk Jazz", most of which are broadcasted live on the BNR's cultural program "Hristo Botev". His shows have featured the first (and sometimes only) interviews in Bulgaria with musicians such as John Hassell, Alamailman Vasarat, Ali Farka Toure, Huun Huur Tu, Akira Sakata, Henry Threadgill, Accordion Tribe, Jivan Gasparyan, Charlie Hayden, etc. 90% of all African artists who have played in Bulgaria in recent years gave their first concerts in our country at his invitation (Vieux Farka Toure, Boubacar Traore, King Ayisoba, Noura Mint Seymali, Ukandanz, Bombino, Tamikrest, ect.). In his radio shows, traditional and contemporary world music live in symbiosis with free jazz, gothic blues, electronic avant-garde, experimental genres, literature, cinema, etc.
Tanya Ivanova
Jazz FM, Bulgaria
Tanya Ivanova is a radio host, music journalist, and broadcaster with 25 years of experience at Jazz FM Bulgaria. She hosts the daily programme “Afternoon Improvisations”, featuring jazz news, artist interviews, and premieres of new music. Over the years, she has interviewed many of the world's leading jazz musicians, including Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Eliane Elias, Marcus Miller, Branford Marsalis, Linda May Han Oh, Kurt Elling, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Jason Moran and many others. Tanya has hosted the Bansko Jazz Festival and moderated public discussion at the Apollonia Festival of Arts. She also writes about music and culture for leading Bulgarian media.
Petar Ganev
Senior Fellow at the Institute for Market Economics (IME)
Petar Ganev is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Market Economics (IME). His research focuses on economic development, public finance, regional growth, free markets, and income inequality. He is also a dedicated researcher of the Austrian School of Economics. Petar served as the Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Macroeconomic Association (2016–2017) and is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of PFC Levski. He has authored numerous articles on economic policy and analysis, and actively directs the student and educational initiatives at IME.
Margarita Katsarova
Expert at Visit Sofia
As a tourism graduate, Margarita Katsarova’s work at Visit Sofia is dedicated to shaping Sofia as an inspiring and forward-looking destination for both business and cultural travel. Her passion lies in utilizing tourism as a force for meaningful connection, cultural understanding, and positive impact. Through strategic destination branding and tourism development, she advocates for sustainable experiences that deeply connect people, culture, and purpose on a global map.
Elena Chardakliyska
Mastercard
Elena Chardakliyska leads Mastercard’s Data & Services sales across Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo. In this role, she drives the adoption of advanced solutions in data, cybersecurity, personalization, and loyalty for financial institutions, merchants, and public sector clients. Prior to joining Mastercard, she worked at McKinsey & Company in the Middle East. Elena holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BA from Harvard University.
Boriana Dimitrova
Alpha Research
Dr. Boriana Dimitrova is a well-known sociologist with extensive experience in the field of social and political research. She heads Alpha Research’s social, political, and electoral studies and has authored numerous publications in both Bulgarian and foreign academic editions. She holds a PhD in sociology and has specialized in political and electoral sociology at CNRS (France), as well as in new methods in social sciences at Yale University (USA).
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.
