
SPEAKERS:

Azucena Micó
Azucena Micó, Global Head of Projects and Research of Sound Diplomacy.
Azucena has overseen Sound Diplomacy’s biggest projects, including night-time economy strategies and country analysis. She has worked on music and night-time economy city strategies for Vancouver, Victoria, Huntsville, New Orleans, Indianapolis and San Francisco, among others, as well as a two-year project to strengthen the Cuban music industry through UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization). She also led the delivery of an analysis of 10 Latin American music markets for the Canadian Independent Music Association, coordinating a team of researchers in every country. And she led the development of a methodology to determine in a measurable way the public value that events bring to cities for the Barcelona City Council.
In 2020, she established the firm’s quality assurance division and now oversees all project deliverables in over 20 countries, for 30 clients. Azucena holds two MA’s from the University of Barcelona, one in Cultural Management and one in Cultural Production and Communication, for which she has written a thesis on the social impact of music in cities. She is currently coordinating a course on creative city policies at the Global Leaders Institute MBA for the Arts. She is also a guest lecturer at Universitat Blanquerna (Barcelona), Berklee College of Music and International Music Business School.

Beatriz Garcia
Dr Beatriz Garcia is an expert in international cultural policy and mega-events, specialising in the development of multidimensional research and evaluation frameworks and the analysis of long term event legacies. She is Associate Director of the Centre for Cultural Value (CCV, University of Leeds), member of the Culture & Olympic Heritage Commission (International Olympic Committee), and former member of the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) Selection Panel – nominated by the European Commission.
Beatriz has been at the forefront of research on the rhetoric, impact and long-term legacy of culture-led regeneration interventions since 1999, conducting fieldwork on the cultural dimension of every edition of the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000 and researching the medium to long-term legacy of every European Capital of Culture since the programme’s launch in 1985. She directed and is the author, amongst others, of Impacts 08: European Capital of Culture Research Programme (Uni. Liverpool, 2005-2010), the 30-year assessment of European Capitals of Culture Programme, Success Factors (European Parliament, 2013), the International framework of good practice in research and delivery of ECoCs (European Commission, 2010) and the Evaluation of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad (Institute of Cultural Capital, 2013).

Boyan Pinter
Boyan Pinter (nee Boiadjiev) is the A&R and Label Manager with Believe Music for Bulgaria. He is the founder and director of SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase, Bulgaria’s premier conference and showcase event. Boyan is part of the Green Futures Field production and booking team where he has introduced many artists from Eastern Europe and the Baltics. As of 2017 Boyan is an independent promoter, working under the brands Blue Hills Events and PanHarmony. Previously he was the production specialist for Sofia Music Enterprises (partner to Live Nation CEE) and artist liaison for Lotus Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. Boyan is a dual citizen – of Bulgaria and the United States. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and French literature from UH Texas, a Master’s in Arts Administration from Indiana University, and most recently a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from BPP University. He also plays guitar on the weekends.

Duygu Mühürdar
With degrees in Ethnomusicology and International Relations and over 7 years in the Music Industry, Duygu Mühürdar worked as a booker, programmer, promoter, live event producer, music writer, and singer. Beginning music with violin, she completed Bahçeşehir University’s Jazz Academy and studied jazz history in the Netherlands during her exchange year. For 3 years, she produced and hosted a radio show, writing for Jazz Magazine among others. Roles at Karnaval Media Group, Beşiktaş Kültür Merkezi, and Zorlu Performing Arts Center followed, where she worked as Booker/Programmer. Notable achievements include programmings of Digilogue Summit 2022, Sónar Istanbul and Sónar +D 2023, MIX Festival 2023, and bookings of various artists from IDLES, Röyksopp, Moderat, Ludovico Einaudi to Baxter Dury.
Currently, she is a booker in Pozitif and she continues as an Ethnomusicologist and Booking Agent, representing a dynamic local and international roster whilst working on cultural diplomacy and music export.

Ed Walsh
Ed Walsh is the Global Head of Sales for Easol.
As a festival promoter Ed was one of the original team at NVS Music that organised Outlook & Dimensions Festival in Fort Punta Christo, Pula, Croatia.
He later worked for UK festival and venue promoter Broadwick Live as Head of Sales.
Since 2017 Ed has been working within the ticketing industry and has held various commercial roles with companies expanding their footprint into the UK and Europe.
He comes with wealth of experience in the challenges facing event organisers and how to help maximise technology to grow their business.

Eric Ritz
Eric Ritz is the Founder and Executive Director of Global Inheritance, a 501c3 non-profit organization that develops interactive experiences to engage audiences at live events, cities, and school campuses. Eric has produced over 400 original environmental programs over the past two decades at major events & venues, including the Super Bowl, Outside Lands, Governors Ball, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lollapalooza, ESPN X Games, Stagecoach Music Festival, Hollywood Bowl and others. Eric's work includes managing a 20-year partnership with the Coachella Music & Arts Festival, where Global Inheritance designs and produces the festival's environmental programming each year.
Global Inheritance also works with a large number of universities, schools, and companies to bring creative sustainability programming to their events and communities. In addition to leading Global Inheritance, Eric is a consultant for global brands, city governments, and NGOs seeking to develop actionable strategies for inspiring stakeholders to create a sustainable future.

Gwendolenn Sharp
Gwendolenn Sharp is the founder of The Green Room (2016), a non-profit organisation developing strategies for environmental and social change in the music sector and conducting context-based research on the topic. Author, lecturer, regular jury member. She has worked with cultural institutions, festivals and environmental NGOs in Poland, France and Tunisia and has diverse experience in project design, international cooperation and developing tailor-made tools. Gwendolenn is a Keychange alumni (2022) and a Villa Albertine Resident (2023), running a research-action on low-carbon touring and sustainability in the US.

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.

Lutz Leichsenring
Lutz Leichsenring is a prominent figure in the global nightlife scene, widely known for his advocacy work towards promoting a thriving and sustainable nightlife culture. He currently serves as executive board member of Clubcommission Berlin, an organization that represents over 350 clubs, promoters and cultural institutions in the German capital. As the co-founder of VibeLab, a consultancy agency Lutz seeks to develop innovative solutions for the challenges facing the nighttime economy. VibeLab is advising and researching nightlife and is the publisher of the cultural impact study "Creative Footprint", works globally with institutions like UN-Habitat and World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF) and developed the grassroots peer-to-peer learning "Night School", funded by the European Union. Lutz is also a Board Member of Berlin's Musicboard and Chamber of Commerce as well as consultant for Clubcommission Vienna. During the Covid-19 crisis, Lutz also initiated "United We Stream", a global music streaming platform and donation campaign to create awareness about club culture affected by the epidemic, and nighttime.org to support nighttime governance. In May 2023 Lutz was recognized as one of the „100 most important minds of Berlin’s economy“ by "Tagesspiegel" and received the "Ambassador of the Night Award" of NTIA United Kingdom in 2024.

Marta Pallarès
Marta Pallarès is Head of Press at Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. She is a music journalist with a master's degree in cultural journalism, and after several years in Mexico City and the successful implementation of the Primavera Sound live stream with Red Bull TV, Palares tоок over the international communications for the event. She is responsible for the event's international communication strategy, relations with media partners and journalists, as well as coordinating the work of foreign PR agencies taking care of the festival.
Marta is the company's official spokesperson for initiatives such as the event's pioneering commitment to gender balance on stage. Since 2019, she coordinates the partnership with the UN campaign for sustainable development goals. Palares also won the Excellence Award (for personality) at the Iberian Festivals 2024, a distinction awarded by a jury of Spanish and Portuguese festival professionals.
She is also one of the board members of YOUROPE, the European Festival Association, which represents 122 festivals and associate members from 30 European countries.

Nika Milunovic
As an Event & Project Manager at MetalDays festival, the biggest music festival in Slovenia, I am responsible for the organization and promotion of this annual event for over nine years. I have applied my skills and knowledge in event management, project management, live event production, and marketing, to create memorable experiences for thousands of music fans, artists, and partners. I have also been committed to the vision of making MetalDays a sustainable, low-carbon, zero-waste event, and have received the A Greener Festival Award for our efforts.
I am also EU Climate Pact ambassador for Austria.
In June 2023, I co-founded Heavy Harmony retreat, the first ever retreat dedicated fully to musicians and music industry professionals on the island of Zanzibar. With a focus on activities that can help individuals develop present-moment awareness, reduce anxiety, improve focus, and cultivate a sense of inner peace, Heavy Harmony retreat aims to promote the mental health and wellbeing of our industry, which has suffered greatly from the effects of the pandemic, the fast-paced life, and the isolation caused by technology. As a co-founder, I am responsible for the event and sustainability management, as well as the facilitation of yoga, meditation, breathwork, and horticultural therapy sessions. I am passionate about sharing my expertise and experience in these fields, as I am a certified Yoga RYT500 & Therapeutic yoga teacher, Meditation and Breathwork teacher, and have a certificate in Horticultural Therapy.

Nikki McNeil
With over 25 years of music industry experience, Nikki founded Global Publicity in 2007, specialising in worldwide PR and communications for music, festivals and events. Nikki is passionate about the global music scene and only works with clients she truly believe in, giving her an authentic voice that rises above the rest. Nikki is also an active and respected member of the music industry community being on the Executive Board for the Association of Electronic Music and working with the Night Time Industries Association. In addition Nikki regularly contributes to music industry conferences around the globe as well as supporting women and gender minorities in the music industry, being part of the shesaid.so community and running the Brighton chapter as well as sitting on the advisory boards for Moving The Needle and NOWIE.

Spiros Pengas
Spiros Pengas has served as Deputy Mayor for Tourism and International Relations of Thessaloniki from 2010 to 2019. During his leadership, he helped change the cultural and tourism profile of Thessaloniki, turning it into a cosmopolitan, multicultural destination that is more open to the world. Under his tenure, the city hosted a number of international events, including the "15th Mediterranean Biennale of Young Artists" and Womex (World Music Expo). He implemented innovative actions and programs embraced by residents and visitors of the city, such as the ‘Thessaloniki Food Festival’, the children’s sleepover events in museums, and the renovation of children's libraries, in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Finally, he has been founding and board member of Thessaloniki Convention Bureau, member of the Βoard of Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, of ‘The Museum of Contemporary Art’ and of ‘Thessaloniki Film Festival’.
Since September 2019 Spiros is the Founder and CEO of Wise Ram SA, a company that activates tourism and hospitality growth. He has signed contracts with various Municipalities in northern Greece in order to promote the cities and the regions abroad. He has been assigned as a consultant to various private entities, tech-companies, commercial malls and investors.
He has been teaching Destination Marketing at the American College Thessaloniki (ACT). Today, he is also a member of the city council of Thessaloniki.

Vesselin Dimitrov
Vesselin Dimitrov has nearly 20 years of experience in the field of media and communications. As editor-in-chief of Forbes, the Bulgarian edition of the largest global business media, he is responsible for the complete brand identity in terms of content (print, online, events, new channels).

Veronika Vajda
Veronika Vajda is a project manager at the Budapest based music hub, Hangvető. She graduated as an ethnomusicologist with an interest in the music cultures of Central Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. Since joining Hangvető’s team, she has worked as a project manager on large-scale international projects supported by Creative Europe such as MOST - The Bridge for Balkan Music and UPBEAT - The European Showcase Platform for World Music. Veronika was also the member of the production team behind BALKAN:MOST festival in Veszprém, European Capital of Culture 2023. The common mission of these projects is the support and capacity building of emerging artists active in the world and folk music scene.
upbeat-platform.eu

Bojan Djordjevic
A music journalist since 1987 and a radio DJ since 1990, Djordjevic has also compiled several bestselling compilations for the label Radio B92. Founder of the Association Ring Ring. Artistic director of the Ring Ring new music festival in 1996 and also has been the artistic director of the Todo Mundo world music festival since 2012. both festival are still running in Belgrade. The new festival organised by the association and program curated together with Marija Vitas is World Music festival "Pocket Globe" in Novi Sad since 2022.
Since the year 2000 Bojan is member of World Music Charts Europe and since 2019 member of Balkan World Music Chart.
Beside creating festivals and connecting Balkan with the world, Bojan Djordjevic is currently manager of Džambo Aguševi Orchestra, brass band from North Macedonia and Divanhana, sevdalinka nad Balkan music from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also boking for Merima Ključo & Jelena Milušić, accordion & vocal duo from Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Dr. Diana Andreeva - Popyordanova
Dr. Diana Andreeva - Popyordanova is a director of the Observatory of Cultural Economics (OCE), an organization for independent research in cultural economics in Bulgaria. She is a lecturer in the University of National and World Economy/UNWE/, Department "Media and Public Communications"- UNESCO Chair on Media and Information Literacy and Cultural Policies for Sustainable Development and National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts. She is co-editor of the Bulgarian profile of cultural policy in the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Director of the Centre for Media Research, Audiovisual Policy and Cultural Industries „Bilyana Tomova” in UNWE, Sofia. Diana Andreeva is part of the research team of the international Horizon 2020 CICERONE/Creative Industries Cultural Economy Production Network/ project .

Aniela Ruseva
I have a Law degree but I am an entrepreneur by heart. I am interested in Marketing, Sales, Investment, Managing, Negotiations, Outsourcing, Startups, High-Tech and IT, Software, Real Estate, New Ventures so I work in these areas. One of my company’s current projects is Webit Congress – for CEEMEA in Istanbul, Turkey. Webit is a truly international being the only event for the digital, technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem of Central-eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. Last Webit in Sofia for CEE gathered together 5300 visitors from 45 counties. Our know-how is creating culturally connected business environments where professionals from CEEMEA who are very unlikely to meet at any other industry event gather together to exchange knowledge and meet with the rest of the world. In other words if you target the markets from CEEMEA – Webit is the only place you may meet all the top players in one spot.
I am client service director in one of Bulgaria largest new media agencies – design.bg. I am also Event director of e-Academy – a professional qualification training center for digital studies. e-Academy provides an unique platform for the market players of the digital and internet markets of Centra and Eastern Europe and MEA to exchange ideas and business expertise and possibilities and also for the rest of the world to enter the regional digital markets, to find partners and explore new business options.

Csaba Mata
Csaba started his career as an organizer in the Budapest underground (ZöFi, Recycle Mission Hungary). He organized flash mobs and Sziget Green Yard and recycled bicycle parts. Then in 2010 he moved to Pecs to experience what it's like to live in the European capital of culture. As a member of the Labor team, he launched the first Hungarian space for cyclists, Velosophie. Then, in 2012, he joined the organizing team of the OZORA festival. The owner entrusted him with managing the Magic Garden program division, which was considered completely new in the life of the festival at that time. Since then, the world of movement, healing, lectures and workshops has become a definitive part of the festival. In 2015, he accepted a new challenge and joined the launch of the Szabadkikötő Cultural Center. Since then he has been working as a promoter. In addition to OZORA and Szabadkikötő, he also participated in several international projects. He currently lives in a small village near Pecs with his wife and two sons.

Elena Lilova
Elena Lilova is a bachelor in sociology from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. She is a senior researcher at Alpha Research Ltd with more than 12 years of research experience, specializing in the fields of institutional studies, educational and cultural policy and practices. Some of the research projects she has worked on include: Monitoring of the events in the Calendar of cultural events of Sofia Municipality (2013-2019); Reading practices in Bulgaria (2014,2021); Socio-economic profile and potential for the development of “Kvartala” (The Neighborhood) as a creative zone in Sofia (2018); Assessment of the economic effect of the A to Jazz festival (2023)

Ivan Valkov
It all began in the early 1980’s in Sofia, Bulgaria, when a group of friends started a rock band. We created songs which the official censorship didn’t allow to be broadcast – we were in the Soviet block at the time. Then we decided to create our own recording studio – Dilemma Studio – in order to work independently. This was also forbidden at the time, but we managed to outsmart the regime. We’ll gladly explain how we did that to anyone who asks.
By the end of the decade, we began promoting international artists in Bulgaria and started working on creating arEst workshops and our first themed festivals. Among these were the Computer Space Forum, Festival of Electronic Music and Lovech Rock Fest.
As the business transitioned more and more into live performances during the late nineties and early aughts, we began focusing more on promoting concerts. Among the artists we’ve had the pleasure to work with were Manu Chao, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Asian Dub Foundation, Thievery CorporaEon, Soulfly, Laibach, Public Enemy and many others.
In 2008, DS Music became the founding partner in the creation of the largest festival in Bulgaria by that time – Spirit of Burgas – with The Prodigy, Moby, Faith No More, Skunk Anansie, DeXones and many others gracing the stages of the festival during the years we were the core promoting team.

Velislava Popova
Velislava Popova is a journalist. She believes in journalism and she still believes in the opportunity to do responsible, trustworthy and quality journalism in Bulgaria. Velislava Popova is Editor-in-chief of Dnevnik since November 2008. She is responsible not only for the content and the team, but for restructuring during the crises (2009-2010) and integration of print and online operations. Popova is responsible also for the strategy and development of the product, building audience, marketing & HR tasks.
Popova was Marketing director of Economedia. She created the department and started to develop the marketing & communication strategy of the company in October 2004. Her professional CV includes more than six years as a reporter and editor in "Capital" weekly (1998-2004).

Simeon Vasilev
Simeon Vasilev has over 16 years professional experience in diverse areas, related to the the non-governmental and media sector. He is the Chairman and co-founder of GLAS Foundation, leader of Credo Bonum Foundation and gallery projects and part of Sofia Pride. Simeon is also an innovator and creator of the mobile application Healthy and the online publications Proud.bg. Simeon has worked as editor-in-chief of the monthly music magazine DJ Mag Bulgaria. Simeon holds a degree in Public Relations from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".