Vale Todd Blake
It is with deep regret that I announce the recent passing of our friend and colleague Todd Blake while on holiday with his family in Fiji.
Todd was CEO of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) and General Manager, VECCI Tourism and Events.
He was greatly respected by colleagues in the tourism sector and his passing is a big loss to VECCI, VTIC and the state’s wider tourism industry.
Todd is survived by his wife, Kirsty and their two children. Our deepest sympathies are with Kirsty and Todd’s families at this difficult time.
Todd was previously Chief Executive of Restaurant and Catering Victoria.
After joining VECCI, he played a key role in integrating tourism brands into VTIC, to form a more powerful tourism advocacy body.
VECCI has been overwhelmed by the number of organisations passing on their condolences and remembering Todd’s achievements, and his warm, humorous and ‘can-do’ nature.
Mark Stone
Chief Executive - VECCI
---
About Us
VEIC Chairman - Peter Jones
Peter Jones is one of Australia’s leading Event Producer who has been creating Special Events for over 25 years.
Peter is a regular contributor to the events industry recently having been President of the Melbourne Chapter of the International Special Events Society. Peter is also a board member of Destination Melbourne and on the advisory board for the Moomba Celebrations.
Peter and his team have been the recipient of 21 Meeting and Event Industry Awards, culminating in their induction into the Hall of Fame in 2005 for best Special Event Organiser.
Since its inception in 1991, Peter Jones Special Events (PJSE) has produced over 1000 events both in Australia and overseas. Some of these events have included:
- Grand Prix Balls
- AFL Grand Final Parade and Pre Match Entertainment
- Centenary of Federation Celebrations
- Opening of Melbourne Museum
- Prime Minister’s Olympic Dinners
- Queens Reception for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
Tourism Operations Manager - Kristina Burke
As Tourism Operations Manager - VECCI Tourism & Events, Kristina is responsible for the operations of the unit and a number of the associations within it, including Tourism Alliance Victoria, VTIC and VEIC.
Kristina started out in hospitality at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, before moving to Germany and working at the Australian Pavilion at the 2000 Hannover Expo. Upon returning to Melbourne she opted for more 'sociable' working hours and spent a number of years in EA roles with companies such as BMW, PwC and BankWest.
Kristina's tourism career commenced in earnest when she joined the Marketing and Events team at Federation Square, where her responsibilities included web content and communications management, event coordination and running the guided tour program. She then took on the role of Advocacy, Policy and Project Co-ordinator for Tourism Alliance Victoria, tackling a wide range of issues and delivering a number of local government projects.
Kristina has completed a Master of Tourism at Monash, including a thesis on the travel behaviours of international students.
She sits on the Project Control Board of the Public Land Licence Reform and on the tourism industry advisory boards for Monash and La Trobe Universities.
Events Coordinator - Mariella Mejia 
Coordinator of event calendar for the VECCI Tourism and Events Unit.
Mariella Mejia’s career began in the Aviation and Computer Science industry where she enjoyed speaking over the PA more than she enjoyed physics. It wasn’t until one weekend, while her parents were away that she organised her first event in their backyard. Three bands and one hundred guests later, she knew she was destined for a career in event organising.
Mariella completed an Advanced Dual Diploma of Hospitality and Events at NMIT. After completing her course, Mariella’s professional event career began with Expohire, where she gained vast knowledge of logistics and foundations of events and exhibitions. This knowledge of logistics and exhibitions saw her become a member of international publishing company, John Wiley & Sons, where she coordinated their academic exhibitions and conferences in Australia and New Zealand. The knowledge of academic events took her to work for professional conference organisers, ICMS, where she worked organising large scale conferences.
Mariella is passionate about the events and tourism industry and believes that events create business. She one day aspires to be the Michael Chugg of the event world, bringing large scale international events to Victoria.
To date, Mariella’s parents still don’t know about that party.
Office and Membership Services Coordinator - Monica Lougoon
Front line contact for general information on membership, activities, projects and services.
Monica holds a Certificate 5 in Business Administration at the Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE.
Prior to working at Tourism Alliance Victoria and VECCI, Monica was offered a traineeship as an administration assistant at Tourism Training Victoria and went on to win the Trainee of the Year award for the year 1999/2000.
Monica moved to Tourism Alliance Victoria in May 2001 to take on the role of Office Co-ordinator. In this role she looks after the day to day running of the organisation, which includes the handling of enquiries, Membership, Starting Up In Tourism Seminars and more.