Introducing some of the wonderful talent we work with and their stories.

Tell us about your job at Criterion Conferences? I am responsible for identifying potential conference topics, conducting in-depth research to develop a conference program and selecting leading speakers to present solutions at the conference. I head up our Women’s Leadership portfolio so spend a lot of time speaking with highly accomplished women in different industries and sectors.

What’s the culture like in your team, why would someone want to work here? There are a lot of strong personalities in Production, which means there’s always something fun going on! As an all-female team at the moment, the feminine energy is also quite high, meaning we get to do cute celebrations for team members for birthdays or baby showers etc. We also learn a lot from each other as we are constantly working in overlapping industries and speaking to different people, so if your struggling with something there is always someone willing to help and offer advice.

What’s your proudest moment at Criterion Conferences?  Probably watching the success of one of my brand new events, Cyber Security for Higher Education. I knew nothing about Cyber so I had a lot to learn in a short space of time, and with it being so niche, it was high-risk, but it’s really paid off and is going to be a brilliant event.

Some interesting facts about me

If I had a superpower I would…. … be able to time travel
My guilty pleasure is… Keeping up with the Kardashians

Tell us about your job at Criterion Conferences? My role is twofold, as I’m responsible for being the first point of contact, providing advice as well as transactional and generalist support across all HR operational functions for Criterion and I also manage all recruitment. No day is the same and I love the diversity and variety that my role brings, as well as having the opportunity to really make it my own!

What’s the culture like in your team, why would someone want to work here? Fun, supportive and hard working! I love how all departments collaborate with one another, we know how to get the job done whilst creating a positive environment to work in

What’s your proudest moment at Criterion Conferences? Definitely winning the bell ringer award 3 months into my role. It made me feel very valued and appreciated!

Some interesting facts about me

If I had a superpower I would…. … be able to teleport to anywhere in the world. I love travelling so I would definitely be able to save lots of money on plane tickets!
My guilty pleasure is… indulging in cake which Criterion always has plenty of or a box of krispy kreme donuts.

Tell us about your job at Criterion Conferences? I am an enabler. The function of my department is to ensure Criterion has a competitive advantage through technology.

What’s the culture like in your team, why would someone want to work here? My team is small, everyone has a voice and their input is encouraged and valued. We provide a lot of opportunities and are always doing new and exciting projects. We aim to make our internal customers happy and are always rewarded with a smile.

What’s your proudest moment at Criterion Conferences? When Criterion celebrated their 10th anniversary!

Some interesting facts about me

If I had a superpower I would…. be a Time Traveller. I’d be able to see what lies ahead for mankind and better understand where we’ve from. I’d like to ensure our actions of today have a positive impact on our future
The best bit of advice I’ve ever been given is: “Never lose the child in you”.  After my children’s birth, I soon understand what it really meant as I watched them gain the greatest pleasure from the simplest things.
A random fact about me is… At one stage I had residency in three countries. Also highly allergic to cats.
At the weekend I love to… Watch the F1 and listen to music very loud!
My guilty pleasure is…. fried chicken

Tell us about your job at Criterion Conferences? I’m currently working in the Operations team as an Event Manager liaising with various stakeholders regarding the logistics of our conferences. This ranges from arranging speaker travel, coordinating sponsor requirements to venue liaison and much more!

What’s the culture like in your team, why would someone want to work here? The Operations team is a fun dynamic group of ladies that make organisation effortless.

What’s your proudest moment at Criterion Conferences? Recently being selected for a new role with our ACSA partnership to help manage their events nationwide.

Some interesting facts about me

If I had a superpower I would…. teleport to avoid Sydney traffic
On the weekend I love to… catch up with friends and family
My guilty pleasure is…. kewpie mayonnaise on anything

Tell us about the culture in your team… it is very friendly. It’s not only about sales but also customer satisfaction. At Criterion Conferences, we always make sure our customer comes first and we ensure they are happy with the services we offer.

My proudest moment at Criterion… was definitely being named the bell ringer for the month despite only being here for 4 months.

Some interesting facts about me

If I had superpower…. I would love to fly like Superman so I could visit my family every day after I finish work and enjoy the homemade food made by mother.
At the weekend… I love to take an afternoon nap.
A random fact about me is…. I love to cook and I am often told that I am a great chef.

Tell us about your role at Criterion… My role consists of outbound sales – hunting for new business opportunities.

Tell us about the culture in your team… In the sales team, the culture is great.  Everyone has a laugh but we make sure it doesn’t affect the work we do. If someone was looking for a good working environment and enjoys a good laugh, Criterion is the place.

My proudest moment at Criterion… Getting the bell ringer award.

Some interesting facts about me

A random fact about me… is that my dad breeds ferrets
If I could have any superpower it would be… teleportation so I could head home for the Liverpool games
My guilty pleasure… is a cup of tea and a few ANZAC biscuits (especially at 3pm)
A book that moved me…. Angela’s ashes

Tell us about your role at Criterion… I handle all the ‘creative’ stuff, prioritising my time towards designing brochures. I do some logo, banner, and website design on the side.

Tell us about the culture in your team… It’s a very open and welcoming atmosphere within the marketing team. We bounce ideas off each other and everyone’s voice is heard.

My proudest moment at Criterion… So far it’s probably been presenting my finished design concept of what the new Criterion website could potentially look like.

Some interesting facts about me

If I had a superpower I would… be a teleporter – bugger the cost and time of plane flights.
The best bit of advice I’ve ever been given is… “have more than you show, speak less than you know” (except at a job interview).
A random fact about me… is that I only recently discovered the meaning behind my surname, which is ‘van Gend.’ Apparently ‘van’ means ‘of’ the city you’re from. So I’m Matt of Gend. I Google mapped Gend in the Netherlands and it’s a dump haha.

Tell us about your role at Criterion… I’m the Customer Care Manager at Criterion.  I assist with bookings, online chat, email and phone enquiries, finance, and general office admin..

Tell us about the culture… The culture in my team is great.  With a group of 5 women, we love a good chat over some chocolate or wine!

My proudest moment… Being apart of the Corproate Giving Commitee. We recently help a fundraiser for the Smith Family and raised $3,618 in house.

Some interesting facts about me

At the weekend I love to…go to the beach and hang out with friends
A book that moved me….The Help
My guilty pleasure is….pizza and ranch, all day every day

Tell us about your role at Criterion… I am one of the Sponsorship Managers. I source and screen credible solution providers and initiate corporate partnerships to support our conferences.

Tell us about the culture… The culture is great. I report to a Director who is very positive and supportive. My team and I get along really well and support and look out for each other. We work hard and stay focused on targets and revenue expectations but we also do make sure we appreciate the small wins and celebrate the big wins along the way.

My proudest moment… Winning the bell ringer award is definitely up there. Getting a deal in my first week and getting to 100 delegates at a recent Aged Care conference are some of my other achievements.

Some interesting facts about me

If I had a super power I would…. be invisible

A random fact about me…  I played gridiron for Sydney Uni

On the weekend I love to… spend time with my family

A book that moved me… The old man and the sea

My guilty pleasure is… playing video games

Tell us about your role at Criterion… As a Senior Producer, I am responsible for identifying potential conference topics, conducting in depth research to develop a conference program and selecting leading speakers to present solutions at the conference. I also manage a team of two producers. I develop conference topics for them and support them to research and produce their own events.

Tell us about the culture… Production is full of unique and passionate individuals with a wide array of surprising interests and skills. I am always learning something new from my team mates and laughing about memes. Production is a team that works hard to produce great events, but we also play hard. Highlights include a wine tasting trip to the Hunter Valley and various celebratory birthday lunches.

My proudest moment… I am really proud of my very first Hit Conference – Mental Health for First Responders. It was one of the first conferences I produced and it was a brand new event. We had about 6 contacts in Salesforce when I started production, so I had to do a lot of research from scratch. It was amazing to see this event grow and reach profit.

Some interesting facts about me

If I had a super power I would…. Be able to teleport

A random fact about me…  I am obsessed with podcasts and will constantly tell people about them

On the weekend I love to binge watch TV shows and think about them critically

I work in Sponsorship Sales so my role is finding the right solution providers for our conferences, and that means organisations who 1) add value to the conference, 2) network with the delegates onsite and 3) conduct efficient follow-up to generate ROI. Then I love being onsite to make sure that my sponsors meet the delegates and get the most out of the event – that’s the really fun part. I also tend to sing a song in front of the whole office when I get a sale!

The culture is “work hard, play hard”, and getting the balance right. We work hard to smash our targets and then celebrate success when the sales come in. Anyone who puts 100% into the role can do very well.

My proudest moments happen a lot – it’s basically when a client tells us that they made a sale out of sponsoring one of our conferences. It’s even better if I was instrumental in making sure they initially met onsite. It’s all about ROI for me and my customers. You can justify spending budget on a Criterion conference by measuring your return.

Some interesting facts about me

The best bit of advice I’ve ever been given is… to network, network, network! I often go to functions and events outside of Criterion’s forums and the best thing to do is to talk to as many people as possible – you can gather so many new contacts by introducing yourself to people

A random fact about me… I once starred in a short movie in which I played a vampire hunter and I got to see it on the big screen

On the weekend I love to… Spend time with my family, go to the beach, barbecue parties with friends and watching English football

My guilty pleasure is… Wine. Bring me a glass of a nice red and I’m a happy and chatty man

What do I do? I help out everyone in the marketing team. Everyday, I always have different tasks to do so there’s never a boring moment!

The Criterion team are passionate about their roles and are always looking for ways to innovate. As a medium-sized company, we are a tight-knit family that is always looking to expand.

The perks of working at Criterion Conferences are:

My proudest moment was being nominated as Bell-Ringer during my first three months of working at Criterion Conferences.

A few interesting facts about me

A random fact about me… my breakfast consists of chicken teriyaki sushi rolls
On the weekend I love… to bake and watch all of the house-related TV shows on 9Life
A book that moved me… The Art of the Hustle by Edward Mullen. It follows the inspiring tale of a young man that becomes a billionaire before the age of 30
My guilty pleasure… bread sticks dipped in Nutella

We are a wonderfully weird team that gel together and produce great results. Criterion allows you to express yourself in the most unique way and bring your quirks to make our workplace fun.