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AusLeisure

THE LEADING SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THE LEISURE INDUSTRY

 
 
 

Author

Nigel Benton

About the author

Nigel Benton

Co-founder/Publisher, Australasian Leisure Management

Born in the English county of Dorset, Nigel Benton is the co-founder and Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management, Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific’s only magazine for professionals in all areas of the leisure industry and the www.ausleisure.com.au website - the go to news resource for industry leaders and professionals.

With a long-term commitment to communicating all that is best about the leisure industry (aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues) his career has been defined by an ability to develop and implement industry communications.

Starting his career working in heritage visitor attractions and then adventure travel in Africa and the Middle East, an interest in writing about his experiences led to his change of career into magazine journalism and publishing.

In addition to publishing, Nigel speaks on marketing communications at a range of industry events.

He was made a Life Member of the World Leisure and Recreation Association in 2006 and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (London).

In 2020, he launched the new Asian Leisure Business website.

As of October 2024, he was inducted into the Australian Fitness Awards Roll of Honour at the 2024 AUSactive National Awards.

Among a range of published works and features, his comments on a Blog (blogspot) from 2007 to 2011, when this website went live in its current form, may be interesting to reflect back on.

His philosophy on life is to be kind to all and to indulge those that you love.

His passions include family, Newcastle United and motorcycles (especially British ones) as well, until February 2025 when she left us, caring a little pug named Stella.

Click here to connect with him via LinkedIn.

Japanese advertising agency Dentsu fined over Tokyo Olympics bid-rigging

Global marketing and advertising agency Dentsu has been fined 300 million yen (US$1.94 million) after admitting to rigging bid contracts for test events ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo…

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Feb 1, 2025 Nigel Benton Events / Legal / Marketing / Sport /

 
 

Relocated Perth Zoo elephant settles into new South Australian home

The elephant moved from Perth Zoo to South Australia’s Monarto Safari Park has now arrived at her new home and has been pictured interacting with her new neighbour, Burma. Heartwarming…

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Jan 31, 2025 Nigel Benton Attractions / Environment / Tourism / Zoos /

 
 

World Leisure Day to be held around the world on 16th April

Aiming to reinforce the role of leisure at the centre of the society, the World Leisure Organization has announced that World Leisure Day 2025 will be celebrated internationally on 16th…

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Jan 26, 2025 Nigel Benton Culture / Education / Recreation / Sport / Tourism /

 
 

Tennis Australia’s Craig Tiley revealed as Australia’s highest paid sporting executive

Tennis Australia Chief Executive Craig Tiley has been revealed as the highest paid sporting executive in Australia, earning $US2.35 million ($3.78 million) in the fiscal year ending September…

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Jan 17, 2025 Nigel Benton Finance / Sport /

 
 

Report reveals planned new Hobart Stadium will incur $171 million maintenance costs over 30 years

New details about the costs of Hobart’s proposed AFL stadium have revealed that the venue will incur costs - in addition to its construction cost - of $171 million over 30 years for…

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Jan 8, 2025 Nigel Benton Design / Finance / Government / Sport / Venues /

 
 

Federal Assistant Treasurer targets gyms and wellness apps in warning on ‘subscription traps’

Picking up on a tactic often adopted by state fair trading and consumer affairs ministers and agencies, Federal Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Stephen Jones has…

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Jan 5, 2025 Nigel Benton Billing / Fitness / Government / Legal / Technology /

 
 

Reports identify top fitness trends of 2024

At a time when the fitness industry is looking at what consumers will demand in 2025, a look at key trends of the past 12 months - identified by the American College of Sports Medicine…

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Dec 29, 2024 Nigel Benton Fitness / Recreation / Sport / Technology / Wellness /

 
 
 
Australasian Leisure Management
 

search ausleisure

AusLeisure

THE LEADING SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THE LEISURE INDUSTRY

 
 
 

Authors

Ned Coten

Chief Executive and shareholder, EngageRM

Ned Coten is Chief Executive and shareholder of EngageRM, a business and Marketing Automation, CRM and Data Analytics platform for the sport and entertainment vertical.

Ned is a former athlete and sports management leader and the immediate past President of Basketball Australia, while continuing to sit on the Competitions Commission of basketball’s world body, FIBA. He also Chairs the Advisory Board for The Contenders, one of Australia’s leading brand strategy agencies and owns and operates two successful self storage businesses.

He has investments in Aged Care, Property and Technology, while continuing as an active mentor for aspiring business leaders.

Ned has extensive experience in leadership, sports management, consumer branding, sales and marketing. He is a former CEO of a number of Australia’s leading sports organisations and has operated multiple businesses as a senior executive, investor, board chair and director over the past 30 years.

Ned holds an MBA from the University of NSW and has written a book on branding and marketing for sport.

While attending the Australian Institute of Sport, Ned represented Australia at the 1983 World Junior Basketball Championships in Spain. He had a brief career in the National Basketball League and co-founded the Goldfields Giants in Western Australia’s State Basketball League. He holds relationships across sport and business within Australia and globally and remains a passionate and committed volunteer, with continuous service throughout his life.

Michael Palmer

Editor, TentHVAC

Michael Palmer is an outdoor enthusiast who likes to go on weekend backpacking trips with his dog Rory.

He likes writing and works as an editor at TentHVAC, a collective of enthusiasts who love travel, backpacking, and camping. . 

Ian Mullane

Chief Executive, Keepme

Ian Mullane is the Founder and Chief Executive of Keepme, a revenue acceleration platform dedicated to increasing operator revenue through AI-powered insights and tools. He is also a respected thought leader, white paper author, regular keynote speaker at industry events globally, GymNation Board member and member of the ukactive Digital Futures Council.

With a career that has seen him work with some of the biggest players in FinTech including his position as Chief Operating Office at Sungard, Ian was also the owner/operator of the fitness business Vanda in Singapore for more than a decade.

Alhasan Kaabous Alzaabi

Vice President of Operations, Farah Experiences

Alhasan Kaabous Alzaabi has served as the Vice President of Operations at Abu Dhabi-based Farah Experiences since 2017, overseeing the operations across all of Yas Island’s theme parks: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi.

Dr Ken Marriott

Dr Ken Marriott trained as a geographer with special studies in urban land uses, agriculture and climatology.

Having, in 1979, completed a PhD in geography at Monash University, with his research focused on the effectiveness of then-current leisure and recreation planning strategies he went on to be Managing Director of the leisure planning consultancy HM Leisure Planning Pty Ltd from 1984 until his retirement in 2016.

His book, Community Leisure and Recreation Planning, co-authored with John Tower and Katie McDonald from Victoria University in Melbourne, was published by Routledge early in 2021. 

He wrote on the need for leisure and recreation planners and providers to drive effective action on climate change in Australasian Leisure Management issue 146.

He can be contacted on email at ken.marriott@hmleisureplanning.com 

2nd September 2021 - LEISURE AND RECREATION PLANNERS NEED TO TAKE MORE DECISIVE ACTION ON CLIMATE AND WEATHER CHANGE

19th December 2020 - NEW COMMUNITY LEISURE AND RECREATION PLANNING TEXT A PRODUCT OF AUTHORS’ DECADES OF EXPERIENCE

 

Barrie Elvish

Chief Executive, AUSactive

Barrie Elvish has over 20 years’ experience of managing successful organisational change, strategic development and business growth across a range of sectors such as education and health.

His passions and experiences including training for triathlons, keeping his depressive episodes under control through exercise, trekking the Kokoda Trail and Hot Rods – all for the purpose of making meaningful connections.

Click here to contact him via LinkedIn.

Kunal Sawhney

Chief Executive, Kalkine Group

An entrepreneur with revolutionary ideas, Kunal Sawhney is a financial professional with wealth of knowledge in equities who aims to transform the delivery of equity research through tech-driven digital platforms

With his knowledge, skillset, and overarching vision, Sawhney established Kalkine (a business that is based on Digitally Powered Architecture and Extensive Data Science led Premium Research) that has become one of the fastest growing equity market research firms across Australia in 2014; and subsequently, in other emerging and developed markets.

Sawhney’s entrepreneurial and commercial skills backed by the passion to establish a tech-empowered research platform, helped in building Kalkine’s global presence across diverse geographies - Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Further, the plans for the US launch in 2021, have set the premise for attaining an all-encompassing client reach for Kalkine’s Subscription and Media Operations.

With a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Technology, Sydney; Sawhney’s business acumen has enabled his brainchild, Kalkine, help clients navigate through equity related matters in a proficient and seamless manner.

Sawhney is featured regularly on CNBC, Sky Business, Biz News, Daily Mail, Yahoo Finance, KCBS Radio (Audacy), Bloomberg, Sydney Morning Herald, Global Banking and Financial Review and many more.

Click here to visit the Kalkine website.