Montreal-based event marketing tech provider, Snöball has appointed Tony Melis as chief operating officer. He joins Snöball from agri-food trade show SIAL Canada, where he served as CEO.
SIAL Canada is part of the Comexposium network of food events and attracted approximately 25,000 attendees.
At Snöball, he will work alongside founder and CEO Rachel Stephan and the wider leadership team.
“Tony has sat in the exact seat our customers sit in every day,” said Rachel. “He understands the pressures involved in filling a show floor, working with a board, and growing an audience year over year. His experience on the organiser side brings another perspective.”
“An organiser answers to many stakeholders: a board, leadership, exhibitors, attendees and sponsors,” said Melis. “I understand what each of them needs, and what their pain points really look like.”
Melis said that one of the challenges facing organisers is reaching audiences beyond their existing databases, particularly as attendee behaviour and communication channels continue to change.
Looking ahead, he said he expected organiers to continue navigating shorter decision-making cycles among attendees while making longer-term commitments around venues, hotels and event planning.
