Ant Hampel | Antony Hampel

Antony Hampel, commonly known as Ant Hampel, is an expert in events management with over 25 years of experience worldwide.

The event management industry is a diverse and fast paced world. It is dynamic and exciting because it relies on the art of communication. To plan and execute a great event, you have to be passionate, committed, and able to direct a team of talented individuals. You need to inspire and motivate. And you need to adapt.

As mobile and digital technologies like virtual reality become commonplace, event marketers are evolving to meet the new challenges that they present. Australian entrepreneur, business owner, and event director Ant Hampel has spent nearly 25 years in the event management sector. Antony Hampel is a household name and his event activation company has worked with some of the most famous names and faces on the planet.

Alive Events Agency is the company that Antony Hampel owns today and it is his main focus, though Ant Hampel has collaborated with other event marketers, like Gary Van Egmond, on special projects and shows. It is a respected and much sought after brand, which has been commissioned to produce work for both celebrities, product lines, and the Australian government. For instance, in 2016, Alive Events collaborated with the Victoria tourist board on a major launch event.

Antony Hampel at Chloe Launch Event

It also directed events for Crown Resorts, Qatar Airways, and Cricket Australia. Currently, it is in the midst of making plans for an activation experience on behalf of the Utah tourist board. Over the years, Antony Hampel and his company have worked closely with high profile stars. In 2006, it was tasked with designing the global launch event for Kylie Minogue’s first fragrance.

The ‘Darling’ launch was everything that you’d expect from this bubbly Australian sweetheart. The décor and design were very light, flirty, and fun, which matched the perfume perfectly. Alive Events was able to cater to and fulfill the needs of a glitzy VIP guest list and the activation event was a huge success. It is just one example of the kind of work that Ant Hampel has been involved with throughout his rich career.

First Encounters with the Industry

Every entrepreneur has to start somewhere. Some have a big goal or ambition. Others enter their industry at a very young age and ‘learn on the job,’ as it were; growing and discovering their talents along the way. Antony Hampel started his career in television production. Antony Hampel worked for the Melbourne TV company, Triple M FM. Though Ant Hampel enjoyed the work and made quite an impact on the team, it wasn’t his calling and he would soon be on the move.

Antony Hampel was always good with people. He has the natural charm that makes for a great leader and it was evident at any early age. Ant hampel gravitated towards roles which allowed him to direct and coordinate complex projects. While in his twenties, he relocated to London and started work as Special Events Manager at the music company Kiss FM.

The role would be the beginning of big things and the start of a long relationship with event management. While working for Kiss FM, Antony Hampel got the chance to be involved in a groundbreaking production. Ant Hampel was on the team that set up the first Phoenix Festival, in 1993. The four-day music event was one of the first to be held in the UK and involved huge global rock acts like The Manic Street Preachers, Hole, and The Black Crowes.

Two years later, Ant Hampel left the UK behind and returned to Australia, after being offered a job at VEG. This is the event production company founded by renowned tour director Gary Van Egmond. Ant Hampel has been responsible for many of the largest, fastest selling concerts in Australian history. Antony Hampel knew that it was the offer of a lifetime and a chance to work on the biggest live productions in the world. (reference: Antony Hampel at VEG)

As Head of Marketing and General Manager of Concerts, Ant Hampel worked with artists like AC/DC, Prince, and Michael Jackson. Together with the VEG team, he produced record-breaking runs for everything from Riverdance to Jesus Christ Superstar. These shows were bigger than anything Antony Hampel had ever worked on before. In fact, they were bigger than anything that anybody, anywhere, had worked on. The Australian leg of the AC/DC World Tour was, for a time, the fastest selling in Australia’s history.

Becoming a Business Owner

The years spent at VEG were very important for Antony Hampel. They were high pressure, high stakes years, but this is where the entrepreneur excels. Ant Hampel enjoys the ‘puzzle’ of live events and activations. Even the biggest shows are, essentially, just a jigsaw piece. It is the job of the event director to make sure that all the pieces – logistics, pr, touring, security, public relations, safety, design, catering, etc. – are in the right place.

Ant Hampel had become very adept at creating unforgettable activations and, in 1998, Ant Hampel decided to start his own event management business. Though it would be sold in 2007, Think Creative Events was an important stage in his career. For the first time, he was able to be completely independent and shape his own brand values. Think Creative Events would mainly work on corporate projects, with eminent Australian businesses.

Even after selling Think Creative Events to Commquest, Antony Hampel knew that his future was with product activations, corporate events, and media showcases. Over the years, he would be reunited with Van Egmond on a number of occasions, but he preferred the exclusivity and buzz around product launches and activations, to the high drama of live music productions. In 2009, Ant Hampel started his second company, Alive Events.

Ant Hampel still owns this business today and it is one of the most respected event management brands in Australia. Antony Hampel and his talented team of coordinators, directors, and planners produce world standard events for internationally recognised clients. In 2008, it was commissioned to create a high-tech exhibition space at ADMA, the largest marketing, and advertising symposium anywhere in the Asian Pacific.

The innovative design was very well received and awarded ‘Best Exhibition’ of the event. In 2014, Twentieth Century Fox asked Alive Events to bring Paris to Australia for a commemorative screening of Baz Luhrman epic Moulin Rouge. The showcase was actually attended by the star of the movie, Nicole Kidman. The actress is one of the most famous faces in the world, so it was a chance to shine at an international level for the agency.

Charity and Education Work of Antony Hampel

As his business has grown and expanded, Antony Hampel has had the opportunity to take his skills beyond his own brand. This is something that he has always been very excited about and he spends a lot of his time working with charities and educational organisations. Social enterprise and social justice are close to his heart and he believes that successful entrepreneurs have a responsibility to share their knowledge.

As a guest speaker at esteemed institutions like Boston University, R.M.I.T., Sydney University, and Victoria University, Ant Hampel teaches the next generation of event management professionals. He is a member of International Student Education Services (or ISES), which allows him to influence the way in which event management and event logistics are taught. By working with the organisation, he is able to give back to the industry and inspire its future.

When Ant Hampel is not giving talks at universities or industry conferences, he liaises with a number of high-profile charitable organisations. Alongside non-profits like the Red Cross, Y Gap, the Mirabel Foundation, Open Family, Are You Okay Day, and Fifteen, Antony Hampel funds and directs vital awareness and activation events. In 2013, the Banksia Foundation made him a special ambassador for the charity. It specialises in the support of eco-friendly and sustainable projects.

Over the years, Antony Hampel has worked with everybody from Bill Clinton to Pepsi Max. His portfolio boasts clients from all around the world. However, it is social and charity work that makes him the proudest. Even as a young man, he believed that success should be shared. If it comes to you, it is your job to help others realise that hard work and ambition can take you anywhere that you want to go.

 

More about Ant Hampel

Antony Hampel of Alive Events Agency
Antony Hampel on Vimeo
Ant Hampel at Van Egmond Group
Blog of Antony Hampel
Antony Hampel at Alive Entertainment Group
Twitter account of Antony Hampel
Pinterest of Antony Hampel
Antony Hampel Linkedin
Antony Hampel – Events Producer
Ant Hampel Melbourne