New Zealand’s Going Global Conference Announces 2023 Speakers

15 international guests have been announced for this year’s Going Global Music Summit in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa (New Zealand).

The music industry conference will run over Friday September 1 and Saturday 2 at Roundhead Studios, promising “a transformative platform for local musicians and industry professionals to propel their careers onto the global stage”.

Similar to Australia’s own BIGSOUND, the event will allow delegates to engage in workshops and networking opportunities, and sit in on a wide-ranging program of keynote speeches and panel discussions. According to official copy from the Going Global team, attendees “will have the chance to learn from the best in the industry and gain valuable insights and connections into expanding their careers beyond New Zealand's borders”.

Announced today (August 10) were a suite of international speakers for this year’s summit, hailing from North and South America, the UK, Europe and here in Australia.

Our own local representatives will include Vaughan Quinn (the head of programming for the Meredith and Golden Plains festivals), BIGSOUND programmer (and Shihad member) Tom Larkin, the Australian Independent Record Label Association’s Maria Amato, and Remote Control’s head of labels and promotions, Sweetie Zamora.

From the US, visiting speakers will include Dev Sherlock (a senior music programmer for South By Southwest), Jacob Daneman (of Pitch Perfect PR), Kodi McKinney (a partner and co-founder of the Port Authority Music Export Academy), Jackie Palazzolo (a music supervisor at Riot Games), Hallie Anderson (founder of Rareform) and Tony Kiewel (president of Sub Pop Records). Representing South America will be the Brazilian founder and director of ForMusic, Nando Machado.

Rounding out the bill are two speakers each from the UK and Germany, with the former represented by Adam Ryan (head of music for The Great Escape Festival and Festival Republic) and Kate English (a promotor at Parallel Lines), and the latter by Patrick Daniel (a programmer and project manager for the Reeperbahn Festival) and Silke Westera (a promotor at FKP Scorpio).

"We are incredibly excited to host such a diverse and accomplished lineup of international speakers for the Going Global MusicSummit," said Pippa Ryan-Kidd (chairperson at Going Global’s parent company, IMNZ) in a press statement. “As results show from past Going Global conferences, their insights and experiences will undoubtedly inspire and equip our local talent with the tools they need to succeed on the global stage. We are also very excited they will get to witness 21 incredible Kiwi bands showcasing at Going Global Presents across the two nights.”

Additionally, the event will feature prominent figures from New Zealand’s music industry, including Ant Healey (head of APRA AMCOS’ NZ division), Cath Andersen (CEO of the NZ Music Commission), Jo Oliver (CEO of Recorded Music NZ), Dean Cameron (member services manager at Recorded Music NZ) and Ryan-Kidd. You can see the full lineup for Going Global 2023 (and purchase tickets) here.

Last week, the full lineup for the publicly accessible Going Global Presents artist showcase was announced. It features 21 acts from across the Kiwi music scene, including KITA, Summer Thieves and Vera Ellen. Head here to see the full bill for that event.