Our Speakers 2025

Emma Britton is a well-known former BBC local radio presenter across Somerset, Bath and Bristol. As a broadcaster, Emma interviewed thousands of people over the 10+ years she was on air, from members of the public to authority figures, to famous people.
Emma is now enjoying working as a freelance presenter, professional event host and a civil celebrant.

Very much a “people person”, Emma is outgoing, approachable, engaging and empathetic. As a guest speaker, her talks have been described as inspirational and uplifting!

When it comes to events, she has recently completed eight years as a volunteer on the organising committee of Bridgwater Carnival, considered to be the biggest illuminated carnival in Europe.

I work as part of the wider marketing team, serving Brands and Properties (Rights Holders) across campaigns and activations. I have worked in around 50 countries over the last 23 years and really enjoyed working within different cultures. Our industry and the event specialism is always facing challenges and right now is no different. We have been members of NOEA for over ten years and are always keen to play a proactive role, improving our environment and ways of working, across areas such as safety, CSR and sustainability. I asked to join the NOEA council in order to try and help our industry as it moves towards the future and the new challenges it faces.

NOEA Scotland. Specialized Security, 3 Lindsay Square, Deans, Livingston EH54 8RL. Tel: 01506 249001 / 07774 269456 Tom has been involved within the security and crowd management industry since 1990, during which time he has been involved with many major live music and sporting events, gaining a wealth of experience working at all levels of the command chain, both as deputy and lead manager. Tom was a member of the working party involved in the writing of the Event Guide and Safety at Sports Grounds Guide, produced by the Health and Safety Executive, as well as Disability at Events Guide, produced by the Disability Rights Commission. Seen by some within the industry as an expert in crowd management, Tom is also a visiting speaker at universities. Tom has a Diploma in Events Safety Management from Derby University and is currently President of the National Outdoor Events Organisation (NOEA).

Here’s 3 things about me:
🚀: Part of a team that’s on a mission to help 30,000 UK young people in their careers by 2030
🌍: Spent 9 years living across East and West Africa, with part of this time spent developing resources for psycho-social education in hard to reach communities
🏃🏽‍♀️: Aiming to compete in my first Hyrox race by the end of 2025

Having spent the last 4 years developing my experience across DE&I, Talent Acquisition and partnership development, in January 2025 I joined DIVERSE; an organisation giving impactful free careers education to young people from underrepresented backgrounds.

Matt has been with See Tickets for over four years, and within the ticketing ticketing industry a further seven. Matt heads up See Tickets’ relationships with our festival, exhibition and attraction client portfolio, including English Heritage, ZSL, Raymond Gubbay and IMG. Over this time Matt has built a good understanding of what challenges our clients face, pre event, on site and post event. Helping clients, new and long term, navigate the world of ticketing. Matt also manages our Groups, Coach and Travel Trade team who are an integral part of the outdoor events industry.

Managing Director, The Traffic management Company, Crowded Space Drones, CSD Productions. In my capacity of owning a drone & video production company, I am keen to support NOEA promotional activities in this area (as we have supported the annual conference) and also reactive video content for social media etc to help NOEA exploit new trends & topics. I also would like to support NOEA in policy development areas, especially linked to my areas where I believe I am competent: Drones Health & Safety Crowd Management Traffic Management I am also happy to help support NOEA exhibition attendance, such as the Event Production Show.

Alasdair is the Co-Founder and Director of The Intrepid Collective, an award winning events agency that specializes in placemaking, destination marketing and community engagement events for the built environment.
The Intrepid Collective have worked with clients to deliver activations across some of London ‘s most iconic public spaces and destinations. In 2024 the agency won awards for Best Event, Best Team and the prestigious Judges Award at The National Outdoor Event Association Awards.

Al also sits on the Executive Committee for Checking-IN, the network of LGBTQ+ professionals and allies within the hospitality and events industry

Goc O’Callaghan is Global Experience Strategist where she combines analytical skills with creative flair with a holistic approach to experience consultancy encompasses everything from strategic planning and concept development to execution and evaluation. This dynamic approach and innovative experience consultancy facilitate clients to find, define and unlock the perceived and actual value in the experiences for their end-users.

As the founder, owner and director of the award-winning ArcTanGent Festival, Goc has transformed the event into a cultural phenomenon, attracting thousands of attendees from around the globe. The visionary approach to festival curation of unorthodox artistry has earned numerous accolades, including the prestigious Best Small Festival in the UK Festival Awards.

Goc is a respected trend forecaster, specialising in predicting future trends in the experience industry. Their insights have been instrumental in guiding brands and organisations to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring that their offerings remain relevant and engaging in an ever-evolving market. Goc’s trend reports are highly anticipated and have been featured in leading industry publications.

Renowned for her ability to combine the strategic and advisory service offer with the practical application of crafting unforgettable experiences that resonate deeply with audiences and advanced academic studies, Goc has become a sought-after expert in the field of experience.

Goc’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the realm of experiences has made her a trailblazer in the industry. Whether it’s through Goc’s work as an experience consultant, festival owner, academic or trend predictor, Goc continues to inspire and innovate, shaping the future of experiential design.

Shane Ohly is the founder and CEO of Ourea Events, widely recognised as the UK’s leading organiser of challenging mountain and trail running events. With a flagship portfolio that includes the legendary Dragon’s Back Race®, Cape Wrath Ultra®, and Salomon Skyline Scotland®, Shane has built a reputation for delivering ambitious, complex, and highly professional races ranging from 5km to 400km across the UK’s most spectacular and remote landscapes. Ourea Events has consistently set the benchmark for safety, operational excellence, and participant experience in this sector. Shane has hosted globally significant races, including the 2018 Skyrunning World Championships, stages of the Golden Trail World Series, and the Spartan Trail/Ultra World Championships, helping position the UK as a key destination for international trail running.

A passionate advocate for raising industry standards, Shane is the founder of the Adventure Sports Events Conference, a unique annual gathering of organisers focused on best practice, innovation, and professional development within the endurance events sector. He is particularly known for his expertise in risk management and safety planning for events in mountainous environments. Shane is also the founder of Shelter Stone, a specialist provider of medical and rescue services for remote and austere locations. Drawing on his extensive experience as a mountain rescue volunteer, Shane brings a uniquely practical and operational perspective to conversations around event safety.

Bev Osborne specialises in developing and delivering training solutions addressing the crisis management and emergency response needs of events and venues, companies and organisations in the UK and overseas. She became involved in the Resilience Sector by leading a 5-year programme to design and deliver multi-agency, simulation based, training exercises for Strategic Commanders in the Public Sector in 2007; and in 2011 launched Training 4 Resilience with her Business Partner Adrian Seward. She has designed and delivered over 150 crisis management and emergency exercises since 2007 for a wide portfolio of clients including Premiership Football and Rugby Clubs; Music Festivals and Concerts; the NATO Summit; the Tour de France and all London 2012 Olympic Venues.

James has over 25 years’ experience in the event industry. His career began in the hospitality sector before making the move to leading temporary structure supplier Arena where he was a senior project manager for numerous global sporting events including London 2012, Commonwealth Games 2014 and HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championships. He joined Qdos Event Hire as commercial director in 2014. Multiple high profile contract wins including a five-year deal with Goodwood Estates catapulted him to the role of managing director in 2016. He has spearheaded the company’s rapid growth and it’s now established as one of the industry’s leading suppliers. Qdos has supported almost every notable sporting event, public event and state occasion held in the UK over the last 10 years.