Antony Hampel

Antony Hampel Today

As the biggest events happen in the brightest cities of Australia, Melbourne, and Sydney – one name has been a mainstay among the organizers for the past 25 years – Antony Hampel.

What started as a dream of a hungry entrepreneur with a vision of improving events transformed into an events management company – Alive Events.

Photo of Antony Hampel

Headed by Antony Hampel, Alive Events’ offices in Melbourne are where you will find the event savant today.

Antony – also known as Ant in many circles – is a name that has reverberated through the biggest events launched all over Australia for the past 25 years. Among his many accomplishments, he has been awarded the Helpmann Award for Best International Concert, Event of the Year, and more. He has also been responsible for creating and producing Australia’s largest touring LEGO Exhibition.

Antony Hampel today is keeping himself busy ideating more events – trying to add more practicality to the artistic events and bringing them to life in a celebratory fashion. His company, Alive Event Agency, is open in two locations – Melbourne and Sydney. However, it is Melbourne through which he primarily operates, living with his partner and their daughter. A family man, Antony Hampel, focuses on spending the bulk of his time with his family and friends. But he does so in a way that nothing in his professional or personal life is compromised.

And when it comes to Antony Hampel‘s business today, success has become the primary motif to describe it. His clients – both government and private sectors – have given him multiple accolades for his dedication to his work. When asked how it is possible – his answer is simply – “If you can’t stand still, change, and adapt to get ahead of the game to succeed.”

And when one talks to Antony Hampel today, he reminisces about his old days. He highlights his life that was lightened up by the top professionals he worked with. He is thankful that these professionals were kind enough to work with him and help him move forward in a way that helped him learn and earn.

Ant Hampel Sydney

The Opera House defines the very nature of Sydney as a place that has also made the Australian capital home to many great events to take place. But these events have grown more colorful and complicated and have a dynamic element that only someone with multiple years of experience can tackle – Ant Hampel has thus entered the scene. Ant Hampel’s approach to event planning in Sydney is unparalleled. His 25 years of experience, which has been colored through his nuanced approach to handling events for the likes of Prince, Bill Clinton, and Nicole Kidman, as well as leading brands like Porche, Ford, and Adidas, can breathe life into any event in Sydney.

Whether these events award shows that require a high level of flamboyancy with a subtleness of gentlemen or conferences where time and business constraints matter, Ant Hampel’s handling of them across Sydney is the core that ensured these events became memorable.

Combining the art of theatrics with practicality, Ant Hampel never pivots away from the original vision of any event in Sydney – or across any part of Australia. His approach to handling events is not vanilla – traditional methodologies have no room here. To him, event staging is an act that focuses on being different while providing a dynamic experience and having accountability toward the audience it wants to cater to.

An experience maker, Ant Hampel has been able to gather many accolades due to his tenacity, including creating the fastest-selling show in box office history – AC/DC, which sold 520k tickets within three hours.

Through his Alive Events Agency, people have been able to witness some of the biggest events in Australian history – and he will continue to do so using his tenacity. Every Ant Hampel-organized event in Sydney has been the focus of much fanfare – and the reason is pretty fair for everyone to see. Every award show, every concert, and every brand launch has had the imprint of Antony Hampel’s own dynamic style that seeks to reach the heart of his clients. Bringing his client’s visions to light, Ant Hampel aims to diversify the event planning game, turning every moment into unforgettable memories

Ant Hampel Melbourne

There is hidden jazz in Melbourne that can only shine if you have someone who has the experience in bringing to light the best kind of events that you can imagine. Ant Hampel is the go-to guy for that purpose. With over 25 years of experience in event management for the brand across 400 events in five countries and over 15 cities, Antony Hampel is one that puts events by combining theatrics with practicality.

By designing event plans that pivot away from the traditional, vanilla aspects but embrace the dynamics that can add an experiential flavor to every party, Antony Hampel is of a different breed. To him, event staging in Melbourne or anywhere else in the world must be different accountable, and dynamic. Bringing the flavors of lives to the event to put them away from monotony, setting them apart with designs and other additions, and making them accountable to the needs of what the event is supposed to be, Ant Hampel is here to change the game.

Over the years, his approach to events has helped many stars, including the likes of Prince, Kylie Minogue, Lewis Hamilton, President Bill Clinton, and a showstopping long list of brands, be introduced to the world in the best light.

But those 25 years of experience that let Ant Hampel achieve all of these things is because of its dynamic background that colored those years. From immersing himself in television and entertainment marketing to focusing on concert touring to give the audience the best, Ant Hampel had a solid foundation made out of those experiences that pushed him forward. And with time, the ubiquity and the dynamism of his events have only grown.

No one is satisfied with the standard approach to events anymore, and the slew of cultural phenomenons being added to the zeitgeist has only made Ant Hampel one of the leading event managers in Melbourne.

Ant Hampel’s events in Melbourne, thus, have a different flare to them. Everything from lighting to time to budget is considered and fine-tuned to make those events as memorable as they can be. These events are analogous to his personality traits: colorful but constrained, dynamic but disciplined, and flashy but necessary.

Ant Hampel Age

Every day of Ant Hampel’s life for the last 25 years has been a story. The prospect of creating a better event at every turn to give his clients the most bang for their buck has always been his goal. Now 55, Ant Hampel has had his age in his event management efforts like wine. With time, as the demands of the 21st century grew, he re-strategized his brand activation strategies. What could be the next thing that could be done for this event? – he still asks himself. And the answer always comes in an approach that combines theatrical and practical.

Throughout his experience as an “experience maker”, his events have aided multiple show-stopping brands to get their products to their audience in the best light. These brands include Porche, Adidas, @ Hotels, Ford, Disney, and the Australian Grand Prix.

But one question remains – how can Ant Hampel, now 55, keep up with these brands’ new demands and push through to create memorable brand activation events for them?

The answer lies in understanding the dynamism of the events of today. Antony Hampel has always set the bar high, which is a non-linear approach to event management. Aiming to prove that anything is possible – his desire to put up a show like no other has pushed him to become a lifelong learner. He understands how to push boundaries when entertaining, informing, and inspiring an audience. For the past 25 years, during which he was immersed in all forms of marketing in legacy media, he developed the tenacity to constantly move forward and constantly move upwards – and take the brands he arranged the events for with him.

His nuanced approach to brand event handling has also pushed him to succeed under pressure at all times, during which he gears up his efforts to achieve the extraordinary, which also includes arranging 28 events across Australia for the federal government.

Inspiring to move the world forward, Ant Hampel is not letting his age stop him but letting his experience push him forward to color the events with the element of extraordinary.

Antony Hampel Family

Antony Hampel has a fiancé and baby daughter. Family means everything to Antony Hampel and whilst his work demands a lot of time and travel, family comes first. Recently, Antony has been able to ensure that his family travels with him on extended work trips and, with a daughter still very young, this is made possible.

Antony Hampel’s Family Origins

Family origins go back to Ireland and Poland for Antony Hampel. His father arrives in Australia as a teenager, but his mother was born in Australia.

Family are also best friends to Antony Hampel who spends a lot of time traveling, eating, and watching movies together.

Creativity and Music of Antony Hampel’s Family

Creativity and music appear to run through the family. Antony recalls both his grandparents having a love of music. His grandfather taught guitar and his grandmother was always listening to classical music. Today, his parents share a love of music, visual arts and the performing arts. Perhaps it is Antony Hampel’s family love of creativity that has led to his career in the arts and live events.

The family of Antony Hampel live in inner Melbourne both north and south side although his sister is based in Bali and often commutes between Australia and Indonesia.

Antony’s fiancé’s family live in country NSW and so he sees less of them than his immediate family.

During the pandemic Antony Hampel’s first child was born into the family and so they moved to a larger home in inner Melbourne’s south.

Other family, including cousins of Antony Hampel, all live in Melbourne although the family is relatively small as both Antony’s parents are single children and his sister does not have children.

Antony Hampel’s family includes his stepfather who lives also in Melbourne and who has a daughter who lives on the gold coast (having moved there recently from Sydney).

Family to Antony Hampel

Family to Antony Hampel is a term he often uses to describe the talented team of suppliers, staff and collaborators with his work. Many of the people Antony Hampel works with are like family and their partnerships go back 20 years or more. He describes the agency ‘extended family’ as creatives, technicians, designers, artists and managers. The ‘alive family’ also includes of course the staff and regular contractors at the agency in Melbourne and Sydney.

Antony Hampel Australia

Antony Hampel is a leading event producer in Australia. He runs a global event company that produces business events and public events of all scales. In Australia, Antony Hampel works from Sydney and Melbourne but also travels to Asia as part of his work

Part of Antony Hampel’s Work in Australia

Part of the work Antony Hampel produces in Australia includes concerts and festival events as well as projects for global companies.

The Australian Events industry has rewarded Antony Hampel for his contribution over many years. He was a member of the ISES Melbourne chapter which then became the global entity ILEA (International Live Events Association).

Antony Hampel when in Australia

When in Australia, Antony Hampel enjoys travelling between Melbourne and Sydney as he has offices in both cities with a team of talented event professionals. He also enjoys other travel in Australia including locations such as Brisbane, Gold Coast and Adelaide where his event company also produces work.

Think Creative Events was a company that Antony Hampel created in Australia in 2000. This company was one of the first brand experience agencies in Australia which he later sold to Comquest in 2009 just before the GFC hit which had a dire impact on the events industry. Think Creative events was the first company Antony Hampel owned in Australia. He later went on to establish Alive Events Agency in 2010 which he still owns and operates today.

In his earlier years, Antony Hampel was educated in Australia, in Melbourne where his primary, secondary and tertiary education all took place. He also studied at the VCA and Australian School of Radio and Television.

Antony Hampel’s First Full-time Job in Australia

In Australia, Antony Hampel’s first full-time job was at Crawford Productions at channel nine and then EON FM radio in South Melbourne where he went on to become promotions manager for the station before leaving to work at Kiss FM in London.

Melbourne Australia will always be home to Antony Hampel. He recalls so many fabulous childhood memories that helped shape his creative career. Looking back, Antony often refers to so many inspiring moments at various festivals, exhibitions, concerts and events including MOOMBA, an iconic Festival by the Yarra river in Melbourne.

Melbourne Australia is regarded as the performing arts and cultural capital of Australia. Antony believes that he owes his career success to the vibrant creative culture the city has to offer and that without that, he most likely would not have enjoyed such an exciting career.

In Australia, Antony Hampel has also worked for VEG and Triple M FM, both these companies employed Antony before he created his own business.

Ant Hampel

The event management industry is, in many ways, defined by longevity and permanence. When dealing with ‘entertainment’ of any kind, the ability to stay relevant is key. As a medium that is constantly shifting and changing, it requires a keen mind and a willingness to adapt. This is why the career of Australian entrepreneur and entertainment mogul, Ant Hampel, is so impressive.

After 22 years of experience in the event management field, Hampel continues to be at the top of his game. Just last year, he designed and produced the unforgettable Brick Man Exhibition (LEGO) Experience which went on to tour Australia. The tour gave over 100,000 visitors the chance to marvel at a series of huge LEGO exhibits made from over 5 million LEGO bricks.

The exhibition delighted families and, once again, cemented Hampel’s reputation as one of the finest event producers and entertainment marketers in the country. There are countless more examples to choose from. Hampel has won numerous industry awards and once produced 28 events, in just 30 days, on behalf of the Federal Government in Australia.

Currently Hampel’s company, Alive Events Agency, is responsible for the production design , site and event management for The Art Of Banksy Exhibition. The event is running over summer in Melbourne in a unique, bespoke pop up venue and features over 80 original works from the world’s most famous (and anonymous) street artists, Banksy.
Yet, all success stories have an origin. Hampel, like every entrepreneur before him, didn’t make it big by accident. He started out in television production, but rose quickly through the ranks and later founded two hugely successful event management and entertainment enterprises, Think Creative Events and Alive Events.
While Think Creative Events was sold to Commquest, in 2007, Alive Events is still owned and directed by Hampel. It has worked with clients as diverse as Cartoon Network, Fox, Walt Disney Studios, The Discovery Channel, Dulux, Mini, L’Oréal, Sony, Qatar Airways, and lots more. Past events have involved high profile celebrities like Kylie Minogue, Jamie Oliver, Nicole Kidman, Paris Hilton, and even former U.S President, Bill Clinton.
The Early Years

Hampel began his career as a teenager, at a Melbourne television production company. Though still very young for the industry, at just 19, he quickly progressed to a position in promotions and marketing at Triple M FM (a.ka. EON FM). By 23, he was Promotions Manager at the network. This made Hampel the youngest person to ever be awarded the role. It wouldn’t be the first time that he broke records.

Never one to get too comfortable, Hampel later moved to London, with the goal of getting more involved in the music industry. He was appointed Special Events Manager for Kiss FM and went on to produce over a hundred live events for the company. He worked on the inaugural Phoenix Festival and alongside big UK bands like Massive Attack and Jamiroquai.

in 1995, Australian impresario , Garry Van Egmond , asked Hampel to return to Australia and join his concert and theatrical production enterprise. At the time, Egmond was one of the most prestigious figures in the entertainment industry and it was an offer that the young entrepreneur couldn’t refuse. He accepted the position as Head of Marketing and General Manager of Concerts.

It turned out to be the role that Hampel had been dreaming about during his time in London. Alongside Egmond, he directed several of the largest live productions on the planet. They include hugely popular shows like Riverdance, Jesus Christ Superstar, and an AC/DC tour which broke a number of world records. All three of the productions smashed box office records in Australia. Riverdance in fact sold over 1 million tickets.
The Start of a New Chapter

In 1998, Hampel left his comfort zone, once again, to chase new ambitions. This time, he set up his own company, Think Creative Events. It was his first opportunity to combine everything that he had learned over the years and create unforgettable, envelope pushing events. With an abundance of marketing, touring, production, design, and logistics experience, it was a role that enabled Hampel to thrive. Before selling the company, in 2007, he directed some of the most talked about corporate functions in Australia.
In his own words, being Executive Producer of Think Creative Events involved ‘the marriage of brand marketing with live event technical and creative logistics. The aim was always on delivering a truly moving brand experience.’ As already mentioned, Hampel sold the company to Commquest. However, two years later, he established Alive Events; the company that he currently owns and directs.

This second business specialises in event activations. It works alongside high profile brands to bring marketing and live experiences together. The company has worked with a long list of big names and a number of world famous charities. For instance, in 2009, Hampel made headlines as part of the event management committee for the Sound Relief music festival. In partnership with the Red Cross, all proceeds went to helping Australian bushfire and flood victims.

The event raised over seven million dollars and featured artists like Jet, Kings of Leon, Kylie Minogue, Wolfmother, and Jack Johnson. It was clear, at this point, that only way was up for Alive Events. However, the next few years would see Hampel revisiting old ground. The difference is that he was armed with a new perspective and a position as the head honcho.

A good example of this is his reprised role as tour marketing director for the AC/DC world tour. Hampel managed both the New Zealand and Australian legs of the tour; the latter of which smashed a number of box office records for the second time. The tour sold more than 500,000 tickets in the space of twenty four hours becoming the fastest selling show in Australian history. In 2012, he was united with Garry Von Egmond, who hired Alive Events to manage and direct the PRINCE tour of Australia. This run of events was just as successful and sold over 200,000 tickets up and down the country.

In fact, 2012 was an important year for Alive Events and its founder. It was the year that the company landed its most prestigious sports commission and showed the world that it was capable of branching out. Both Tennis Australia and Cricket Australia became clients and Hampel delivered an engaging entertainment program for the One Day International cricket schedule. The national event was celebrated right the way across Australia and stretched from January to February 2013.

Looking Ahead to the Future
For Ant Hampel, it is not enough just to produce or direct. As an entrepreneur, you also have to share. As such, this businessmen is a keen believer in passing on knowledge to the younger generations and inspiring the event managers of the future. He has spent time as a guest lecturer, of Events and Entertainment Management, at several prestigious institutions, including Boston University, Victoria University, Sydney University, and R.M.I.T.

As a member of International Student Educational Services (or ISES), Hampel is able to make valuable contributions to the field and its study. He also regularly gives speeches at industry conferences and event marketing expositions. He is dedicated not just to opening up industry opportunities for young people and budding entrepreneurs, but also helping promising individuals to develop the skills needed to take advantage of them.

Hampel is just as keen to continue his work with charitable organisations. A passion for social justice and cultural equality has seen him get involved with many worthwhile causes. In the past, he was provided event activation services for everybody from the Red Cross to the Mirabel Foundation, Fifteen, Y Gap, Open Family, and the Are You OK Day. In 2013, he was made advisor of the Banksia Foundation. This is a not for profit institution that is designed to promote environmental awareness and sustainability in Australia.

Clearly, the future is something that compels and drives Ant Hampel. It is not just the fortunes of his own enterprise that are the focus either; like many self-made men, he wants to show others that anything is possible if you’re willing to work hard and settle for nothing but the best of your abilities. And that, if you do make it big, there is always time and room to help others achieve the same. It is an idea that lies at the heart of a glittering career and a bright future for Alive Events.