About
It began as a personal mission for our CEO Lauren Hall; to create a platform that would bring together the highly fragmented meetings & events sector. In 2010, the idea was brought to life and began to quickly bloom. Like the vines of ivy, we are all about connectivity and supporting growth.

Our solutions are designed to help venues and planners boost revenue, sell more function space, and streamline event management processes using automation and cloud-based technology. From hotels to restaurants, function centres, stadiums, or universities, our management software provides an interconnected platform for venues of all shapes and sizes.

We believe in connectivity and collaboration, and offer 55+ integrations with third-party programs, apps, and tools, enabling event and venue managers to coordinate everything from accounting and payments to restaurant reservations on one platform. Our comprehensive suite of tools helps planners to manage, market, and deliver events while simplifying the entire booking and management process for all team members.

In addition to our venue and event management tools, we provide venues with increased exposure through iVvy Marketplace, a global online directory visited by 32,000 event planners each month. Our marketplace allows planners to find and instantly book an ideal venue for their next event, providing venues with increased exposure and more opportunities to generate revenue.

From humble beginnings on Australia’s Gold Coast, iVvy has expanded globally with 10,000 users in 13 countries served, with offices in Australia, South Africa, the USA, and the UK.

Meet the Board

Lauren Hall

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Having accumulated over 25 years of business management experience at Executive and Board levels, Lauren is a highly driven entrepreneur who has successfully built multiple companies from the ground up, leading them to strategic and financial success.

Lauren’s expertise in programming, accounting, and marketing has enabled her to excel across various industries including manufacturing, retail, advertising, and technology in South Africa and Australia.

In 2009, Lauren co-founded iVvy and has since overseen its impressive growth, expanding the company’s reach to 10,000 clients in 13 countries, including New Zealand, Asia, Europe, and North America.

Her exceptional leadership skills and entrepreneurial spirit have earned her recognition from Ernst & Young, who named her a future global leader of the industry through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women Asia-Pacific program in 2016. That same year, Lauren won three International Silver Stevie Awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year Globally, Innovator of the Year, and Entrepreneur of the Year Asia Pacific. She was also named Gold Coast Business Woman of the Year in 2016

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Vanessa Garrard

Board Chair

Vanessa is a highly experienced entrepreneur and non-executive director with a track record of success in establishing, scaling, and growing companies across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, China, Hong Kong, and the United States. Throughout her career, she has led teams in 8 different countries and has successfully raised capital, acquired, and exited companies representing over $1 billion in annual revenues.

Vanessa currently sits on five boards and serves as Chair of four of them, leveraging her extensive experience to help guide and advise companies to success. Her passion for business has earned her numerous accolades, including being ranked in Australia’s Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs list for 5 consecutive years, inclusion in BRW Fast 100 lists, recognition as Australian EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Industry, Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, and being named in the Australian Financial Review as one of 100 Women of Influence.

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FLO LUGLI

Non-Executive Director

Flo is a dynamic global executive known for her innovation and results-driven approach in the hospitality, travel, and related technologies industries. With a proven track record of driving revenue growth for publicly and privately held companies, Flo is widely regarded as an expert in travel industry distribution and the implications of consumer transparency on branding.

Flo’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed, as she has been recognised as one of the ‘Most Powerful Women in Travel’ for seven consecutive years by Travel Agent Magazine. Additionally, Lodging Magazine named her among the top 75 hotel executives and top 10 technology experts. More recently, Flo’s expertise and influence in hospitality technology have been acknowledged by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), who named her one of the most influential women in the field.

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Susan Forrester

Non-Executive Director

Susan Forrester (AM) is a highly regarded and accomplished professional company director with a unique combination of management, board, and consulting experience across ASX-listed, public, and private companies. With over 25 years of executive management expertise in large professional services firms, covering law, finance, HR, business, and governance, Susan brings a practical and pragmatic approach to her board contributions.

As a CEO and senior executive in the national professional services and global finance industries, Susan has a proven track record of leadership. Her deep expertise in financial services and prudential supervision is based on her background as a banking and finance lawyer with Allens, corporate counsel with the predecessor to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, and Executive Director with Queensland Treasury Corporation.
Since stepping down from her CEO role in 2010, Susan has gained significant experience at the board table in complex corporate transactions, including private and public company mergers and acquisitions, industry aggregations, and overseeing successful capital raisings.
In addition to her legal qualifications, Susan holds an EMBA from the Melbourne Business School and is a Fellow of the AICD. She is also a sought-after mentor, strategic adviser, and advocate for improving performance and the quality of decision-making around the board table.

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Craig Kinross

Non-Executive Director

Craig Kinross is a seasoned software executive, entrepreneur, and non-executive director with over 20 years of experience in leading fast-growth technology companies globally. For the past decade, he has focused on the global sports, hospitality, and entertainment industry.

In 2020, Craig co-founded Cherry Hub, a technology platform that helps hospitality and entertainment businesses better engage with their customers and staff. He also mentors and advises other fast-growth tech companies.
Previously, Craig served as Managing Director and CEO of MSL Solutions, where he led the company to an ASX listing in 2017 and achieved revenue growth of 700% in seven years through expansion into international markets. MSL became a market leader in the global sport, leisure, and hospitality markets, serving prominent customers such as Australasian Clubs and Hotels, 60% of the English Premier League Venues in the UK, and Golf Federations in 11 countries. During Craig’s tenure, MSL received numerous awards, including Deloitte Tech Fast 50 Australia and Fast 500 Asia Pacific and Westpac Business of Tomorrow.
Craig is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a qualified Chartered Accountant.

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