GALLERY PHOTOS OF THE 2023 SYDNEY LOCATIONS NETWORKING EVENT, CELEBRATING LMGI’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY.

On Friday, 17th November at Pier One Sydney Harbour, Locations Department crew from NSW and across the country set their florescent vests aside and put their party hats on to celebrate Location Managers Guild International’s 20-year anniversary.

As far as anyone can remember, a formal locations networking party hadn’t been held locally before, so event organiser and NSW based Location Manager Lisa Scope - the first Australian to join the LMGI Board of Directors, made a conservative estimation that 30-or-so people might attend. What Scope didn’t expect, was to find a situation where the number of RSVPS were so great, that the venue’s capacity maxed out! Just as she was preparing to ask some of the guests to help ‘scout’ for an alternative venue, industry suppliers Stage and Screen Travel, Event Engineering, TJM Earthworks, SpaceDraft, Cato Logistics, Onstage Cleaning, and venue sponsor Pier One Sydney Harbour came to the rescue. Each sponsor played a pivotal role in the expansion of the event space, as well as the overall success of the night.

LMGI, ALMG members and screen industry colleagues at Pier One Sydney. Photographer: Paul Lojszczyk

In the last 5 years, Australian memberships of LGMI have been growing steadily. As well as a night of catchups, November’s event offered a new opportunity for Locations professionals and screen industry collaborators to connect and share ideas about how we as Australians work in our places. For Scope, the night was “nothing short of spectacular,” and she takes great pride in her affiliation with the guild, which is “dedicated to achieving excellence in the craft of locations on a global scale.”

Starting as Location Managers Guild of America in 2003, LMGI has gone from strength to strength following their first awards celebration in March 2014, and a name change in 2016, to reflect the growing international presence of the organisation’s membership. LMGI promotes awareness of the Location Department’s place in the entertainment industry as indispensable creative collaborators. As well as peer recognition and events, LMGI supports the formation of strong links with business members, governmental agencies and local communities, and promotes awareness of the goals and achievements of its members to the public and within the screen industry through creative, educational, and philanthropic programs.

Lisa Scope, NSW based Location Manager & Secretary of LMGI Board of Directors. Photographer: Paul Lojszczyk

On display at The Pier, were photographs printed by Super Creative from LMGI’s recent Member Photography Exhibit, featuring scouting images from around the globe, including NSW-based Location Manager Colin McDougall’s photograph of the Sydney Opera House. Several presentations were held by key industry suppliers and associations including Onstage Cleaning, SpaceDraft and Sustainable Screens Australia. For many guests, sweeter than the complimentary drinks, the night was also an occasion to learn something new.

Industry attendees included Kate Marks and the team from Ausfilm; Simon Marshall from City of Sydney, Maree Cochrane from Sustainable Screens Australia and special guest Matt Carroll, Producer and former Senior Manager at Screen NSW. ALMG President Elizabeth Sarsfield met several NSW ALMG members and observed that many were also LMGI members. She said “with our screen industry changing so quickly, people in our department are keen to get involved with local industry matters and connect and share knowledge with colleagues globally. The success of the networking event in Sydney confirms the enthusiasm of our locations crew for gatherings like this and the passion we have for our work.”

President of LMGI John Rakich expressed his deep appreciation for the dedication demonstrated by the local Australian community. “Your acknowledgement of our 20 years of commitment to advancing the craft and importance of locations is truly humbling,” he said. “The LMGI has been at the forefront of championing the vital role that location professionals play in the filmmaking industry, and your acknowledgement reinforces the significance of our shared mission.” Rakich said that LMGI looks forward to “continued collaboration with the Australian location community and our colleagues around the world. Thank you for honoring our journey, and here's to the next 20 years of elevating the art and craft of location management together.”

James Doherty, NSW based Location Manager & Event MC. Photographer: Paul Lojszczyk

Elizabeth Sarsfield, Location Manager & ALMG President. Photographer: Paul Lojszczyk

SpaceDraft CEO Lucy Cooke and Location Manager and Product Sales Agent Brett Dowson present new software. Photographer: Paul Lojszczyk

Maree Cochrane, Executive Director of Sustainable Screens Australia. Photographer: Paul Lojszczyk

The Sydney Opera House, by NSW Location Manager Colin McDougall, featured in the Summer 2016 edition of Compass Magazine. The photograph was one of several printed by Super Creative on display at Pier One, from the LMGI Member Photography Exhibit.

Lisa Scope - LMGI Board of Directors, and Mary Barltrop - NSW based Location Manager, LMGI member & ALMG State Representative. Photographer: Paul Lojszczyk

Event organisers would like to thank: James Doherty, Mary Barltrop, Miriam Van Coote, Magdalene Phillips & photographer Paul Lojszczyk and Matt Scott from Super Creative for making the night a success.