On Friday night, The Brag Media held its inaugural Twilio Segment Variety Australia CMO Dinner, bringing together some of the country’s top entertainment, tech, and business CMOs for a night of networking and entertainment.
Headlining the event at Pyrmont’s waterfront Italian seafood restaurant, Sala, was American entrepreneur, author, and speaker Gary Vaynerchuk (aka Gary Vee).
![Gary Vee is presented with a Rolling Stone sneaker at the Variety CMO dinner](https://www.mediaweek.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Gary-Vee-.jpg)
Gary Vee is presented with a Rolling Stone sneaker (Photo: Robert Meredith)
Vaynerchuk is often cited as one of the leading global minds in business, who can foresee, interpret, and distil future trends. He is also a master at growing brands, leveraging consumer insights and spotting emerging companies worthy of attention and investment.
![Variety CMO Dinner Jess Gleeson](https://www.mediaweek.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Variety-CMO-Dinner-Jess-Gleeson.jpg)
Photo: Jess Gleeson
Reflecting on the evening, The Brag Media’s CEO, Luke Girgis said “A huge thanks to everyone who attended the inaugural Variety Australia CMO Dinner, and to our awesome partner Twilio. It was so great to see the industry’s best marketers creating connections over a night of open discussion, incredible food and the kind of company most advertising execs dream of.
“It was such an inspiring night, of course highlighted by Gary Vee whose engaging and thought-provoking discussion with the room challenged each CMOs to use their collective $1b of Australian marketing budget to reach audiences in new and innovative ways. I’m already looking forward to the next one!”
![Luke Girgis interviews Gary Vee](https://www.mediaweek.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Gary-Vee-Variety-CMO-Dinner-Damien-Ford.jpg)
Luke Girgis interviews Gary Vee (Photo: Damien Ford)
The evening also saw some big announcements, including Seven‘s chief marketing and audience officer, Melissa Hopkins telling the room that the broadcaster would be entering into a strategic partnership with VaynerMedia.
The announcement was made during a panel hosted by The Brag editor in chief, Poppy Reid.
![Poppy Reid variety cmo dinner](https://www.mediaweek.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Poppy-Reid-cmo-dinner.jpg)
Poppy Reid hosts a panel at the Variety CMO Dinner (Photo: Damien Ford)
Speaking to the room, Hopkins, said: “Seven has a bold ambition to reshape how Australians interact and connect with its brand. We couldn’t be more proud to collaborate with Gary Vaynerchuk’s VaynerMedia to push the marketing boundaries and set new standards.”
See Also: Seven to enter strategic partnership with VaynerMedia