HeadBox Turns 5: A Note from Our CEO, Ali Lord

2026 is in full swing, with the last of the January vacations wrapping up as teams start to stream back into the office. If you haven’t yet looked at your 2026 event calendar, don’t worry - we’ve curated a guide here to get you started. 

At HeadBox, 2026 is a particularly special year - our 5th birthday! Amid the constant bustle of the events machine, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what has been a whirlwind journey so far, and one that has been made all the brighter by the wonderful partners we work with. From our initial launch in 2021 in Sydney, to expanding across Australia and becoming trusted partners of clients both here in and in APAC, it’s been an incredible five years. Last year we became a global company with our UK counterparts, and in 2026 we are now live across 8 cities in Australia, with offices in 3 states and a team that has grown to 27 incredible HeadBoxers. During this time, we’ve been able to work on a range of amazing events, from EOY company celebrations to multi-day offsites and conferences. 

We’re so grateful for every partner who has been along on the journey with us, and we can’t wait to continue working together to empower event creators, everywhere. For this special milestone, we’re sharing some thoughts from our CEO, Ali Lord: 

"I’ve always been one to celebrate birthdays (some would say extensively), and this one is no different. Today we celebrate turning 5. To some, it’s a small number, to us, it’s an exciting milestone. When we launched HeadBox in Australia, we were different to what the market had seen. We had a mature product and a start-up vibe. We were passionate, driven and eager, and today is no different. For the last 5 years, we’ve been fortunate to partner with global companies in becoming their events partner, and we’ve forged brilliant relationships with venues across Australia and New Zealand. We’ve grown to a team of 27 creative individuals who make HeadBox what it is. In 2025, we joined the Group, making HeadBox a truly global company now operating in APAC, EMEA & the US. 

So, looking to the next 5 years (and beyond), what do we have in store? We’re staying true to delivering our product vision of empowering event creators, everywhere, and advancing our tech to do the heavy lifting, so we can keep people at the forefront of what we do for clients & venue partners. 

I was recently asked for one trend I'd like to see in the events industry. It’s quite simple; keep creating cool stuff. Don’t settle for the standard because it’s worked previously. Continue to push the boundaries of what our industry is capable of, so we continuously set a new standard.”

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With the rapid evolution and expansion of our event technology, particularly through AI, and our continued creative innovation, we’re excited to see what this year holds for events, and we’ll continue helping our partners to push the boundaries to create cool stuff. 

Today, we’re blowing out the proverbial candles and cutting a slice of cake to celebrate - we can’t wait to see how exciting the next five years will be.

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