The man behind numerous Australian iconic events and music legends, Peter Rix, will be recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2011 Australian Event Awards tomorrow night (Thursday Oct 6), for his outstanding creativity, innovation and dedication to Australia’s events and entertainment culture.

Peter Rix, managing director at George P Johnson Australia will be recognised for his contributions to the event industry at the 2011 Australian Event Awards.

This prestigious award celebrates the commitment Rix holds for the Australian events industry, his powerful creative influence and unique entrepreneurial spirit. From the Narara festivals, which pioneered the outdoor rock scene and the establishment of the ARIA music awards, to the creation ofpopular outdoor live sites for the Sydney Olympic Games and the production ofnumerous leading-edge corporate events, Rix haspersistently set the benchmark sky-high over his forty years’ experience in the industry.

“Peter is truly a trailblazing legend in the Australian events industry who genuinely has the admiration and respect of his peers and to whom we should all be very grateful,” said one of Australia’s leading event producers and judge of the Event Awards, David Grant.

“He’s delivered many ofAustralia’s most memorable events, using his outstanding creativity and ultimate professionalism to produce unique, landmark experiences that both the industry and general public enjoy and fondly refer to”

“Peter’s contributions to the industry go back to the early 1980’s, where he initiated the outdoor live rock scene, leaving his name large in the history pages of Australian rock and pop. In the ensuing years, he has been responsible for varioussuccessful high profile events including the Rugby League Grand Final, State of Origin and APEC Leaders Week Cultural and Business Program”.

In his early years, Rix was a driving, effervescent force in the development of a bustling local music industry, producing an average of 700 performances per year and managing 1970’s and 80’s music icons, including Mark Holden, Jon English, Billy Field, Richard Clapton and Marcia Hines, whom he continues to manage today. At 35, Rix swiftly evolved from artistic manager into the world of event creation, production and management, where he quickly became the master of event execution.

“Looking back at those early gigs, from a school dance, to the ARIA Awards, to a virtual seminar, there is one consistent at the core of all these events – getting people together, to get an idea across, to get them excited, and get them engaged,”Rix said.

Always the showman, and now as managing director of George P. Johnson Australia, Rix still rehearses speakers to within an inch of their life, chairs production meetings on significant events and calls the shows on long-standing clients, Toyota and Housing Industry Association. With his story written across Australia and Asia in almost every grand venue, Rix is a renowned entertainment powerhouse.

While Peter Rix prepares to accept his Lifetime Achievement Award, dozens of events across Australia are also competing for the prestigious goldAustralian Event of the Year Award, as well as awards in several categories of the Australian Event Awards.

The 2011 Australian Event Awards winners will be announced at the Industry Night of Nights at AllPhones Arena (formerly Acer Arena), Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday 6 October.

The 2011 Australian Event Awards is the national awards program to reward innovation, recognise excellence and unite the Australian Events Industry. Entries were open to any event staged between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011.