About Mel West
The founder
Growing up, sport was everything. My parents owned an indoor sports centre, and being active, competing, watching, being part of something bigger, was just how we lived. That foundation never left me.
I studied Sports and Events Management at university and have been participating in sporting events myself since I was a teenager: running, swimming and fitness events, triathlons, team sports, you name it. I don't just manage these events. I know them from the inside.
Over more than 15 years in event management, I've been part of some of Australia's most significant running events: the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Cairns marathons, the inaugural Hobart Marathon, Run Army, GC30 & GC50, and the World Triathlon Para Series & Oceania Championships at Devonport Triathlon, among others. I've watched those events grow and been proud to contribute to what made them work.
The work I find equally rewarding is helping smaller events find their footing: building the structure, securing the sponsorship, getting the operations right, and watching them become something sustainable and genuinely valued by their communities.
I started 23° Events to take what I've learned and apply it more broadly: working across more events, contributing something real, and continuing to learn alongside the people I work with.
Mel West Founder, 23° Events
Working with Mel across both Run The River events this year has been incredibly valuable. She brought experience, calm and a practical approach to event delivery. What I appreciated most was having someone who understood the realities of event delivery and could step in, problem-solve and keep things moving when it mattered.
Letitia O'Malley Event Owner, Run The River, 2026
The 23 degree story
Earth sits on a tilt of approximately 23 degrees, an angle that creates the seasons and the conditions for life to flourish. That idea is the inspiration behind our name.
Every event we work on is built on the belief that the right conditions are planned, managed and delivered with precision. When everything is positioned correctly, athletes perform, communities come together, and events become something people talk about long after the finish line.
Experience snapshot
