A Deep Dive into Arts Management & Touring

Whether you're building a career in the arts or working to expand access and impact, this session offers tools, ideas, and lived experience from across the field. It brings together arts managers and tour producers as well as cultural practitioners to unpack the full spectrum of contemporary arts management. 

Get insights into supporting and sustaining artistic work across diverse geographies, with Michelle Rocha, Head of Touring from Manchester’s Factory International; Lisa Ball Lechgar, Director of Cultural Affairs & Business Development from Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation; and Khadija El Bennaou, cultural producer, adviser and Performing Arts Unit Head Culture Sites Management at Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT). The speakers will share reflections from their work with local and international artists, cultural institutions, and independent initiatives, highlighting the creative and logistical strategies that shape today’s touring arts ecosystems. The talk will be moderated by Darine Alashy, a passionate community builder, cultural programmer, and partnership strategist with more than 12 years of experience designing and delivering impactful cultural and public engagement programmes.

Michelle Rocha

Michelle Rocha is the Head of Touring at Factory International (UK), that operates Manchester International Festival and Aviva Studios. She is currently the Vice Chairperson of the Board of performing arts company Quarantine. Her work spans across performing, visual, digital arts and immersive experiences. Notable artists she has worked with include Ryuichi Sakamoto, Wayne McGregor, Rafael Lozeno-Hemmer, Luke Jerram, Phelim McDermott, etc. and pop artists including Linkin Park, Jamie xx, Oasis and more. She has led presentations of major works and training programmes in New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bergen, Brussels, Sydney, Johannesburg , etc., and is currently leading on a few multi-lateral international creative producers exchange programmes supported by the British Council and European Union National Institutes for Culture.

Before moving to Manchester, she was the Producer, Performing Arts (Music and Outdoor) of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (Hong Kong), responsible for programming large-scale multi-artform and leading on artist development work focused on cross-genre and international collaborations. Michelle was also part of the Cultural Olympiad and Torch Relay programming team for the Paralympics in 2012 at the Wales Millennium Centre. Other roles include positions at Hong Kong Dance Company, Theatre Noir, Live Nation/ Lushington (HK), Hong Kong International Jazz Festival and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Michelle is a Clore Fellow, Hong Kong Advanced Cultural Leadership Fellow, and holds a BSocSci (Hons), an MPhil in Sociology and a Global Masters of Business Administration (Hons).

Lisa Ball-Lechgar FRSA

Lisa Ball-Lechgar has served theater, festival, visual art, design and media organisations in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Lebanon, Europe and UK over the last 30 years. She has served on the Art Selection Committee of the National Pavilion UAE Venice Biennale, University of Sharjah’s College of Fine Art & Design Advisory Panel and as a National Expert on the UAE Ministry of Culture National Grants Scheme.

Lisa recently returned to Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation / Abu Dhabi Festival, among the region’s leading independent arts organisations, as Director of Cultural Affairs and Business Development. Previously, she held senior positions at M_39 (Abu Dhabi), Tashkeel (Dubai), Canvas magazine (Dubai), Ashkal Alwan (Lebanon), Arts & Business UK and Comité Européen pour le Rapprochement de l'Economie et de la Culture.

Lisa has curated over 50 exhibitions, written/edited over 10 major publications and facilitated over 30 international partnerships. A frequent moderator and presenter, she has developed and delivered training to upskill creative practitioners across Europe, MENA and South Africa. A Master’s graduate, Fellow of the University of Glasgow and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Lisa is a keen collector of contemporary Arab art.

Khadija El Bennaoui 

Khadija El Bennaoui is a cultural strategist and curator currently serving at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, where she has worked since January 2020. Her role bridges music and performing arts programming, cultural policy, and community engagement. She leads several initiatives, including Abu Dhabi’s designation and programming as a UNESCO Creative City of Music.

In parallel to her work with DCT, El Bennaoui collaborates with international organizations such as UNESCO, the European Union, and IFACCA on programs focused on the development of cultural and creative industries. She also collaborates with NYU Abu Dhabi as a J-Term Visiting Professor, where she teaches the course “Music and Society.”

With over two decades of experience, she has curated artistic programs, organized cultural events, conducted research, and advocated for the growth of independent arts sectors across the Global South. In 2005, she pioneered Art Moves Africa, the first pan-African mobility fund dedicated to supporting the circulation of artists and cultural practitioners across the continent. She also played a pivotal role in shaping the Young Arab Theatre Fund (now Mophradat), convening and managing four major symposia for independent cultural spaces in the Arab world.

In 2023, El Bennaoui was selected to join the EU/UNESCO Expert Facility and had previously contributed to the 2018 UNESCO Global Report with a chapter titled “Surviving the Paradoxes of Mobility,” which examined the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. As an independent consultant, she has worked with institutions including UNESCO, the European Commission, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, Culture Resource, the Ford Foundation, the European Cultural Foundation, Drosos Foundation, and leading music festivals such as Mawazine and Timitar. In 2024, Femmes Actives Media recognized her among the 50 most inspiring Francophone women.

Darine Alashy

Darine is a passionate community builder, cultural programmer, and partnership strategist with more than 12 years of experience designing and delivering impactful cultural and public engagement programmes. She is dedicated to fostering meaningful connections, authentic dialogue, and purpose-driven collaborations across the creative industries. Her work focuses on creating spaces both digital and physical that inspire connection, authenticity, and impact.

As the founder of A Minute Marvel, Darine leads a creative production house and storytelling platform that shares one-minute video portraits of inspiring individuals. What began as a passion project has evolved into a social enterprise, collaborating with organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, and the Queen Rania Foundation to produce impactful, human-centered content. She also founded Uncommon, a collective of individuals committed to creating meaningful impact, and Unpolished Conversations, an event series and podcast that highlights professional failures and the lessons they bring, fostering vulnerability and growth.

Her expertise extends into strategic programme design, event curation, audience engagement, and partnership development, with a strong track record working with institutions such as the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, where she contributed to major initiatives including Manar Abu Dhabi and Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial. She has curated exclusive programmes for VIP audiences, developed cultural outreach initiatives for youth and students, and collaborated with universities, cultural institutions, and government entities to broaden access and participation.

In addition to her cultural programming work, Darine is a storyteller at heart. She hosts two podcasts: Riyadi Mahali, produced with Zain Telecom, which spotlights Jordanian entrepreneurs and their journeys, and Marvellous Talks, a biweekly podcast exploring unfiltered, authentic human conversations.

Darine holds an M.A. in Arts and Culture Management from the Rome Business School, a Diploma in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy, a Diploma in Fine Arts, and a B.A. in Computer Graphics and Animation from Princess Sumaya University.

At the core of her work lies a clear mission: to amplify underrepresented voices and cultivate communities that empower, inspire, and connect.