EventsUpdate JULY 2017 CHRISTCHURCHNZ ENTITY LAUNCHED — See page 5
editorial@nzea.co — New Zealand Events Association, C/- PO Box 24018, Auckland 1345 ISSN 1179-3678
GOVT. INVESTS IN 160KM ULTRA RUNNING EVENT — See page 8
NZ EVENT AWARDS JUDGES — See page 9
FROM THE CHAIR
Introducing Ségolène de Fontenay, NZEA’s new GM This month we’d like to bring you up to date with some changes that have taken place recently. Unfortunately, circumstances changed for Grant McCabe and he will no longer be in a position to take up the role as NZEA’s new General Manager. However, we are fortunate and delighted to announce we have appointed Ségolène de Fontenay in the role as our new GM, effective immediately. Ségolène is a seasoned professional and a proven strategic thinker, she possesses more than seventeen years of sales and
marketing experience, this has been gained across a range of sectors in commercial and not-for-profit contexts. She has come to us from her role as Business Unit Manager at the SPCA and brings with her an experienced and proven background in operational and financial management. For those of you attending Eventing the Future next month, Ségolène will be representing NZEA in her new capacity and I would strongly encourage you to take the time to speak with her. I know she is incredibly keen to start engaging with our sponsors and government stakeholders
as well as members. We are also delighted to have announced the judging panel for the upcoming New Zealand Event Awards 2017. We’re incredibly fortunate to have the support of these individuals. They are all experts in their fields and bring with them a wealth of event expertise and understanding of just how events contribute to the big picture of NZ Inc. Our judges are a key factor of the Awards’ continuing growth and prestige, I would personally like to take this time to thank them for their support of the events industry in New Zealand and the individuals that work in it.
Please also remember this coming week presents the last opportunity for you, a colleague, or your business to enter the 2017 Event Awards. I’d strongly urge you to take the time to review the categories and submit an application, the new categories should also be given some serious consideration. If you have entered and won previously we’d like to invite you to please enter again. This is an opportunity to share the successes of New Zealand’s amazing events industry and its innovations. Andy Scotland Chair, NZEA Board.
Visibility, credibility and delivering value for members NZEA’s newly appointed General Manager, Ségolène de Fontenay shares her priorities for the Association as she takes on the role: I am very excited about taking on the role of General Manager for the New Zealand Events Association and particularly the challenge of growing the Association, furthering the good work of my predecessor Vicki Watson.
Ségolène de Fontenay
This is the opportunity for the Association to be more visible and credible by representing our members through a strong
industry voice. It is also more important than ever that we meet your professional needs in this diverse and vibrant industry with timely professional development programme, effective networking opportunities whilst championing best practices. As a seasoned sales and marketing professional with people, operational and financial management experience, I have worked with both small and large organisations, in commercial
and not-for-profit, around a range of industries having myself run fundraising events of different sizes in the charitable sector. I am joining the New Zealand Events Association from the SPCA where I was in charge of running the business unit of its animal welfare accreditation. Prior to that, I looked after business partnerships, campaigns and events for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation and St John. I look forward to meeting many of you next week at ETF17.
Front Cover: X Events Update, July 2017
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HURRY! Entries close 31 July. • • • • • • • •
Event Professional of the Year Emerging Event Professional of the Year Best Community Event Best Regional Event Best National Event Best International Event Best Industry Supplier for an Event New Zealand’s Favourite Event
NEW FOR 2017: • Best Business Event • Event Sponsorship Professional of the Year • Best Community Event Sponsorship • Best Arts or Cultural Event Sponsorship • Best Sports Event Sponsorship
Qualifying Period: 1 March 2016 to 31 March 2017 Visit www.nzaep.co.nz/awards for further information.
Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Events Association All members of NZEA are invited to attend our AGM:
Agenda: • Welcome • Apologies
Thursday 3 August 1.20pm to 1.40pm
• Minutes of the 2016 Annual General Meeting
The Alexandra Room, TSB Showplace, New Plymouth
(During the Eventing The Future Conference) Please register your attendance online, or sign the register on the day.
• Matters Arising from the Previous Minutes • Board Report 2016/2017 Year • Presentation of Financial Statements for the 2016/2017 Year • Appointment of Auditors for the 2017/2018 Year (Ainger Tomlin) • Confirmation of Board Members for the 2017/2018 Year • General Business
NZ Half Marathon Champs Bound For Kerikeri SOURCE: Sport Northland Release, 18 May 2017 Athletics New Zealand has announced the New Zealand Half Marathon Championships will be held in conjunction with the 2017 ASB Kerikeri Half Marathon on November 18. The New Zealand Half Marathon Championships attract some of New Zealand best runners and, with the Kerikeri half a largely flat course, personal bests are likely. The New Zealand Championships will also include a large number of Masters runners aged from 35 years through to 80 yearsplus, with each competing for New Zealand titles in their respective five-year age brackets.
Events Update, July 2017
Athletics New Zealand Events Manager Gareth Archer says they are excited to bring a national championship event back to Northland. “The ASB Kerikeri Half Marathon is a ‘must do’ for runners and we encourage our members from throughout New Zealand to book the date into their calendars and head north to experience the magic of the Bay of Islands.”
says, “The ASB Kerikeri Half Marathon is an iconic Northland event that yearon-year grows in size. To now showcase it as the New Zealand Half Marathon Championships is wonderful.” The ASB Kerikeri Half Marathon has longstanding records with Auckland-based Seaton Meredith who has held the men’s half marathon record since 1999 when he
finished in 1:05:14. Northland’s Mary Davies, who became a well-known athlete on the international circuit, has held the women’s record since 2003 when she finished in a time of 1:15:19. Sport Northland and ASB have teamed up with The Cancer Society and St John as the official charities of the ASB Kerikeri Half Marathon.
Entries opened on May 17 with Sport Northland predicting the ASB Kerikeri Half Marathon will again boost the local economy over race weekend. Last year close to 1000 participants entered from outside the Northland region. Sport Northland Events Manager Azelia Parkinson
CREDIT: Supplied
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ChristchurchNZ entity launched major events, tourism, city promotion and economic development can bring to Christchurch and Canterbury.
At the start of July, we saw the launch of ChristchurchNZ; the new body in Christchurch and Canterbury accountable for supporting prosperity, opportunity and a strong visitor economy. ChristchurchNZ will optimise the economic and social opportunities that
This will be achieved by: providing leadership; developing a strong positive city profile and promoting the city to residents, national and international audiences; attracting visitors, migrants, students, new business and investment through integrated marketing, major events and conferences; ensuring the business environment supports successful and sustainable enterprise and encourages creativity and innovation.
Already, we’ve seen ChristchurchNZ swing into action delivering the Emirates Team New Zealand Victory Parade. Looking ahead, ChristchurchNZ will continue to attract and host major events in the city including the Rugby League World Cup 2017 and New Zealand Cup and Show Week. ChristchurchNZ will also work to ensure Christchurch has a business environment that supports successful and sustainable enterprise and encourages creativity and innovation making New Zealand’s newest city a city of opportunity to grow, connect and find balance.
NZEA Facebook Page
See what over 520 of your colleagues are liking! Like our Facebook page HERE.
New Zealand Event Safety Audit system in demand in US
An event safety audit system developed by Taupo-based Safety Set Consulting, is being adopted by the International Festivals and Events Association. Director and developer of the audit system, Warwick Hall, will travel to Tucson, Arizona in September to deliver a full day workshop as part of the International Festivals and Events Association annual Convention. The event safety audit system the workshop is based upon has been running in New Zealand for just over a year
Events Update, July 2017
now with Councils, NSOs and individual events taking on the process to ensure they are meeting safety standards and international best practice. Hall’s process acknowledges a number of leading international safety management systems. ISO19011, BS OHSAS 18001, AS/NZ 4801, and Health and Safety Legislation are all considered. In December of this year, the new ISO45001 safety standard will also be incorporated. “It’s indicative of the changing realities of events in NZ and around the world with sponsors, host regions and consumers alike looking for added confidence.” Says Hall.
Contractor Pre-Qualification for event professionals by event professionals New Worksafe Best Practice Guidelines for engaging contractors recommends a pre-qualification process. This is a time consuming process, and as you are critiquing health and safety systems, requires a specialist skill set. Our contractor pre-qualification process takes the time and risk away from you allowing you to focus on what you do best; running a great event.
“It’s based on operational safety considerations or what I like to call ‘street level’”
You simply provide us with your list of contractors, we conduct a full assessment via an online portal and upon issue a certificate acknowledging approved contractor status.
More information on SafetySet’s Event Safety Audit process is available at www.safetysc.com
www.safetysetconsulting.com Page 5
2 & 3 August, TSB Showplace, New Plymouth MORE ENGAGEMENT THAN EVER! We’ve listened to your feedback and this year created sessions and content that will increase your involvement. We all know people learn better when they are involved in contributing to the discussion from their often considerable experience, and it can be frustrating leaving a session without having been able to have your say. So to help with that problem, this year both our opening keynotes are followed by collaborative discussions. Thanks to the help of our supporting partner “Audience Alive”, active polling of thoughts and ideas will be used to fully appreciate the topic, its relevance, and a collective sense of important take-aways and learning.
conferences can require a lot of your concentration and active listening, and sometimes you don’t get to talk with the people you want to on topics of interest to you. So this year, to continue of engagement theme we have set aside time for Industry/ Sector/Topic round table
discussions on day two. This is where you determine the group you want to be part of for a facilitated discussion. They can be sector or topic based and you can choose where you want to go and how long you want to stay. Beyond these, many The programme is now locked in and looking AMAZING! Take the time to update on the latest trends, opportunities and challenges for the events
other sessions within the programmes including Panels and Workshops will encourage audience involvement. Check out the 2017 ETF programme online at www.eventingthfuture.co.nz see you there. industry in this rapidly changing marketplace. We promise you will take home valuable tools and learning’s for your events and business.
We also appreciate how
2017 Scholarship recipient announced
Mary Laine Last month, New Zealand Major Events and NZEA announced that Mary Laine, Director of the Wellington LUX Festival, is the 2017 recipient of the New Zealand Major Events Scholarship. The scholarship provides free registration to the ETF17 conference. Over the last eight years, Mary has emerged as a
Events Update, July 2017
highly sought after events professional within New Zealand’s arts community. She is currently director of LUX, NZ’s largest light festival, and is the founder and director of Hair of the Dog Productions, a Wellington based performance production house. Mary also has experience working for NZ International Comedy Festival and NZ Fringe Festival, as well as producing for award winning design company Storybox, and working as events director for Massey University.
She says, “My firm belief is that collaboration and sharing of resources is paramount to ensuring the success of events across the country. Attending the Eventing the Future Conference would enable me to connect with industry peers and leaders, absorb new ideas and enable new initiatives to form between events and
event organisers. Receiving this award is a valuable professional development opportunity and my thanks go to NZEA and NZ Major Events for the recognition and support they have provided.”
Devorah Blumberg, Manager New Zealand Major Events, says “Mary is a highperforming event professional with significant experience and expertise that she is keen to develop and share with the rest of the events community. Mary has built a landmark home-grown arts event from the ground up and continuously seeks to innovate, evolve and improve. One of our aims with the scholarship is to support the continued professional development of major event ‘stars’ and support the transfer of knowledge within the events industry so that New Zealand
continues to be a world-class events destination”
NZEA now has over 1100 members, and membership has doubled over the last three years. As a result, applications were always expected to be strong, meaning further credit to Mary for rising to the top. “The New Zealand Major Events Scholarship is just what is needed to further motivate and encourage professional development of our members. It provides some new opportunities and deserved recognition for the recipient,” says Sue Duncan, NZEA Board member. Eventing the future conference programme placed to add value to your business!!
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EVENTING THE FUTURE 2/3 AUGUST NEW PLYMOUTH
#ETF 2017 CONFERENCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE FOR THE CORPORATE, BUSINESS, INCENTIVE, AND EVENT INDUSTRY SECTORS. "New Zealand's premier conference for the event industry and the official conference of the New Zealand Events Association
GREAT LINE UP OF SPEAKERS
Julius Solaris
Strategically selected for their expertise on developments & issues relevant to the event industry.
Event Manager Blog
SPECIAL OFFERS INCLUDE 3 or more from the same organisation discounts. NZEA member rate. Early bird savings until 10th July
EXCITING PROGRAMME Check out the programme online now for details
Peter Kageyama For the Love of Cities
to connect, to update, and to inspire
Government invests in 160km ultra running event The Government will invest up to $300,000 in the Tarawera 100 Mile Endurance Run over 2018 and 2019. The funding would support the new Tarawera 100 Miler - which added to the existing Tarawera Ultramarathon events that took place every February. Around 70% of the expected 800 runners will come from overseas, mainly from Australia, The United States and several growing Asian markets. “The 102km Tarawera Ultramarathon is part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour, a group of 22 of the most prestigious trail ultramarathon running races in the world. “NZ Trail Runs Ltd has previously received a $300,000 Government investment which resulted in significant growth and international profile for New Zealand as a trail run event destination,” says Organiser Paul Charteris. In 2013, before Government
investment there were 430 runners with 15% being international while this February’s race had 1370 runners signed up with over half coming from overseas. Entries for the 2018 are tracking at over 60% international. There were several drivers behind the investment. The Tarawera Ultramarathon had demonstrated the economic impact of their international runners. Each international runner brings two extra people with them and they stay in New Zealand for nine nights or more. There was a net $1.9 million contribution to New Zealand GDP from the 2017 event. Investment in the 100 miler targets potential participants that the Tarawera Ultra has not been able to reach. Perversely, running 102km is not long enough for many of the international audiences – whereas 100 miles (or 160km) is the gold standard. Many popular races in Europe and North America
CREDIT: Graeme Murray / graememurray.com oversubscribed several times over. Recent corporate investments have taken place in events in Asia and South America – so NZ Trail Runs Ltd wanted to capture the market growth for New Zealand. The sheer distance of the race opens up new opportunities to explore locations in the Rotorua district that
are untouched. The race organisers are hopeful that new infrastructure development, conservation efforts and iwi investment in tourism will follow from this event. While still considered a niche sport, there are 13,000 trail (or offroad) running races worldwide and more than 25 million participants.
Linked In NZEA Group
Over 250 members have already signed up to the Linked In exclusive NZEA Group. Visit www.linkedin. com/groups nzaep-6934807 to get involved. CREDIT: Matt Trappe / Matt Trappe Photo and Film
Events Update, July 2017
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Announcing 2017 Judges We’re thrilled to announce the 2017 New Zealand Event Awards Judging Panel. Drawn from across the arts, sports, sponsorship and business sectors this year’s panel offers a wealth of event expertise at the highest level along with an understanding of how events contribute to the bigger picture of NZ Inc. Please note Judges will only be allocated 3-4 categories each to consider, therefore removing any potential conflict of interest.
Stephen Wainwright, CEO, Creative New Zealand 2017 will be the fourth year Stephen has committed to the judging panel and this consistency of observing and reviewing events is critical to the awards success. His role as CEO of Creative NZ has exposed him to a myriad of
James McGlinn, CEO, Eventfinda James is an experienced entrepreneur and technologist with a passion for events and live entertainment. He cofounded Eventfinda in 2006, leading the company to become New Zealand’s largest event
Hetty Van Hale, Communications Manager, Infinity Investment Group Hetty is a marketing and communications specialist and has also been involved in event management for over 25 years. She is currently Deputy Chair of Snow Sports New Zealand, a board member of Winter Games
Callum Mallett, General Manager Operations, New Zealand International Convention Centre Callum has significant operational, sales, marketing and event experience, and over the last 10 years has held a number of senior roles within SKYCITY Entertainment Group. Callum is now leading Events Update, July 2017
arts events and understanding the importance art has to our society. Established in 1994 from a range of arts bodies, Creative New Zealand is the national agency for the development of the arts enabling Stephen to work closely with many of this country’s leading arts
organisations. Stephen is also currently the Chair of IFACCA (International Federation of Arts Council and Cultural Agencies).
discovery platform and fastestgrowing ticketing services company. He’s the current president of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation Auckland chapter, and is a past recipient of the NZIM Northern Region Young Executive of the Year award.
NZ Trust which runs the Audi Quattro Winter Games NZ, Co Chair of the Festival of Colour Arts Festival, and Co Chair of Badminton New Zealand which runs the New Zealand Badminton Open. She also works as a strategic planning and marketing consultant through her
own business ‘Marketor’ specialising in strategic planning for arts organisations. Her past event management roles include the Waiheke Island Adventure two-day mountain bike ride, Silverstone Race to the Sky motorsport event, and the Fletcher Steelman triathlon among others.
the operational team for the New Zealand International Convention Centre, which is due to open in mid 2019. The NZICC will have over 30,000 square meters of purpose built conference and exhibition space in the heart of Auckland City.
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Mandy Deans, Event Manager, Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow Warbirds Over Wanaka’s 30th Anniversary Airshow in 2018 will also be Mandy’s tenth year with the Charitable Community Trust. With an economic impact of around $20 million each Airshow the event continues to grow and attracts 50,000 people over the three days. Mandy gained her private pilot’s licence many years ago and is still
Michael Boggs, CEO, NZ Media & Entertainment (NZME) Michael Boggs was appointed CEO of NZME in March 2016. In his previous role as CFO of NZME Boggs was integral in developing the strategy to grow NZME’s presence in New Zealand particularly in the areas of digital, video and events whilst upholding the company’s traditional brands
Norm Thompson, Deputy Chair, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Norm Thompson most recently held the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Air New Zealand, prior to his retirement on 31 December 2013. He was also Chairman of the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand (until 31 October 2013), the Air New Zealand Environment Trust (until 31 December 2013), and Altitude Engineering (until 31 March 2014).
Events Update, July 2017
passionate about aviation. Working with not-for-profits in Wellington from 1985 to 2006, namely Parents Centres NZ as National Marketing Manager, Zonta International (District Board member) she cofounded Unifem NZ, becoming National President. Much of this work was in marketing, fundraising, establishing new events and volunteer programmes. From 2001 as CEO of Business
including The New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB. Boggs joined NZME from TOWER Limited where he successfully managed TOWER’s multibillion dollar assets, TOWER’s Pacific Islands operations, TOWER’s earthquake recovery programme and the sale of TOWER’s life insurance, health insurance and investment management businesses.
He is the current Deputy Chair of ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development), a Tourism New Zealand board member, a Trustee on the Young Enterprise Trust board, a director of Dot Kiwi, a committee member for the New Zealand Golf Open 2015 and a member of the advisory group for Golf Tourism New Zealand. Some of the other key positions that Norm held at Air New Zealand during his tenure include Group
Porirua (the City’s Economic Development Agency and Chamber of Commerce) Mandy spearheaded new and existing business and economic development. Mandy’s facilitation of the Porirua employment group saw the City’s unemployment decrease from 10% to 3.1% over five years. The development of industry sector networks and advocacy for manufacturing, tourism, IT and retail, formed a large part of her role.
Prior to TOWER, Michael held executive roles in leading finance, commercial and business functions in major telecommunications and technology organisations including Telstra Clear and previously Clear Communications. In 2014 Michael was awarded CFO of the year at the annual New Zealand CFO Awards.
General Manager Short Haul Airlines (accountability for Domestic, Tasman and Pacific operations); Group General Manager Marketing; Network, Marketing and Sales; Regional General Manager The Americas; and Regional General Manager New Zealand and Pacific Islands. Norm’s recent executive education includes a business management programme at Stanford University in the United States, and accreditation with the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
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Karl Budge, Tournament & Commercial Director, Tennis Auckland Karl is an true international strategic sports administrator who has played a key role building the ASB Classic, WTA, ATP, Australian Open and FIFA brands globally. With a background in revenue generation, Budge has been responsible for generating more than $80million in new commercial revenue across sponsorship, government and broadcast contracts. His event experience has
A self-aware, passionate relationship based entrepreneurial marketer with a specific focus and expertise in sponsorship. With a career spanning more than 20+years across brand and rights holder that includes events, working with brands to secure sponsorships, marketing and brand engagement with success in B2B and B2C across regional and global markets.
Mike Keech, Manager – Sponsorship and Licensing, WelTec and Whitireia New Zealand and Chief of One, Impact Sponsorship
Mikes is the ‘Manager Sponsorship and Licensing’ at WelTec and Whitireia New Zealand and ‘Chief of One’ at Impact Sponsorship. His experience spans across the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, Super Rugby with the Hurricanes, Tony Lentino’s V8 Supercar Team (SuperBlack) and NRL.
included early days running the New Zealand Sponsorship Awards and Tall Blacks basketball internationals through to Grand Slam tennis tournaments, setting up the WTA crown duel Season Ending Championships in Istanbul and now back home heading up New Zealand’s summer of tennis.
Classic has enjoyed triple digit percentage growth in ticketing, hospitality, sponsorship, media coverage and profitability over the last five years. These results have seen the ASB Classic being named the Best International Event four consecutive years on the WTA Tour – the largest Women’s professional body in the world.
Budge has led the unprecedented growth of the ASB Classic that has not only attracted the biggest sporting names to come to our shores on an annual basis but the off court success also. The ASB
In addition to his ASB Classic role, Budge has recently set up his own consultancy helping sports and events reach their commercial potential as well as board roles for the WTA and ATP Tours.
Australian born and living for over six years in New Zealand, Mike landed in New Zealand to take up a key role in DHL ensuring the maximisation of its first major investment as a global sponsor of the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Mike then took up the role of Sponsorship and Marketing Manager with Surf Life Saving New Zealand and with the growth of the role moved to Commercial Manager for three years.
Conference, the Sponsorship Summit, Auckland and invited to Johannesburg, South Africa to keynote and lead a panel on sponsorship global insights and how this is translated to a regional approach across Tourism, Events, and Sport.
In his spare time, he is an active appointed Justice of the Peace, Co-Founder the Sponsorship Professionals Group - New Zealand & APAC and on a working group for the next Sponsorship Summit in Auckland. In 2016, he was a keynote speaker and panelist at the NZAEP ‘Eventing the Future’
With a focus on remaining a leading best practice sponsorship professional, he has recently returned from the IEG Sponsorship Conference in Chicago, Marketing Summit in Sydney and increased his global focus within the Chinese market after spending a successful two weeks engaging government, corporates, agencies and key educational institutions. Mike is also a member of NZEA
ENTER BY 31 JULY! Awards dinner: 11 October 2017, SKY CITY Auckland
Events Update, July 2017
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Event ticketing platform opens NZ office SOURCE: bizEDGE.co.nz, 7 July 2017 Event ticketing platform Eventbrite announced its official launch into New Zealand this month. The decision to launch in New Zealand follows significant organic growth in the local market and is part of its APAC expansion efforts. Eventbrite has powered more than 70,000 events in New Zealand since inception and is establishing a presence in Auckland to build upon the significant momentum it has experienced with local event creators. Local operations will be led by New Zealand native, Brad McIntyre in his position as Eventbrite Australia and New Zealand marketing manager, and reporting into Phil Silverstone, Australia and New Zealand general manager. McIntyre will be looking to hire local New Zealand talent
Events Update, July 2017
to grow the team in the year ahead. The live experience market and event scene are booming in New Zealand. Recent research conducted by Eventbrite in conjunction with CrowdDNA shows that New Zealanders attend the most events in the Western world, with more than nine out of 10 (93%) of Kiwis having attended an event in the past 12 months—more than the US, UK, Europe, and Australia. In New Zealand specifically, Eventbrite has seen: • A rich and growing event industry: More than 70,000 events have been powered in New Zealand since inception, with nearly half (34,000) occurring in just the last 18 months. • A deeply passionate community: With more than 13,000 Kiwi event organisers on the platform, New Zealanders value experiences.
• Kiwis have diverse tastes: Eventbrite has seen the strongest organic growth in music, food & wine, and business events in New Zealand, with events such as Rhythm and Vines, Homegrown, GABs Auckland, Wellington Food & Wine, and Singularity U all utilising the Eventbrite platform Speaking of the launch, Silverstone says, “We’re incredibly excited to be launching into our second APAC market. “The New Zealand office deepens our regional expansion and continues our mission of bringing people together through the power of live experiences.” “New Zealand may have a small population, but Kiwis have a huge appetite for live experiences, making it the perfect market for Eventbrite,” he adds.
“What’s also great is that we have a number of key Australian customers that have been able to expand into the New Zealand market with us, following their successes and business growth using Eventbrite.” Kyle Bell, Rhythm and Vines marketing and partnerships manager says: “Eventbrite has been integral to the success of our festival over the past 18 months. “As they formally launch their New Zealand office, we’re excited to partner even more closely with their team to continue to grow the Rhythm and Vines brand.” In addition to establishing an office and hiring a local team, Eventbrite recently built an Australia-based customer service team which will service the region, and the company hopes to build out local customer service efforts in New Zealand over time.
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REGIONAL UPDATES
The latest from our team of NZEA Regional Reps
Cambridge:
CAMBRIDGE Jeanette Douglas janette.douglas@ cyclingnewzealand.nz
Local schools impressed at the finals of the North Island Schools Track Cycling Championships at the Avantidrome in Cambridge this month. Around 200 riders competed on the track with the event highlighted by some outstanding racing to wrap up a successful schools road and track racing around the country over the weekend. For more information: www.schoolscycling.nz
delegate visit.’ Christchurch Town Hall stages a comeback SOURCE: ccc.govt.nz The repair and restoration of the Town Hall is on track to be completed in the middle of next year.
CHRISTCHURCH: Jen Beatty - jennifer. beatty@ccc.govt.nz Adventure Park Wins at Meetings Christchurch Adventure Park won the Best New Exhibitor Award at the CINZ MEETINGS 2017 Awards for exhibitors. The judges said The Adventure Park made a huge effort to re-create the feel of the Park and bring it to life in their stand. ‘The team were friendly, engaged and passionate and along with the aroma of the real tree, it made for a memorable
Events Update, July 2017
The land beneath the Town Hall was badly damaged in the February 2011 earthquake but two years ago Christchurch City Council made the decision to fully restore the iconic building. Since then up to 120 contractors a day have been working 10-hour shifts to bring the Town Hall back to life.
Schools Track Cycling Champs Credit: Cycling New Zealand
cement its reputation as a world-class facility and we can’t wait to start hosting conferences and events in the Town Hall,’’ Mr Burden said. Christchurch’s new Crowne Plaza hotel to opens after ‘long haul’ Christchurch’s tourism scene received a major boost with the opening of the new 204-room Crowne Plaza Hotel this month. In a two-year multi-million dollar project, the 17-storey building’s local owners have converted it from the earthquake-damaged
Forsyth Barr office tower into city’s biggest executivestyle hotel. On the ground floor it has a cafe called Cafe 1851, a bar called Social Winebar, and a hotel lobby. Upstairs will be first-floor restaurant The Market Place, and function rooms and a gym. Rooms include suites and accessible rooms and are priced from $180 to $300 a night. The hotel, opposite Victoria Square, began taking bookings in April and has sold 11,000 room nights for its first eight months.
Darren Burden, General Manager of Vbase, the venue management company which runs the Town Hall, said the re-opening of the town Hall could not come soon enough. “This venue has been sorely missed and we’re very excited about having it back in play. The improvements that are being made as part of the restoration work will
The 80-seat Market Place restaurant and bar.
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WHANGANUI Lyn Cheyne, Lyn.Cheyne@ whanganuiandpartners.nz Palmerston North Winter Festival Palmerston North Winter Festival 28 - 30 June,
coincided with the two Lions games in Wellington included street festivals, music, live entertainment, NZ Army vs RNZAF rugby game, performance by the Lions Choir and the breaking of the world record for the largest scrum (1742 people). Thousands of Lions supporters have visited the New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North, with over 22 tour coaches and their car park constantly full of camper vans. Whanganui team at ETF17 Four Whanganui representatives will be attending ETF17 next month: Lyn Cheyne and Louise Follett from Whanganui and Partners, the district
economic development and regional tourism agency and Tasha Parker and Rachel O’Connor from the Whanganui District Council Venues and Events team. The team are looking forward to representing the region and its offerings. Revolutionary technology for velodrome upgrade Whanganui has a world class velodrome. Built in 1995 to full international standards it features a tropical hardwood surface and is regarded as the fastest in the country. The surface is becoming weathered and needs to be protected by a roof – this would also ensure hosted major events are not at risk of disruption due to
the weather. A revolutionary design that is also cost-effective has been put forward utilising membrane technology similar to London’s O2 dome. Resource consent has been granted by the Whanganui District Council and the remaining fund raising requirements continue. A lot of work behind the scenes has brought the project to this stage with required site testing to begin prior to laying the foundations. This is a project driven by a number of people around the wider region coming together and is also supported by the Mayor of Palmerston North and Cycling NZ.
Double-header set to replace Auckland NRL Nines SOURCE: NZ Herald, 9 July 2017 League history could be made in Auckland next year, with the first NRL double-header to be staged outside Australia. Although the future of the NRL Nines is still uncertain - it looks increasingly unlikely the tournament will return to Auckland for its fifth and final year - there has been significant work behind the scenes to provide another marquee league event for the city. That is likely to take the form of an NRL double bill, similar to the successful promotion held in Brisbane over the past two years. The 2016 event was a sellout, while this year’s weekend involving the Broncos, Storm, Titans and Sea Eagles drew more than 44,000 fans to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Bringing three NRL teams to Auckland on the same weekend wouldn’t be a simple undertaking. It worked well in the Queensland capital, as the
Events Update, July 2017
Titans made the short hop up the M1 and Manly was only an hour’s flight away. But there is confidence it can be done, and that it would create a similar - if not quite as big - buzz as the Nines. There’s optimism the concept would also draw visitors across the Tasman. Along with the Warriors, the proposed double-header could involve some of the bigger clubs in the NRL, who have traditionally strong fan bases in New Zealand.
arm Ateed, who are believed to be committed to finding an alternative to the Nines, should it not go ahead in Auckland in 2018. There are two main issues. The NRL would prefer to test a new market with the Nines, with Perth seemingly the favourite as their state government is willing to invest heavily and they have a new 60,000-capacity stadium to fill.
The other factor, specific to 2018, is a concern over player workload, given the World Cup at the end of this season. Due to changes to the international eligibility rules, more NRL players will be involved in the tournament, which runs for more than five weeks from October 27. The NRL All-Star game has already been shelved for the 2018 season due to player welfare factors.
That would mean the likes of the Broncos, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs and Dragons being near the top of the list. The Sea Eagles and Storm are also possibilities, though they have already committed to another Suncorp doubleheader in 2018. The Herald on Sunday understands planning and negotiations with the NRL are well advanced. Crucially, the proposal also has the support of Auckland Council’s events
Shaun Johnson of the Warriors in action against the Sea Eagles during Day 1 of the NRL Auckland Nines Rugby League Tournament last year. CREDIT: Photo / Photosport
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Crankworx kicks up a gear for next year Currently Seeking Volunteers Mud Rush 2017, 9th to 10th September, 2017 Join the Mud Monster Mud Rush crew and take part in the muddy action on the day. You will get to be a key member of the team and help us assist our muddy participants on the day. www.volunteernet.org.nz/event/ mud-rush-2017
Crankworx has posted a profit for the first time since it began in Rotorua. CREDIT: Phil Walter SOURCE: Stuff.co.nz, 7 July 2017 Going bigger, faster and harder has paid off for Rotorua’s Crankworx mountain biking event which posted its first profit to council. Crankworx’s first event in 2015 saw a $93,000 loss. This reduced to a $38,000 loss in 2016 but 2017 has seen a $8,700 profit. The profit was made in 2017 even though operation costs increased by $300,000. Event organiser Ariki Tibble said the decision made in 2016 to expand the event from five to nine days had not only seen the event profit, but the entire Rotorua region. “We estimate the economic impact for the region to be $4.5 million from 2017,” he said. “That works out to be $14.8 million over the last three years.” Tibble said extending the event resulted in more visitor nights from spectators which meant good returns for hospitality operators in Rotorua. “The top Enduro racers would spend on average about 40 nights in New Zealand for the event,” Tibble said. “They bring with them a crew of about eight per rider.” While the support crew
Events Update, July 2017
are not counted in the Cranxworx figures they made their presence known in town. Eat Streat was packed nearly every night of the event which in turn created a vibrant atmosphere. Rotorua also gained many benefits from social media marketing from big name athletes. “We had 11 million views from the event,” Tibble said. “The athletes also post saying what they are up to in town. One rider received 1.8 million views on their video alone.” Survey results showed 95 per cent of those polled during the event said their sole purpose for visiting Rotorua was to visit Cranxworx and 67 per cent said the event had increased their overall opinion of Rotorua as a destination. Looking ahead Tibble hopes to continue to grow the profitability of the event. “We have a pretty aggressive sponsorship strategy we are going to run in 2018,” he said. “As well as that we hope to lock down the venues and start to make long term plans with suppliers. “As a sneak peak to next year we want to host an elite race that will tie in with the Australian Commonwealth Games.”
Christchurch Casino Golden Oldies Sports Celebration 2018, 1st to 29th April, 2018 A sporting extravaganza with a difference, the Christchurch Casino Golden Oldies Sports Celebration 2018 is due to hit Christchurch in April 2018 and will be the biggest participation event to be staged in the city. www volunteernet.org.nz/event/ christchurch-casino-goldenoldies-sports-celebration-2018-0
Beervana - 10 to 13 August, Wellington Craft beer, or “Beer” as it is known in Wellington, has gone mainstream and there’s no better place to ride the frothy wave than at New Zealand’s most popular beer festival. Volunteer to be in the thick of it. www.volunteernet.org.nz/event/ beervana
volunteernet.org.nz
CAREERS CORNER We’ve recently advertised the following roles:
• Queenstown Winter Festival Director • Head of Major Events, Auckland Council • Event Facilitator, Auckland Council • Events Manager, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise • Event Coordinator, Conference Innovators • Events Manager, The University of Auckland NZEA members receive email notifications of career opportunities as they are listed on our website. If you would like to advertise your vacancy, request for proposals, tender or sponsorship opportunity to our 1,100+ membership base, please email info@nzaep.co.nz
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