If there’s one thing we do well in this country, it’s putting on events by their thousand, from Invercargill through to Cape Reinga. With the quality and number of events entered into the New Zealand Events Awards 2018, judges were hard pressed to pick winners – but they’ve done just that.

What would an Events Award be if it wasn’t itself a gathering worth remembering: the awards were presented at a glittering ceremony held at Shed 10 in Auckland.

The New Zealand Events Association (NZEA) GM Ségolène de Fontenay says last year’s introduction of new categories has broadened the scope of the Awards, recognising the broader ecosystem which is essential.

“With sixteen categories covering everything from sports, to arts and culture, community, corporate social responsibility and business events, individuals, sponsors and suppliers, we’ve covered just about all the things Kiwis and our visitors love to do, and the players involved in making it happen. The standard of entries has proven very high; I’d like to extend a big ‘congratulations’ go to everyone who entered, our finalists and most importantly, to those who took home an award tonight,” de Fontenay comments.

She points out that the busy New Zealand events calendar makes a significant contribution to the economy, enhances New Zealand’s cultural status and provides locals and visitors alike with practically endless opportunities for entertainment and engagement.

“We’ve got multiple world-class events; even smaller, regional fixtures fit this description. It’s testament to the creativity, innovation, dedication and hard work of people across the country who put everything into their events so their visitors can enjoy themselves, learn and interact with others,” de Fontenay adds.

This year, the sixteen awards are made for events (in 11 categories), for individuals (3 categories), , and for 2 for delivery venues and suppliers with 1 category each. We also have the New Zealand Favourite Event of the Year public vote kindly hosted by Eventfinda

“We’re thrilled to recognise more of the event production ecosystem than ever before with the NZEA Event Awards. The combination of professionals, suppliers, venues and fixtures themselves is what keeps visitors coming back for more. Congratulations to everyone who won this year,” de Fontenay concludes.

The winners are:

Individual Awards
• Best Event Sponsorship Professional 2018
Amy McNicol
• Best Emerging Event Professional 2018 | Sponsored by New Zealand International Convention Centre
Brenna McCann
• Best Event Professional 2018 | Sponsored by ATEED
Emily Byrne

Sector Awards
• Best Arts or Cultural Event 2018 | Sponsored by Fresh Info
A Waka Odyssey (New Zealand Festival)
• Best Business Event 2018 | Sponsored by New Zealand International Convention Centre
Better by Design CEO Summit (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise)
• Best Corporate Social Responsibility or Not-for-Profit Event 2018 | Sponsored by Sidekicker
The Haier Big Hoot (Child Cancer Foundation)
• Best Sport Event 2018 | Sponsored by Fresh Info
Crankworx Rotorua
• Best Sustainable Event 2018 | Sponsored by ATEED
Night Noodle Markets (Stuff Limited)

Delivery Awards
• Best Supplier 2018 | Sponsored by New Zealand International Convention Centre
Sidekicker
• Best Venue 2018 | Sponsored by Sidekicker
FMG Stadium Waikato for RLWC 2017 & HSBC NZ Sevens 2018 (H3 Group)

Excellence Awards
• Best Community Event 2018 | Sponsored by Sidekicker
HighLight: Carnival of Lights 2017 (Hutt City Council)
• Best Regional Event 2018 | Sponsored by Fresh Info
Tremains Art Deco Festival 2018 (Art Deco Trust)
• Best National Event 2018 | Sponsored by Eventfinda
Warbirds over Wanaka International Airshow (Warbirds Over Wanaka Community Trust)
• Best International Event 2018 | Sponsored by Eventfinda
HSBC NZ Sevens (37 South Events and New Zealand Rugby)
• Best Event Sponsorship 2018
Wellington Culinary Events Trust & Visa for Visa Wellington on a Plate
• Best Local Government Event 2018 | Sponsored by Eventfinda
Pop n' Good Bike Park Opening (Waipa District Council)

New Zealand’s Favourite Event of the Year – by public vote kindly hosted by Eventfinda
Warbirds over Wanaka International Airshow (Warbirds Over Wanaka Community Trust)

A distinguished judging panel for the 2018/19 awards comprised: Allyssa Eastaugh, Managing Director Convene Group, Callum Mallett, GM Operations at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, Hetty van Hale, Communications Manager at Infinity Investment Group, James McGlinn, Eventfinda CEO, Karl Budge, Tournament and Commercial Director at Tennis Auckland, Kylie Archer, Chief Operating Officer for Expo 2020, Loren Heaphy, General Manager - Destination and Attraction, ChristchurchNZ, Mike Keech, Sponsorship Professional, Mike Wootton, Grolab, Norm Thompson, ATEED Deputy Chair and Stephen Wainwright, CEO of Creative New Zealand.

The 2018-19 NZEA Awards campaign is proudly supported by ATEED as the Host City Partner with ATEED, New Zealand International Convention Centre, Fresh Info, Eventfinda, and Sidekicker as our Category Sponsors.

The NZEA Awards Gala Evening is kindly supported by our Value In Kind Sponsors: Vidcom, La Lumiere, We Will Rock You, Darby & Grey, Celebrity Speakers, Auckland Conventions, Quickpix, The Dust Palace, DJ4You and Eventfinda.

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