January 09 More+ Informed - Convention Centre and Catering & Events

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Welcome to the New Year. I hope you enjoyed your break and feel revived and ready for an exciting and successful year ahead. 2008 was fantastic and 2009 is looking good. If there’s one thing I took away from last year it’s that our Australian neighbours are more important to us than ever. On a recent trip there I was encouraged by the strong interest in New Zealand as a conference and incentive destination. We offer an international experience at an affordable price and will continue to focus on this vital market along with our domestic customers. New territory for us this year is our involvement in an exciting line up of events including the SKYCITY Starlight Symphony and for the very first time in New Zealand, The SKYCITY Supercar Show. We are also the official sponsor of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. These events offer economic and cultural benefits to our city and we’re delighted to play our part in bringing them to New Zealand. We believe taking a ‘positive risk’ is a good thing and one that will pay off for all of us. Enjoy the rest of your summer. Warm wishes Peter Zielke email: peter.zielke@skycity.co.nz phone: +64 9 363 7158
Starlight Symphony a highlight on the summer calendar
	Summer in Auckland promises long lazy days, balmy evenings and a raft of first class events including the much loved SKYCITY Starlight Symphony – the star feature on the summer calendar. And, being SKYCITY, we have two amazing corporate packages perfect for company entertaining. In its eleventh year, the SKYCITY Starlight Symphony takes place on Saturday 21 February 2009. It is a significant community event, one of New Zealand’s single largest gatherings of people, made possible by SKYCITY's support. This year popular New Zealand performer, Brooke Fraser, is the special guest entertainer. She’s joined by a stellar line up of well known New Zealand entertainers, master musicians, and up-and-coming talent to perform a diverse programme of classical and contemporary music. As in previous years the evening will culminate in an impressive display of lasers and fireworks. All proceeds from the event go to Make A Wish New Zealand which strives to grant the one cherished wish of each child between the ages of 3 and 18 years who has a life-threatening illness. Having a wish come true is magic for a child, especially a child who is ill. For the family, it is a time to create special memories to cherish forever. We believe this will be an evening out that can provide your company with an unforgettable corporate entertaining opportunity. The packages we’ve designed are as follows – or call us for variations. Private Marquee $16,500 + GST 100 guests Classic beverage package Sumptuous buffet meal Two VIP car parks Table and chair linen Professional waiting staff Table centre pieces Flag pole for your corporate flag Table $1,700 + GST Table of 10 in a shared marquee Clasic beverage package Sumptuous buffet meal Table and chair linen Professional waiting staff Table centre pieces back to top
Famous New Zealand landmark now available for weddings
	In a brand new wedding package, couples can now celebrate their nuptials surrounded by the best views in Auckland. A ‘wedding planners’ event in December launched the package with a showcase around the range of venues on offer at SKYCITY. “The Sky Tower and its vistas provide a stunning backdrop for couples embarking on a life time journey together.” Simon Jamieson, General Manager SKYCITY Hotels Group Auckland says. “And, dine by Peter Gordon makes available one of the best restaurants in the city for wedding couples. There’s also a fantastic outdoor area on The Terrace of the Grand Hotel and the Convention Centre is world class.” Weddings at SKYCITY offers complete organisation of the wedding day from the wedding ceremony, reception, and guest accommodation through to cakes, cars and babysitters. With 12 uniques venues SKYCITY has the ideal place to celebrate including: The Convention Centre The SKYCITY Convention Centre can accommodate a seated wedding of 1000 friends and family and standing room for up to 1500 on each of its two levels. dine by Peter Gordon For a wedding with culinary kudos, dine by Peter Gordon delivers the best in New Zealand cuisine. While the restaurant seats 70 people, an even more intimate affair can be catered for in the private room setting for 16 people. Peter Gordon will design a set menu or degustation accompanied by dine’s world-class service. The Terrace SKYCITY Grand Hotel’s 5 star restaurant combines with the Club Lounge and spacious outdoor courtyard to create The Terrace, with exquisite indoor/outdoor flow and seated capacity of up to 100. SKYCITY catering SKYCITY also offers a first-class out-catering service which provides boutique catering options ranging from a plated dinner in a marquee, to a cocktail function on an island in the Hauraki Gulf. The service is currently contracted to over 25 venues in the Auckland region. back to top
SKYCITY Pacific Bar to open at the viaduct
	As an official sponsor of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, we’re pleased to announce that we are to host an entertainment centre at the Viaduct Basin during the event in February. The SKYCITY Pacific Bar will be open every day during the event from 30 January to 14 February offering great food, beverage and entertainment. Peter Zielke, Manager of the SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre, said the venue would provide a party atmosphere where people could feel part of the event scene. “The Viaduct will be a hub of activity with all of the teams based there and accessible by the public. It will be the place to go in February,” he said. SKYCITY is offering some great corporate hospitality packages during the event. For more information contact Rakesh Sood, Revenue Manager of the SKYCITY Conventions Centre on 09 363 6242 or rakesh.sood@skycity.co.nz
Meet Maxine Wallis
	Several years promoting New Zealand as a conference destination to the Australian market for Conventions and Incentives NZ in Sydney, has provided Maxine with a fantastic background for her current role at SKYCITY. Maxine, Sales Manager of Conventions, Incentives and Events (Australia and America) joined SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre more than three years ago. Maxine’s background has also included sales and marketing roles at the Bruce Mason Centre and The Edge. She was also CEO of the Gisborne Tourism Board for two years when Gisborne was the first city in the world to celebrate the new millennium. “Australia is a big focus for us so I spend a lot of time there. I have to admit that my job is made easier by the fact that the SKYCITY product sells itself.” “We’re a modern and purpose built convention centre with two hotels on site which means conference organisers don’t have to worry about accommodation and transport logistics.” “SKYCITY Auckland is also a really exciting destination. We’ve got some fantastic bar and restaurants, a casino and the Sky Tower” Originally from Thames, Maxine loves living in the City of Sails and making the most of the beautiful beaches and warm climate. With family in Tauranga the Wallis family often spend their holidays in the Bay of Plenty and at Maxine’s favourite beach at Mount Maunganui. back to top
Super motorcars super luxury
	We’re very excited to have hosted the most exclusive, luxury motor show to ever come to New Zealand at the SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre this month. We partnered with A1GP World Cup of Motorsport to bring our customers The SKYCITY Supercar Show from 15-20 January. The event formed an exciting five-day lead-up to the New Zealand leg of the A1GP series taking place in Taupo on January 25. In addition to showcasing a selection of racing machines including A1 Team New Zealand’s new Ferrari powered Black Beauty the exhibition played host to the ‘Best in Breed’ of luxury lines including Aston Martin, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ferrari, as well as the premium models from Audi, Jaguar, Range Rover and Lexus. Simon Jamieson, General Manager SKYCITY Auckland Hotels Group is thrilled to bring such a prestigious vehicle exhibition to Auckland’s car-loving public. “We are known as The City of Sails but Aucklanders are just as passionate about cars, racing and luxury vehicles. That’s why we’re so excited to give our customers the chance to touch, see, and feel this amazing, one-off line-up of ‘Best in Breed’ motor vehicles.” Gary Dawson, CEO of the New Zealand A1GP event said: “This is a great partnership – SKYCITY is a leader in the entertainment business and A1GP is one of the fastest growing entertainment properties in the World. This luxury motor show provides an opportunity for Kiwis to see A1 Team. NZL’s new Ferrari powered Black Beauty along with a host of other exotic motor vehicles and is hopefully the start of a long term relationship between SKYCITY and the New Zealand A1GP event.”
ASFA Conference ‘best ever’
	Great fun was had when the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) held their first offshore annual conference at SKYCITY last month. It was a resounding success according to Nicolette Hughes, General Manager of Conference and Events for ASFA. “This conference was the best ever which is a great result for ASFA but also something Auckland and SKYCITY should be proud of,” said Ms Hughes. Up to 1200 delegates attended the conference over three days. SKYCITY’s Events Key Account Manager, Amanda Olliver said the biggest challenge for the event was the amount of room changes required. “I was extremely impressed with our Operations Team who were required to change one room from theatre style for over 1,000 people to many small rooms within 20 minutes several times a day. They did a fantastic job! The changes were seamless allowing the conference to run to schedule with minimum fuss.” back to top