WellingtonNZ.com,
New Zealand 

Verve, which produces events nationally from its Wellington base, is a finalist in the category for Business Under $5 million Turnover - Sales and Marketing. The winners will be named at a black-tie dinner in Auckland in October.

Verve’s Director, Terri van Schooten, says the agency produces bespoke events that get business results—whether they are public or private gatherings, for business or pleasure, for 10 people or a crowd 100,000 strong.

“We’ve set the template for some of New Zealand’s most successful events, from the Wellington Rugby Sevens to the first Lord of the Rings movie premieres. We’ve also breathed new life into many other events, from corporate, industry and government events to charity and community ones.

“We think of ourselves as being in the face-to-face communications business and it’s great to see value of that being recognised at these awards. It’s the way people were designed to communicate, and strangely the least used by many businesses,” she says.

“We believe a great event is more than a good time had by all. It’s a chance to communicate a message and get a result. So everything we do starts with a clear event strategy—all the fun, fabulous stuff comes out of that. 

“Event management expertise also transfers very well to situations that are anything but fun. We’ve found that whether we are dealing with a black-tie affair like the New Zealand International Business Awards or helping insurer IAG get teams into the disaster zone during the Christchurch earthquake—the fundamental skills are the same. It’s all about thinking creatively on your feet, and getting the right people and the right stuff to the right place, fast.”

Terri van Schooten says Verve found working through the robust evaluation process for the awards to be a challenging and valuable exercise.

The Founder of the AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards and Director of Business Relations at AUT Business School, Sarah Trotman, says the high level of interest in the awards this year is an encouraging sign.

“Such interest in recognising quality in the field of business support indicates an understanding that, with world-class business support, New Zealand can build world-class business,” she says.

For more information, please contact:
Terri van Schooten
Director, Verve - The Event Agency                                        
+64 27 481 1117