Excellence Recognised at Entertainment Venues Association Awards
The 2020 Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand (EVANZ) Annual Awards event took place at Claudelands Arena, on Tuesday 24 November, in conjunction with the EVANZ Annual Conference.
Recognising 2020 has been a year where normal rules don’t apply, awards were presented in just three special award categories celebrating the Leaders and Team Members who went the extra mile to get their venue or organisation through weeks of lockdown and cancelled events and the innovators who thought outside the box to make extraordinary things.
Judging was undertaken by a panel of judges assembled from leading entertainment and events organisations and EVANZ Board members.
Megan Peacock Coyle from Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre was named VMA Leader of the Year. Nominated by her staff, Megan worked tirelessly throughout lockdown and beyond focusing on the needs of her team, her community.
Brendan Hines (VMA Board member) and winner Megan Peacock-Coyle
The Judging panel commented “Megan was instrumental in developing the Arts, Culture & Events Recovery Plan for Hastings and securing the necessary funding for its implementation. What shone through Megan’s submission is aroha – for her team and the wider community.”
In presenting the Award to Megan, VMA Board Member Brendan Hines noted “The VMA congratulates Megan on this deserved win. It has been such a challenging year for our industry and it is great to be here to celebrate the success that we have been able to achieve”. He went on to add “The VMA’s sponsorship of this award is a great reflection of the strong and collaborative relationship between the VMA and EVANZ.”
Other winners named on the night included:
Contribution to Industry Award, recognising dedication and success within the industry, went to Charles Forbes who recently retired from The Regent on Broadway, Palmerston North.
Eloise Braithwaite from P4G was awarded Ungerboeck Team Member of the Year for her work in implementing a comprehensive Talent Management System (TMS) for her colleagues at P4G. This incorporates training, staff communication and recruitment in an online tool, accessible remotely.
The Health Promotion Agency Innovation of the Year went to Auckland Live Digital services for their ground-breaking work in using their extensive in-house technical capability to find new ways of engaging with their audience while live performances weren’t possible.