Celebrating the remarkable contribution to the entertainment industry, The Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand (EVANZ) Awards recognises excellence and the crème de la crème of New Zealand venues and their employees. On Tuesday 6th December the EVANZ Awards Dinner will be held at Claudelands Hamilton, where the winners in the nine award categories and two Supreme Awards will be decided.
 
Venues provide spaces for diverse audiences to be thrilled, informed and entertained. These awards shine the spotlight on those talented individuals who work tirelessly behind the scenes across New Zealand. These spaces, which include 49 performing arts centres, 35 event centres/arenas, 11 outdoor stadia and 8 convention centres, allow arts practitioners to push boundaries, sports teams to excel in their field, businesses and educators to develop and grow. These are the venues New Zealander’s want to be in, and the ones promoters want to book.
 
The nine highly sought after awards are made up of three sections, Venue, People and Excellence, with three accolades per section up for grabs, with the Supreme Awards for the top scoring venue or person in their respective sections. This year, for the second time, EVANZ will present the Contribution to Industry Award, this decoration that reflects dedication and success within the industry.  All winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner on Tuesday 6th December.
 
Judging for 2016 is complete, with the awards divided into three sections, and the Awards Finalists are:
 
EXCELLENCE SECTION

Tompkins Wake Lawyers Excellence in Customer Service
Baycourt Tauranga
Vbase Christchurch
 
iTicket Excellence in Innovation
H3 Group Hamilton
Q Theatre Auckland
 
Health Promotion Agency Excellence in Venue Host Responsibility
Eden Park Auckland
Vbase Christchurch
Westpac Stadium Wellington
 
VENUE SECTION

Ticketmaster Large Venue (+5,000 Seats)
Eden Park Auckland
Hagley Oval Christchurch
Yarrow Stadium New Plymouth
 
Evanz Medium Venue (1001-4999 Seats)
ILT Stadium Southland Invercargill
Isaac Theatre Royal Christchurch
TSB Hub Hawera
 
Eventfinda Small Venue (1-1000 Seats)
Ashburton Events Centre
Carterton Events Centre
Q Theatre Auckland
 
Ticket Direct Supreme Venue
Ticket Direct Supreme Venue of the Year Award (highest scoring nomination across the 3 venue awards - large, medium and small)
 
PEOPLE SECTION

Ticketek Venue Executive of the Year
Darren Burden Vbase
Chad Hooker H3 Group
James Wilson Q Theatre
 
Simpson Grierson Operations Manager of the Year
Scott Attenborough Taupo Venues
Blair Christiansen Eden Park
Sven Ladewig H3 Group
 
Priava Rising Star of the Year
Laura Morrison ILT Stadium Southland
Chyna Phelan Eden Park
Dawn Stewart H3 Group
 
Priava Supreme Venue Person of the Year
Priava Supreme Venue Person of the Year (highest scoring nomination across the 3 people awards)
 
EVANZ AWARDS DINNER
Dates: Tuesday 6th December 2016, 7pm
Venue: Claudelands, Hamilton