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