Event Management – Learn From One Of The Best

Public Relations Institute of New Zealand
Media Release
18 October 2007

Event Management – Learn From One Of The Best

One of New Zealand’s foremost event managers will be passing on her skills at a workshop in Christchurch next month.

Kathy Cunningham organises a raft of high-profile events including the launch of New Zealand Book Month at Te Papa and the Devonport Food and Wine Festival. Before coming to New Zealand she worked in New York, where she organised events featuring celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Andy Warhol.

However, says Kathy, whatever the size of an event, the same basic principles apply. Meticulous planning and careful management – along with a dash of innovation – are the fundamentals which breed success.

At her seminar, to be held at the Millennium Hotel on Monday 12 November, Kathy will pass on her down-to-earth approach to participants.

“My main aim is to make the event management process easy,” she says. “We cover a tiny bit of theory then move on to some very specific methodology.”

The two main themes of the seminar are project management and creativity. The creative streak makes an event stand out and encourages people to attend, while solid project management ensures that everything will go according to plan.

Kathy enriches the day with case studies of events which will be familiar to the participants. And she doesn’t shy away from admitting her errors. “I share stories of success as well as lots of challenges; people attending my courses won’t repeat the mistakes I have made in the past.”

Despite being one of the most successful events managers in New Zealand, Kathy still has a few goals to aspire to.

She has yet to set a new record for the Guinness Book of Records – a game of Twister in New York with 2,300 players just fell short. She would also like to raise $1 million in one night. Once again, she has come close to achieving this goal with an awards dinner in New York which raised $875,000.

Kathy’s seminar will be of benefit to novices and to people who have had some experience in the field, but want to build their confidence and skills, and their ability to create stand-out events.

ENDS

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