Event Dynamics has been working with The Careers and Transition Education Association (CATE) for 8 years. The annual CATE conference focuses on educating youth in New Zealand about career and training opportunities to help ease their transition from school into employment or further education.

Our most memorable event to date would have to be back in 2011, when we transformed the HMNZS Canterbury into a venue for a black tie dinner for 600 people. The fully themed venue took three days and 25 staff to build. The ship was then moved from the Devonport Naval Base to Princess Wharf for the big event.

A fitting performance from a 30-piece Navy band added to the atmosphere and set the scene for a fun-filled night of dancing aboard the ship.

Watch the below time-lapse video to see a 3 day pack in and pack out condensed into a minute video!

Fast forward 7 years and CATE is still one of our biggest clients. For the 2018 conference “Inspiration to Innovation”, we were tasked with creating a three-day conference at SkyCity Convention Centre for over 800 guests, incorporating workshops and plenary sessions, a large exhibition space, and a Gala Dinner event.

We had a selection of excellent celebrity speakers for the conference, including Kathryn Berkett, Derek Handley and Mike King. The mobile app we created meant that guests were able to pick and choose which sessions and speakers they wanted to see.

With the help of Red Creative, we designed the theming for the Gala Dinner. For something dramatic, a balloon installation in white was suspended above and around the stage and dancefloor. To add to the lively atmosphere, we organised a Selfie Station to be set up for guests to use during the dinner, as well as a live band to perform for a bit of post-dinner dancing.

The CATE Conference’s have all been huge successes and we are looking forward to working with CATE again this year, this time in the Art Deco Capital of New Zealand, Napier.