Waikato Business News October/November 2018

Zeal Hamilton
Beca
Chinese Lantern Festival
Body Cafe
Queen sends her best
for Hamilton’s CBD
Celebration Awards
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The biggest winner on the night may
have been the old Hamilton Hotel when
attendees at the CBD Celebration Awards
celebrated Hamilton’s central business
success.
The 96-year-old heritage
building on Victoria
Street’s south end
showed some of its former
sparkle and glamour for the
event before it is set to be
repurposed as part of the wider
development site for the new
Waikato Regional Theatre.
News of the awards also
reached Buckingham Palace,
www.beca.com
with Her Majesty the Queen
sending her best wishes on
hearing the celebration was
being held in the Hamilton
Hotel where she and the Duke
of Edinburgh stayed during
their 1953 Commonwealth
Tour.
The Queen’s letter, a pleasant
surprise for attendees, was
read on the evening by Hamilton
Central Business Association
general manager Vanessa
Williams who said it added
honour to an already exciting
evening.
Vanessa said the transformation
of the venue for “one
night only” would not have
been possible without the support
and efforts of local sponsors
and supporters.
“While the old hotel was a
showpiece in its day, it hadn’t
been inhabited for a significant
period. The team at Foster
Maintain did a fantastic
job transforming the venue to
create a beautiful space for 200
guests to mingle and celebrate.
“Additional touches by
event staging company Royal
Laboratorie and lighting by
SBI Productions added the
magic touch to the night,
alongside the menu designed
especially for the event by
Gothenburg and wine from
Primo Vino.
Doormen in top hats and
tails greeting guests also added
a touch of old-world glamour
to the event.
Moving Media captured
footage of the evening and
photos of guests and award
winners in a themed photography
room.
Vanessa said all the award
entries showcased the breadth
of some of New Zealand’s best
businesses.
“I’m constantly wowed by
the calibre of businesses based
in Hamilton’s CBD. We compete
on every stage – local,
national, and international, and
that is something to be incredibly
proud of.
“It’s an honour for us to be
able to recognise and celebrate
these businesses.”
Connie Chittick, acting
chair of the Hamilton Central
Business Association, said the
awards highlighted the outstanding
contributions of businesses
to the development of a
vibrant city centre.
“This year’s CBD Celebration
Awards were pitched to
entrants as an opportunity to
acknowledge business success
and recognise and celebrate the
contribution of each business
in the central city,” she says.
“The atmosphere was buzzing
with lots of proud award
winners. Combined with one
final night of glamour for the
Hamilton Hotel, it was certainly
a night to remember.”
Award recipients
to the right