October 2025: A Tale of Two Cities

AV Events
Oct 2, 2025
4 min read

Auckland. Christchurch. Shine for a Cure.

Two cities. Two TES teams. One event.

An annual march held by Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand to raise money for future cancer research, Shine for a Cure includes two simultaneous walks: one through the Auckland Domain and one through Hagley Park, with a live interaction between them.

This was a hybrid event, which is where we came in.

As a TES group, we covered both locations, providing an LED screen, a sound system, and staging at each. More of the event was hosted in Auckland, so the broadcast was streamed from here. But we also facilitated the real-time cross between the two cities, creating the feel of one event…

…one mission, if you will.

It was a fluid event, to say the least. Meaning that we were on our toes for most of it. But even with that, it was a whole lot of fun. Because we got to do it as one team.

When you work with an external company to manage a separate site, you hope that it’s one you can trust. But when it’s with your own team, your own people, that small amount of worry haunting your work dissipates. You can relax. You can engage better.

For example, sitting in the back of the truck (where our control was), there was something deeply comforting about hearing the banter between our crews over the comms. The downtime in the event felt like sitting at a big extended family dinner; jokes and laughter flying left, right, and centre, but all with a shared understanding that we would switch into complete focus at a moment’s notice.

That is trust. That is a team. And we think the client felt it. The event was better because of it, as it carried with it the same high standard across multiple cities.

And this isn’t the only time in the past few months where we have had the opportunity to collaborate together on work.

Master Builders House of the Year Regionals

Master Builders House of the Year. You’ve probably heard us talk about it and seen it on our channels, as it runs every year in June and July, and can be a highlight of our calendar. This time, it involved eight shows: three in the South Island and five in the North.

But what was special about this year was that it was TES’s first time doing the tour. Some of our Auckland techs did fly down south to help with the shows down there, as we wanted to give the Christchurch team a proper introduction to the show format. But other than that, it was all them. They did the pack ins. They operated the shows. They provided the gear.

And they crushed it.

On top of this, and as we predicted earlier in the year, the two island approach came with immediate and tangible financial advantages for Master Builders. So much time and money were saved from the simple fact that the gear and crew came from Christchurch; it did not have to cross the Straight.

What these two events show is the large benefits that come from working with us on multi-city events and roadshows. Even in these early days as “two islands, one group,” we are already seeing the development of a growing inter-island symbiosis. We are strengthening each other, which ultimately serves you and your work.

So whilst there is still room to grow for us, each passing month sees us fine tune systems bit by bit. Today we can give you an excellent, cohesive, and consistent event experience. Next month, and as time goes on, we can only dream of what more we can deliver for you.

Farewelling Chris

Finally, August came with some bittersweet news.

After more than twenty years at AV Events, we said goodbye to Chris.

A senior account manager, our longest serving staff member, and an all-around AV legend, it was incredibly hard to see him go. He has left such a legacy at the company, being one of the few people to see all three warehouses throughout our history.

Chris is an absolute soldier of a worker. He was always putting the younger guys to shame with his skill and endurance, particularly when packing the truck at the end of a long shift.

He just, kept, going.

But more importantly, he was always kind and humble. He cared for his clients, did the work to an excellent level, and alway displayed a deep love for Scott and Shona, being the number two that they needed across the years.

He is AV Events family. So we will miss him.

But we are also excited for him.

He has moved into the role of Technical Production Manager at Elim Christian Centre, bearing the responsibility of managing seven physical church campuses and one virtual one. It’s a great opportunity for him and we know he is going to be such a gift to Elim Church. So in that respect, we are also incredibly excited for him and proud of him. As we know it’s largely motivated by his heart to love and serve others.

Stepping into his role is our very own Jordan MacKenzie.

With his high degree of attention to detail, his experience, and his warm, caring tone, he is a deeply loved member of our team amongst our clients. They love him.

And we think you will too.