Case Study - New Zealand Commercial Project Awards

With a spotlight on the country’s best commercial building projects, the Master Builders New Zealand Commercial Project Awards required a suitably prestigious platform - and a bigger home in 2025.

Having grown to nearly 130 entrants and 750 attendees, the event required more space, and Charlotte Beauchamp, Head of Competitions and Events, Master Builders found it at the Viaduct Events Centre.

To mark the culmination of the 12-month competition, the stage was built to spec by AV Events, with the venue hired a day before the event to allow for the extensive installation. That included a huge LED screen, plus an LED screen on the ceiling to hero the content from the 120 entrants.

Following welcome drinks and mingling in the lobby, guests were seated and treated to an opening performance featuring waiata and a high energy hip hop haka group.

The MC then led the first presentation of awards, before a three-course gala dinner was served by caterers Urban Gourmet, followed by the supreme awards.

“It went really well,“ Beauchamp says. “We had great feedback on the event and the food and entertainment, and how it all worked.

We’ve rebooked the venue for Commercial Project awards for next year and we've also booked it for the prestigious House of the Year National Awards Gala for 2026 as well.

The size of the venue is pretty appealing, and the team are really great to work with, really responsive.

It just worked well in terms of location. We booked accommodation at the nearby Park Hyatt for our events team, the board and our judges. And being downtown was great for everyone else, because it's nice and handy to everything there, including transport. If anything, next time it would be nice to make more use of the windows to take in the waterfront view." 

“It was seamless.”