Rise Creative
Business Sustainability Networking Event

It was Rise Creatives' 15 year anniversary, and alongside celebrating this great achievement, they also wanted to showcase their amazing new office space, and share how they have made their business a lot more sustainable.

Eight PM - Whisky Tasting Event

It was Eight PM’s 7th anniversary, and to celebrate, my client and owner of Eight PM, Ash, had a $300 bottle of the finest whiskey he wanted to share with his whiskey tasting club/crew. He often held whiskey tasting events that he would organise himself, but he didn’t have the time or attention required to plan this event, so came to me.

The Brief

Bex (Rise Creative) and her business partners created presentations on the importance of adapting sustainability into all types of businesses, no matter what the industry, as well as how they have adjusted their own business structures to be more sustainable.

This initial event was targeted towards each partner's clients, with the intention to extend the invitations out further next time, and possibly even sell tickets to help cover costs involved.

My tasks to research and supply (all following the sustainable theme, as much as possible):

Office plants/living wall
Signage
Catering
Beverages
Wine glasses
Presentation screen
Estimated 70 pax attending (including staff)

Solutions

Plants and Signage - Costs and links were supplied for the best options found for Bex to organise directly
Catering - Great sustainable caterers are extremely expensive, so I catered the event myself, using only sustainable ingredients. I provided finger food, so there was no need for plates and cutlery, and created 5 savory and 1 sweet canapés, with vegan options for 70 people
Beverages - We chose our suppliers based on the most sustainable for non-alcoholic premixed cocktails, beers, and wine
Wine Glasses - I scoured op-shops throughout Auckland to keep things fully sustainable and reusable
Presentation Screen - Initial thoughts were to use a projector, but we would have had to dim the lights in the main area which would have been less than ideal, and a safety hazard. Instead I sourced a large screen TV, and stand instead.

Outcome

An overwhelming success. The feedback from all that attended was brilliant. Lots of connections were made, and no one died from eating the food! In fact, the food was a massive hit too, but it’s still not convinced me to do that again…I’d much rather source amazing professionals!

“Must haves”

Venue - A beautiful, high-end restaurant (not just a great location or space to bring in caterers), with a section to comfortably accommodate around 15-20 guests
Menu - Ash wanted the ability to work with the head chef on a custom 8-10 course degustation menu, to pair with different supplied whiskeys, rather than wines

“Nice to haves”

A view of the ocean
A smoking area for cigars

The Brief

After understanding what his “must haves” and “nice to haves” were for the event, as well as a rough cost per head, I agreed to find three possible locations/options for him to choose from, and book directly when he had an agreed date.

The initial brief:

To be in Auckland CBD
An anniversary meal to share this special bottle with his whiskey tasting
A black tie event

Outcome:

After visiting three locations and meeting the restaurant managers, I presented Ash with the venue options that best met the brief, pros and cons for each option, costs, photos, and contact details for each.

Ash was blown away with the quality of the options, and the attention to detail I provided him, which enabled him to choose a location that met all his must haves, as well as his nice to haves.

Testimonial

This woman is amazing! Ruth from Brit on the Side curated and produced our sustainability event at Rise Creative. Her organisational skills and attention to detail are outstanding. She did everything and more for us, and I cannot thank her enough to make our event just perfect. Ruth is a lovely, considerate and kind person and great to work with.

Rebekah Atkins - Director, Rise Creative