Cityscape Christmas 2019

THE CROWD WHISPERER
mistake, but I’m constantly making them. If
you’re not making mistakes you’re not doing
anything – I love the challenge of trying to do
new things! Tell us about your best and
worst experience with staging an event.
The best experience at any event is always
seeing the crowds having an amazing time
– creating those experiences for people is
what drives me personally. On the flipside of
that they can be extremely stressful – there is
a huge financial risk, and the weather is
always a challenge. What would be your
ultimate event or festival to organise? And
to attend? Burning Man is definitely high on
my list of festivals to attend. I have friends
that go every year so I’ll tag along with them
on a trip one day soon. I’d love to organise
Boomtown Fair – it always has incredible
lineups with around 30 odd stages, all of
which are themed amazingly. What’s the
best piece of advice you’ve been given?
None that I’ve followed, haha! What’s your
go-to spot in Christchurch? Our office is
near Little High so we’re spoilt for choice.
Welles Street, Espresso 245, Little High and
C1 are my regular spots. What do you think
Christchurch needs the most? People,
people, people – humans are what create a
vibrant city, and we need more people living
in the CBD, more people working in the CBD,
and more people living in Christchurch in
general. A tram linking the university (via the
hospital and Westfield Mall) to the central
city would be amazing and encourage more
students to live in the central city – if
someone could sort that, please. A stadium
and a great mid-size concert venue would
also go a long way to adding much-needed
vibrancy in the inner city. What are you
listening to/reading/bingewatching at
the moment? I’m listening to the new Tool
album, Fear Inoculum – it’s epic. I used to be
a huge fan, and this album made me realise I
still am. I also collect vinyl, so I’m doing my
bit to support New Zealand music by
collecting as many Aotearoa artists on LP as
possible. I’m reading Total Recall, Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s autobiography, and
Chasing The Scream by Johann Hari. As for
bingewatching, that’s Peaky Blinders.
What excites you about Christchurch in the
summer? The energy of the city changes and
really comes alive in summer. BBQs, long
warm days and nights, cricket and lots of
entertainment options – not that I get to
enjoy all of it as we’re too busy organising
festivals, but wouldn’t have it any other way.
You’ve got friends coming from out of
town. Where do you go and what would
you do to show off the city in – two hours:
Pop into the South Island Wine & Food
Festival briefly but be blown away by what’s
on offer and change your travel plans.
A half-day: The ideal amount of time to
spend with a group of mates at the Great
Kiwi Beer Festival. 24 hours: 12 hours at
Electric Avenue followed by a robust
after-party. Where do you go to – Wine and
dine with friends: 5th Street – the food and
service are absolutely impeccable. Morning
coffee: I’ve recently cut back on coffee and
start the day with a licorice tea. Blow off
some steam: Just the usual – a couple of
beers at the pub then let off a flare. Shop up
a storm: Penny Lane Records in Sydenham;
EnCompass in The Tannery; Mitre 10 for a
Sunday DIY session. Get away from it all:
I had an incredible time travelling through
South America earlier this year, which was
my first decent holiday in a long time.
teamevent.co.nz
Above: South
Island Wine &
Food Festival.
48 CITYSCAPE.CO.NZ Christmas 19