ENTECH returns for landmark NZ tour

ENTECH debuts at Auckland’s new NZ International Convention Centre on Tuesday 28 July, bringing the AV roadshow back to NZ with an expanded format and more exhibitors than ever. The show runs one day in each of three cities: Wellington (Lower Hutt Events Centre) on Thursday 30 July, and Christchurch (Te Pae) on Tuesday 4 August. ENTECH was established in Australia 32 years ago.

“Our success formula is one word: easy,” says CEO Kate McKenzie. “We handle the logistics for exhibitors, then give the AV trade an easy environment to see the latest gear, upskill and invest. The floor’s compact by design, walk in, walk through, find everything you need to equip a venue, stage a show or spec a system. Fast.”

This is the first time ENTECH NZ has matched the Australian roadshow’s full feature set, including Interactive Demo Zones — live demonstrations of sound, lighting and video gear;  and the NW Group EnTalks Theatre, bringing trade talks onto the show floor.

40 stands will feature most major brands sold in NZ, with around 90 technical specialists on hand. Doors open 11am–6pm, with a happy hour from 4.30pm to 6pm. Admission is free after trade registration via Event-Connect, ENTECH’s purpose-built registration system. Anyone with a genuine interest is welcome, including students – though not school groups.

The show has moved to bigger venues in Auckland and Wellington, and returns to Te Pae in Christchurch, which McKenzie calls the best venue ENTECH has shown in.

Founder Julius Grafton recalls resistance when the show first launched in NZ. “I had about a dozen meetings with local suppliers who fairly uniformly told me they’d sit the first one out and see how we’d go. There was a real aversion to an Australian operator coming in, so I incorporated in NZ and became a major sponsor of ETNZ – a commitment we’ve kept ever since.”

The breakthrough came when Australian exhibitors who’d seen the format work at home signed on for NZ, which in turn pulled in local firms. ENTECH NZ also runs at lower cost than Australia, since venues and crew are paid in NZ dollars.

“What gives me real joy is the attitude of Kiwi crew,” says McKenzie. “At bump-in we use half the local crew we’d need in Australia, because your crew actually want to work. Back home I’m forever finding huddles hiding behind the trucks, smoking or playing Donkey Kong on their phones.”

The roadshow is sponsored by NW Group, who also supply transport, AV support and crew. Exhibits ship to Oceania in Auckland and are freighted from there – this year across two semi-trailers, booked on the Cook Strait crossing to the South Island.

ENTECH is staged every second year in NZ. Register in advance at entechroad.com