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This might sound like a trick question given no day is the same for you but, what does a day in Manawatū look like?
It depends which day! Sometimes we are literally in the office all day, other days we are out and about setting up or delivering events like weddings or having meetings. We like eating out and getting coffee so we often choose to meet clients out or work from different places around the city – it’s nice to change up the view from the office. We really like the Golden Tulip on Broadway Ave, especially now it is revamped we’re there nearly every single day! And of course, even though we’re now located in Kelvin Grove, we’re still George Street fans and love the locals down there like Barista and Moxies.
Ben’s the early bird of the team, he’s up and off to the Lido for his morning swim, followed by a coffee detour and into the office. Lauren prefers a slower start to the day, though still with coffee – we have a regular coffee bean delivery to the office from local roaster Arrosta which keeps us charged! After a full day of planning, prep, and anything else that comes our way, we like to switch off by taking the dogs for a walk. The Manawatū River Pathway is close to home so that’s a go to for an easy walkway with great views. That marks the end of Ben’s day, while Lauren generally kicks up a gear after that and will power through till around midnight getting ahead for the next big event.
Between the two of you, it sounds like you’ve got it all covered! What would an event day generally look like for you?
We are lucky enough to manage events all over the lower north island, so to make that happen we are regularly starting our days at 5am and getting home around 10.30pm. It can make for a long day, especially if the weather hasn’t played ball but it’s worth it.
In any given day we could be across to Wairarapa, down to Ōtaki or up in Taupō – sometimes more than one place in the same day! So being based in Palmerston North is ideal for us from a business sense as we can easily access and service the entire lower north island. I don’t know how we would do it otherwise! We are so central and conveniently located for delivering events, it makes distribution that much easier.
Those are some big days; it must take a lot of passion to keep that up!
Absolutely! It’s the passion that keeps us going. Anyone that’s ever hosted an event, from a small intimate dinner party to a huge wedding, knows that the most important part is ‘are people having fun?’. That’s what we do it for! When we see guests at weddings smiling and enjoying themselves or we have vendors at Magic of Christmas raving about their experiences, it’s such a good feeling!
Because we cover everything from wo to go, our days are definitely interesting. I don’t think there are many other jobs where you can be ‘on the tools’ in shorts and a t-shirt running around getting things physically set up, to wearing a full suit within an hour.
Phew! What about when you get a bit of downtime?
A day off would look a bit like, pool visit or sleep in, coffee, walk the dogs – He Ara Kotahi is a great spot – then out for brunch somewhere, maybe a movie at Focal Point or Silky Otter, and finish with drinks with friends. Some of our regulars are Little Savanah or Brew Union, where we know we will get great food, or for something a bit fancy drink wise we like Libre and Fat Farmer. There are actually so many great places to go to, it’s hard to pick a favourite.
Got to make the most of that downtime when you get it! Tell us about what you’ve got coming up.
The traditional wedding season will finish up around April, so we will have some slightly quieter months. Which means it’s time for Salud planning! We are entering our third year and are still impressed by the amount of talent we come across when we are looking for vendors. We aren’t surprised because we know it’s out there, but it is amazing to see it in one place.
We are serious about keeping everything as local as possible from the entertainment to the food and beverage – our goal is to bring together everyone’s faves and also give them something a bit different. Local legends like Amayjen, Brew Union, Libre, Fat Farmer, Beaver & Bear and more all turn out, as well as distillers, brewers, wine makers and foodies from across the country so guests can try something a bit different.
The first year we hosted Salud there was a point we looked around and saw people dancing and having the best time, we just knew we had to do it again and again! Lots of people after that first year told us how impressed they were to attend an event like that in Manawatū, that it ranked as high as events they had attended in other much larger cities around the world. There’s no reason why we can’t have this fun, slightly outrageous event in Palmerston North.
Sounds like you will be in Manawatū for the long haul.
We really love it here. Life feels easy here. It seems like such a small thing, but it takes us less than 10 minutes to get anywhere, and when you already have a busy life, that makes such a difference.
We’re also passionate about bringing great events to our hometown. We love living in Manawatū and want to help elevate events that happen here – whether that is private or public events. Even with birthdays and family functions there’s always room to go a bit extra. Our mission is to raise the standard and make events in our region that bit more interesting.
Contrary to popular belief, Palmy’s not boring! You can do cool things here and we hope we are helping to change the face of events in the region.
Keen to experience a George & Co. event? Check out the Magic of Christmas events set for 28th June and 2nd-3rd December here: Magic of Christmas. Or keep your eyes peeled for more information on Salud which takes place every October. George + Co | Wedding + Event Planning, Coordination and Hire | Manawatu
Palmerston North City i-SITE
The Square, Palmerston North
0800 MANAWATU
(626 292)
[email protected]
Feilding and District
Information Centre
Feilding Railway Station
61 Aorangi Street
+64 6 323 3318
[email protected]
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