Melbourne and Auckland are at roughly the same latitude and one thing they have in common is the unpredictability of their weather.

Any event producer knows all too well that the weather is the one element of an event that you have to plan for and then hope for the best.

This is what we experienced as the rain bucketed down as we arrived at Eden Park for the Meetings 2025 welcome function.

Guests were dropped at the entrance to the south stand and  we made our way upstairs to the function room where sport and entertainment memorabilia was on display.

Once everybody was in attendance the pōwhiri got underway to welcome the guests. This ceremony is very significant and for Pākehā (non-Māori) like myself, who are not familiar with the ceremonies, does require explanation. An interpretation was shown on screens at either side of this stage but due to the layout of the room was not visible to most of the guests.

As the rain stopped for a short while we were invited to head to the outdoor seating area to watch a video showcasing Auckland and a welcome from Auckland’s mayor. The minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Hon Louise Upston then delivered her speech from the broadcast box high in the stand, which we watched on the large venue screens.

This was followed by a light and laser show.

A highlight for fans of rugby was the opportunity to meet ex All Blacks Josh Kronfeld and Ian Jones and to pose with the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby World Cup replica trophy (provided by The All Blacks Experience).

And of course for an event like this networking is essential. The background music was just that, soft jazz that allowed networking without having to shout over the band.

During the night I wondered if what we were experiencing was what was actually planned.

So I checked in with Chris Peak, Event Manager at BEIA, to discover that the rain meant the spectacular event that was planned had to be scaled back. However it is worthwhile having a look at what that plan was.

The busses were to arrive at the south stand from where they would enter the stadium via the player’s race, emulating the players’ arrival for a big match, dropping guests off at the stadium’s West Stand.

Once all the guests were pitch-side, located behind the dead ball line, focus would then move to a stage located on the pitch, framed by the goal posts, where the traditional Māori pōwhiri from local iwi, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, was to take place. Importantly, the interpretation of the ceremony was to be shown on the giant screen behind them.

Guests would then be ushered to the World Cup Lounge via the concourse in the South Stand through displays of various sporting trophies and sporting memorabilia, including the Bledisloe Cup, Super Rugby Pacifica trophy, Women’s T20 World Cup, as well as items from artists who have performed at Eden Park, such as Travis Scott and Coldplay.

From there into the seating area to watch the Auckland video and welcome from Auckland’s mayor, followed by the address by minister Upston on the large venue screens.

The formalities would conclude with a light and laser show, before guests transitioned inside to enjoy the food, beverage and entertainment.

I could imagine how much more impact the pōwhiri ceremony would have had if it had been performed as planned, and it is such a shame that we did not get to experience that as it should have been a major highlight of the evening.

I also spoke to Kiriana Koni, Māori Development Manager at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited about the ceremony . Kiriana explains the steps involved in the pōwhiri and we also talk about the various levels of welcome that are appropriate to various events. Read that article here

The use of LED arena lighting has enabled venues to use the lights for much more than just lighting the field of play and the show produced by the venue partners was entertaining.

Long gone are the days of lights that took five minutes to warm up to full power and requiring ten minutes or more between shutting down and restarting.  This enabled the light and laser show by Switch It Up to make the venue sparkle.

The event was produced by BEIA in conjunction with Eden Park

• Food and beverage by Eden Park Catering
• Cultural performance and welcome from Kingi Makoare of Ngâti Whâtua Ôrâkei
• Entertainment by ‘Mama Jules & Friends’ courtesy of Better Band
• AV by Vidcom
• Light and laser show produced by Switch It Up
• Fogscreen by Ideas @ Work
• Transport by Johnston’s Coachlines

Photo gallery by Smoke photography