Best Event Planners in Dunedin: Wedding, Corporate and Conference Specialists

The best event planners in Dunedin take a wedding, a conference or a corporate launch from the first budget line through to the final pack down. An event planner in Dunedin handles venue selection, supplier bookings, delegate registration, styling and on the day coordination, so you can arrive as a guest at your own event. The profiles below include akB Conference Management and Nicholls & Co.

1akB Conference Management

akB is a Dunedin based conference and event management company that works nationally, run by professional conference organiser Ali Copeman alongside event manager Shelley McMeeken and media producer Clive Copeman. The team manages conferences end to end, liaising with destinations, venues, accommodation providers, caterers, printers, designers, sponsors and media. It suits associations, professional societies and organisations running multi day conferences with delegates, speakers and exhibitors.

Services

• Comprehensive conference management, or consultancy only where you need guidance rather than full delivery
• Financial management, including a joint venture agreement, invoicing, banking and GST processing
• Online registration for delegates, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors, plus abstract and submission handling
• Sponsorship and industry exhibition management
• Social functions, from welcome events to gala dinners, and pre, post and partner tours

Highlights

• Ali Copeman is a Business Events in Aotearoa approved professional conference organiser and a PCOA certified event manager
• In house photographer and videographer, with Clive Copeman a member of the Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association
• Each client holds a separate trust account with its own GST number and co-signees, so one client carries no liability for another
• Has worked to a sustainable approach for over 15 years, limiting printing, reusing materials and offsetting event carbon
• Established working relationships with iwi throughout New Zealand, and early engagement with delegates who have dietary, disability or language needs

Location & Contact

Name: akB Conference Management
Address: First Floor, 9 Dowling Street, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 474 5165
Website: akb.nz

2Nicholls & Co

Founded by Rachel and Josh Nicholls, Nicholls & Co plans, styles and coordinates weddings and events from Dunedin, working across Otago, Central Otago, Queenstown and Southland. The team covers the full arc of a celebration, from concept and design through to running the day itself, and carries its own collection of furniture, lighting and decor. It suits couples who want one team handling planning, styling and bar service, and businesses booking awards nights, dinners or product launches.

Services

• Full wedding planning covering venue selection, vendor sourcing, budgets, styling concepts and timelines
• On the day coordination, offered as a partial planning package or a day only package
• Wedding and event styling, including colour palettes, tablescapes, lighting, furniture and decor
• Corporate event design and management for dinners, awards nights, VIP rooms and product launches
• Bar service for weddings and functions

Highlights

• Rachel Nicholls is a qualified interior designer, which shapes the styling side of the business
• Founder run by Rachel and Josh Nicholls, who work on the events themselves
• Growing in house hire range of furniture, lighting and decor, with items sourced to order when something is not already in the collection
• Corporate work is offered as a black tie service covering set up, design, management and pack down

Location & Contact

Name: Nicholls & Co
Address: Dunedin
Website: nichollsandco.com

3Sequel Events

Sequel Events is a boutique event management company run by director Victoria Muir, who has more than 20 years managing large scale events and came into the industry with an accounting degree from the University of Otago. The company delivers everything from small intimate events to large community festivals, drawing on a network of local suppliers and technicians. It suits organisers who want budgets, sponsorship and reporting handled as tightly as the event itself.

Services

• Event management and co-ordination
• Budgeting and financial control
• Sponsorship and grant applications
• Marketing, publicity, print and digital media
• Public relations, media management and post event reporting

Highlights

• Director Victoria Muir has over 20 years of experience managing large scale events
• Long standing involvement with iD Dunedin Fashion Week, and produces the annual Zonta Extraordinary Fashion Show
• Community event experience including the Otago Careers Festival, the Dunedin Rhododendron Festival and Go Otago Anniversary Day celebrations
• Charity fundraising work for the Otago Community Hospice and the Ballet Foundation of New Zealand
• Corporate launches and openings, including the Cerebos Greggs factory re-opening and the Mercy Hospital new building opening

Location & Contact

Name: Sequel Events
Address: Dunedin
Phone: 021 990 040
Website: sequeleventsnz.com

4Encore Events

Encore Events is led by Leah Stevens and her team, who organise weddings, social occasions and corporate functions from Dunedin across Otago and Central Otago. The business pairs planning and coordination with its own hire and styling range, so the look of the room and the running of the day come from the same place. Its corporate side extends into concierge work for companies running meetings, conferences and client events.

Services

• Wedding planning, styling and coordination
• Corporate event, meeting and conference planning
• Corporate concierge packages covering travel, meeting rooms, catering, chauffeur services and hotel arrangements
• Bar duties for weddings and functions
• Hire and styling of furniture, backdrops, lighting and neons, table decor, serveware, props and signage

Highlights

• Run by Leah Stevens with a team of experienced event professionals
• Corporate packages extend to event site selection, professional speakers, business mentoring and event marketing
• Planning consultations can be booked as a Zoom meeting or in person at the studio

Location & Contact

Name: Encore Events
Address: Dunedin
Phone: 027 386 3693
Website: encoreevents.co.nz

5Meadow Creative

Meadow Creative is an event and wedding styling and planning business run by Tayla, based in Dunedin and covering the lower South Island including Central Otago and Southland. She came to it after planning her own wedding, and now offers tiered wedding planning packages alongside a decor range she builds and installs herself. It suits couples who want one person handling both the planning schedule and the look of the day.

Services

• Wedding planning packages, from part way through the planning to full planning from engagement to the end of the day
• On the day wedding coordination
• Styling for weddings, birthdays and celebrations
• Decor and backdrop hire, including flower walls, wooden and industrial arches, neons, balloons and floral numbers

Highlights

• Three named planning packages, Touch of Magic, Ducks in a Row and Fairy Godmother, so you can buy only the stage of planning you need
• Owner Tayla plans and runs the events personally, having planned her own wedding before starting the business
• Decor range built in house, covering fairy light backdrops, mesh walls, hex frames, hoops and wedding arches

Location & Contact

Name: Meadow Creative
Address: Dunedin
Website: meadowcreative.co.nz

Event Planners in Dunedin at a Glance

How to Choose the Right Event Planner in Dunedin

• Match the planner to the event type. Conference organisers handle delegate registration, abstracts and sponsorship, while wedding and celebration planners work in styling, run sheets and supplier wrangling. The skills overlap but the systems do not.
• Decide how much you want to hand over. Most Dunedin planners sell full planning, partial planning and on the day coordination separately, and the cheapest option is rarely the one that removes the most work.
• Ask who is actually on site on the day. In a small business the person you meet is usually the person running the event, and it is worth confirming that rather than assuming it.
• Check whether hire and styling come from the same team. A planner with its own furniture, lighting and decor collection can price the look and the labour together, which is simpler than coordinating a separate stylist.
• Look at how they handle money and risk. Ask about budget reporting, deposit and payment terms, public liability cover, and how health and safety is managed for your venue and guest numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dunedin Event Planners

What does an event planner in Dunedin actually do?

An event planner takes responsibility for the parts of an event that are easy to underestimate: venue selection, supplier bookings and contracts, budgets, run sheets, guest or delegate communication, and the coordination on the day itself. Some also style the space, hire out furniture and decor, and manage bar service. The practical difference is that on the day you are attending your event rather than running it.

How much do event planners in Dunedin charge?

Planners in Otago rarely publish fixed rates, because the cost depends on guest numbers, how many suppliers are involved and how much of the planning you hand over. Expect quotes to be structured around a package, with full planning costing more than partial planning, and on the day coordination sitting at the lower end. Ask for the quote to separate the planner’s fee from the supplier and hire costs, so you can see what you are paying for each.

What is the difference between event planning, styling and coordination?

Planning is the whole project: budget, venue, suppliers, timeline. Styling is the look of the room, covering colour palettes, tablescapes, backdrops, lighting and decor. Coordination is the delivery, meaning someone runs the schedule and manages suppliers on the day. Several Dunedin businesses offer all three, but they are priced separately and you can buy just the one you need.

Do Dunedin event planners handle corporate conferences as well as weddings?

Some do both and some specialise. A professional conference organiser deals with delegate registration, abstracts, exhibition floor plans, sponsorship and the financial reporting an association needs, which is a different job from a wedding. If you are running a multi day conference, look for a planner who names conference management on their own site rather than one whose portfolio is entirely celebrations.

Which parts of Dunedin and Otago do event planners cover?

Most of the businesses on this page work from central Dunedin, including Dowling Street in the city centre, and travel out from there. Coverage commonly extends across Otago and Central Otago, and several planners also work in Queenstown and Southland. If your venue is out of the city, whether that is a peninsula property, a Central Otago woolshed or a Southland farm, say so at the first enquiry, because travel and pack in time affect both availability and price.

Do I need a permit or a licence to hold an event in Dunedin?

It depends on where the event is and what is happening at it. Events in parks, reserves, streets and other public places usually need approval from the council, and serving alcohol to the public generally requires a special licence, with lead times of several weeks. Check the current requirements with the Dunedin City Council early, since permits and licences are the part of an event most likely to be left too late.

Who is responsible for health and safety at an event?

Anyone running a business or undertaking has health and safety duties, and at an event those duties are usually shared between the organiser, the venue and the contractors on site. In practice that means agreeing in writing who manages crowd safety, temporary structures, electrical work and vehicle movements. WorkSafe New Zealand publishes guidance on overlapping duties that is worth reading before you sign a venue contract.

How far ahead should I book an event planner?

For a wedding in peak season, roughly a year ahead is common, because the planner and the venue tend to be booked in the same conversation. Conferences run on longer lead times again, often 18 months or more where dates, venues and speakers all have to line up. Smaller functions and corporate dinners can often be turned around in a few weeks, though the choice of venue narrows quickly.