NZEA – BEIA Outstanding Contributor Award

Three industry leaders were nominated for this augural award in 2023: Leonie Ashford – Tourism New Zealand, Louise Ryburn – Celebrity Speakers and Brent Spillane, XPO Exhibitions.

The winner, Brent Spillane of XPO Exhibitions received the award from BEIA Chief Executive, Lisa Hopkins, after being acknowledged by judges for the daunting task he faced common to the entire events industry: to survive, rebuild, and find a new normal in the aftermath of Covid-19. However, XPO faced the additional difficulty of having just doubled its consumer events business pre-Covid. Then came the massive blow that New Zealand was set to lose its largest purpose-built venue for events, concerts and exhibitions - the Auckland Showgrounds. Brent recognised the grave repercussions of losing such a crucial venue and fought tirelessly on behalf of the industry to successfully secure the showgrounds. This monumental achievement stands as one of his most significant contributions to the events industry during this challenging period.