What is the story behind 360?
360 was created by Karen Hamilton, to service a gap in the market for contract corporate event management services and to champion the production of festivals and consumer expos, but it quickly grew beyond that vision.
As a full service event management company, 360 built a strong reputation for being a trusted pair of hands capable of understanding a client’s objectives and working with them to develop event and campaign concepts to achieve their desired outcomes. From concept development through to post-event reporting the 360 approach has always been one of immersion in the client’s world, supported by a can-do attitude and willingness to do things differently.
Operationally strong across all facets of event and project management, 360 is sought-after for events and campaigns that have complex requirements, often with multiple stakeholders, high levels of compliance, a large pool of suppliers and requiring commercial support via sponsorship.
Earthquake - shake-up…
Following the Canterbury Earthquakes we lost all of our clients, until I identified a niche market for events associated with creating the Christchurch Blueprint and for opening significant buildings throughout the city - we have championed the opening and public tours of many Christchurch buildings and monuments… from the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial and the Justice & Emergency Services Precinct to the Christchurch Airport International Terminal, Christchurch Town Hall, Turanga City Library and more… each one representing a milestone in the rebuild of our city. They are all legacy projects that continue to make me proud of my association with them.
Diverse portfolio…
Over time the team grew and the portfolio diversified with festivals, sponsorship activations, gala events and product launches providing great variety. We added both venue management and fundraising to our established event management offering and we had dedicated teams for each specialty. We needed a larger office - the events industry was booming for 360!
Our passion for doing things differently to achieve maximum results for clients was paying off and we were fortunate that word-of-mouth became our best form of advertising. Direct appointments without the need to tender saw us become the preferred event partner for many of NZ’s leading organisations and government agencies.
I had established a strong reputation for being calm under pressure and thriving on the frontline, this coupled with my ability to work with multiple stakeholders and lead them towards a common goal led to an invitation to work with the Ministry of Justice as the Operations Manager for the Sentencing of the Christchurch Mosque Shooter. It was a complex project that will forever remain a career highlight.
Time to pivot…
Our work was taking us to all corners of the country and our pipeline was full of exciting projects. That is until COVID-19 came along…
Then like all robust and innovative businesses, after navigating mountains of paperwork to undo perfectly formed event plans and update compliance procedures, 360 pivoted. Partly in response to our primary venue, which we had managed for seven-years, being taken offline by the landlord and converted into commercial office space (triggered by the impact of COVID-19 and lack of venue hire income during that time - it made good business sense, but it was heartbreaking)… and partly because it was time!
“Once a 360 gal, always a 360 gal”… the team were supported into other roles and slowly six became one again… you could say, I did a 360!!
A new chapter…
My focus has moved to the things that I am most passionate about; filling resource or knowledge gaps and working with clients to get the best outcomes for them and their projects. By building capability in other people’s teams I’ve been able to mentor and support events industry personnel and corporate teams alike.
Clients were consistently asking for assistance in the sponsorship arena, so I responded by developing a coaching programme to provide sponsorship seekers with the fundamentals they need to be able to identify what they have to offer sponsors, who would make a good sponsor, how to approach them and how to ensure they don’t drop the ball once they secure a sponsor! It has been well received and the content continues to underpin my sponsorship coaching work.
What now?
360’s core focus areas continue to be sponsorship coaching, capability building and event management services.
I have been working on the development of an online sponsorship training course that will ensure the fundamentals of my approach are accessible to a wider audience, who can learn in their own time. This work is supported by speaking engagements, in-person workshops and online seminars, all customised to match the needs of the audience.
My capability building services are also customised to suit the needs of the client; from strategic guidance and leadership to event management services that provide additional expertise and resources for in-house teams. I also offer these services as professional development workshops for teams looking to upskill.
My event management work continues to come from word-of-mouth referrals, giving me the opportunity to be in my happy place on the frontline, helping to make the magic happen.