References
On behalf of Living Streets Aotearoa, I would like to thank you for organizing a highly successful conference for us in August 2008.
The third NZ Walking Conference attracted more participants than previous conferences, due largely to your extensive networks in the transport and associated sectors. Once again you showed a willingness to take our ideas on board, resulting in a conference that suited our organisation and our audience.
Your professionalism and attention to detail ensured that the conference ran smoothly from start to finish. You and your team were always on hand to deal with queries, look after participants’ needs, and troubleshoot where necessary, leaving the organizing committee to participate fully in conference proceedings.
The conference dinner with its theme of “Taking a Walk down Broadway” was a great success, and, as usual, your team participated with gusto!
Thanks again for doing such a brilliant job.
Liz Thomas, Director
Now that we have tied up all loose ends, on behalf of the IPENZ Transportation Group I would like to take the opportunity to thank you and your team at Harding Consultants for all your effort and dedication toward organising Conference 2008.
As you are aware, our annual conference is the premier forum for our members and the wider transportation community, and a flagship event for the IPENZ Transportation Group. Furthermore, in the ever competitive conference market, organisers are continually looking for innovation and creativity to gain a competitive advantage to attract potential delegates.
You and your team continue to exceed expectations by adding value and innovation to our conferences year after year and for that, the Transportation Group is truly thankful. Without your involvement I very much doubt that our conference would have grown and evolved in the way that it has in recent years. Your efficiency and professionalism (not to mention sense of humour and fun) are faultless and I would have no hesitation in recommending Harding Consultants to any prospective clients. Your team has truly been a delight to deal with over the past 18 months.
With the conference now moving to a new time slot earlier in the year, it is imperative that the Transportation Group re-establish our conference on the annual calendar to ensure its on-going success. I have no doubt in my mind that with Harding Consultants at the helm we will continue to see our event go from strength to strength in years to come.
Glen Prince, Organising Committee Chairman
Congratulations on your superb organisation of the 2007 TRAFINZ and IPENZ Transportation Group Conferences held in Taupo and Tauranga respectively during August and October. I wish to record my personal, and Committees’, appreciation for your contribution and guidance during the organisation of these events. Your skills ensure that we get best value for money in delivering a quality conference. This includes the relationship you developed with the venue staff, professional communications with attendees and exhibitors, and total coordination of guest speakers, (particularly the five speakers at TRAFINZ).
I appreciated your on-going attention to detail, including the audio visual, theme graphics and your insistence on timeliness. These all lead to very successful conferences which the respective organisations were extremely proud of. Being an ideas person I certainly appreciated your flexibility and adaptability to develop and deliver concepts.
I certainly appreciated the accolades I received for the two conferences, which at the end of the day need to be attributed to yourself and the team at Harding Consultants. I find it interesting that whether it is a Council officer, Councillor, Police officer or Exhibitor. They all expect a quality conference, and the feedback received suggested that this was delivered.
In conclusion this was my 3rd IPENZ conference in which I have been involved in organising, and can certainly confirm that despite the bar being lifted higher every year, we delivered the best conference ever. This is well reflected in the evaluation report you have provided.
Glenda, I extend our sincere thanks for yet another successful year and please feel free to use this as reference as you feel fit
Andrew McKillop, Chair of IPENZ and TRAFINZ Conferences 2007
It is highly appropriate that I write to you to express my personal thanks to, particularly Leonie and yourself, for the stunning job you undertook in facilitating our conference over the last 5 days.
We have set a new benchmark at a level that will be hard to beat far less maintain. The past 14 months for the conference committee have been so much easier by our wise appointment of your company as our PCO. When the “Heat” came on you were “simply the best”.
Richard Doell, General Manager Mainfreight
This is further to my earlier congratulations on your superb organisation of the TRAFINZ and IPENZ Transportation Group Conferences held in Queenstown during August and October 2006.
As co-chair and chair of the above events I wish to record my personal and Committees’ appreciation for your lateral thinking; guidance in choice of venue; professional communications with potential attendees and exhibitors; total coordination of guest speakers (particularly the five overseas speakers at TRAFINZ); arrangement of quality entertainment and MCs; your on-going attention to detail, including the audio visual and theme graphics; your insistence in timeliness – all culminating in two outstanding conferences.
I am in a unique position and able to make objective comparisons due to organising TRAFINZ and IPENZ conferences many years ago – I know what we need, I know what it takes, I have seen others try but in my 30 plus years of involvement in both organisations, nothing has matched your abilities to ensure attendee satisfaction – year after year. We look forward to your continuing involvement in our conferences in future years.
I understand that you are being considered for organising another event in Christchurch in 2007, which would fall in between the TRAFINZ and IPENZ Conferences. You commented to me that the organisers are concerned at your ability to deliver an uncompromised service with the demands of all these events.
Having worked with you at a time when you were working on 3 conferences all to be delivered within a 3 month time frame, I can unreservedly state that I don’t believe your service delivery would change at all. At no time did I feel that either of the events that you organised for us was in any way compromised.
Glenda, I extend our sincere thanks for yet another successful year and feel free to use the above as a reference.
Dave Gamble, TrafficPlan Ltd, Dunedin
Yes, just to add, I was surprised how well it all went (NZ Walking Conference). Smooth running on the days themselves I'd put down to Glenda's professionalism and experience in this area. Well done Glenda, and I guess all of us.
Roger Boulter, Roger Boulter Consulting, Carterton
Thanks once again for organising such a well-run conference - your logistics skills are clearly excellent. Once again, I do think that the actual logistics of pulling off a conference was done brilliantly!
Tricia Allen Sustainable Transport Leader - Walking and Cycling, Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA)
On behalf of the IPENZ Transportation Group, I wish to thank Harding Consultants Limited for the outstanding work in organising and managing the IPENZ Transportation Conference at the Hyatt Regency in September 2005.
From feedback received from a number of delegates, sponsors, and exhibitors on the conference overall, there was a general consensus that the overall organisation of the conference was of a high standard, and many commented that this conference was one of the best they had attended. The delegates, sponsors, and exhibitors also acknowledged that the management, administration, and customer service provided by both yourself and Sally van Beek was outstanding.
Given the positive feedback and the recognition that the conference was a success, the IPENZ Transportation Group commends Harding Consultants Limited for their outstanding work and commitment in achieving this success.
Bruce Conaghan, Chairperson, IPENZ Transportation Group Auckland Branch
Earlier this year it was decided to organise a Public Health Nursing conference in Christchurch. As the committee was from various parts of the South Island it was decided to utilize the expertise of Glenda Harding from Harding Consultants to organise this. This is a decision that we have never regretted.
We were continually impressed with the direction and guidance that Glenda continually gave allowing a very successful conference to be held. The attention to detail was of an extremely high standard.
Comments on the evaluation forms included:
“The organisation was amazing”
“Very friendly staff”
“Organisation throughout was very good”
We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Glenda Harding from Harding Consultants to organise both a professional and positive conference that will be beyond your expectations.
Public Health Nurse Conference Committee, Christchurch
