16 September 2004
This weekend SKYCITY Hamilton will celebrate its second anniversary since opening on 20 September 2002.
From Friday 17 to Sunday 19 September, the entertainment and gaming complex will be decked out in party mode with fun
birthday door giveaways, a Mercedes C180K Sports Coupe up for grabs and free entertainment. SKYCITY Hamilton General
Manager Operations Phil Keber invites Waikato locals to come along and celebrate with SKYCITY in the weekend leading up
to its birthday.
“As part of our birthday celebrations, customers will be in to win the latest Mercedes on our ‘Win this Car’ Jackpot.
Valued at over $80,000, this car is one of the most expensive we have offered to date. With over 120 vehicles given away
since SKYCITY’s opening, there have been lots of new car winners in Hamilton,” said Mr Keber. Mr Keber said that SKYCITY
has plenty to celebrate about with the business continuing to perform ahead of expectations in its second year of
operation and a level of community participation achieved, through various sponsorships and events, of which the company
is proud.
“A highlight of this year was the opening of our new SKYCITY Hamilton Function Centre which has hosted over 100 events
since opening in April this year. It has been embraced by local and national organisations as a valuable addition to the
conference venue options in the Waikato. “We are also delighted with the contribution we have been able to make in a
broad community entertainment sense, through continued sponsorships of the Waikato Air New Zealand NPC Rugby Team and
Chiefs Super 12 Rugby Team (with SKYCITY Hamilton being a popular after match venue for fans), Waikato Racing and as
Entertainment Sponsor for the recently held Gallagher Boathouse 8s.
“The SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust in its inaugural year last year distributed close to $400,000 to local community
groups and charitable organisations including the Fuel 4 Youth Programme and Parentline Charitable Trust. The Trust is
currently calling for applications in its second funding round, which closes at 5pm on Thursday 30 September. “We
currently employ 240 staff who are a fantastic bunch of local Waikato people. In our two years of operation, our staff
has shared in SKYCITY Hamilton’s success as we’ve paid out four lot of bonus payments for meeting and exceeding our high
level of customer service standards and meeting financial performance targets.
“A highlight in October last year was hosting SKYCITY Entertainment Group’s Annual General Meeting. The complex has also
brought several popular entertainers to the Waikato including NZ Idol’s Camillia and Jackie Clarke with ‘ABBAlicious’ at
the Gallagher Boathouse 8s. “It is exciting that, after only two years in operation, SKYCITY Hamilton has been
recognised as one of 53 Waikato icons at the inaugural ‘Best of the Waikato’ function, held this month, voted by the
Waikato Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Waikato and the Hamilton City Council. The building itself has also received a
number of architecture and design awards.
“We are looking forward to celebrating our successes and our second birthday with our customers this weekend, with a
range of fun promotions and entertainment on offer,” said Mr Keber. Popular bands ‘Spilt Second’ (Friday 17 September)
and ‘Hands Off’ (Saturday 18 September) will entertain guests from 9.30pm – 1.30am, in Number Eight Bar. Ongoing
promotions at SKYCITY Hamilton in September include ‘Wednesday Sweepstakes’, ‘Hot Seat’ and ‘Hot Chips’.
ENDS