Latest news with #FutureFest
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Hospo industry recognised
The best of Queenstown hospo will find out next month if they're the best in the country. Three hotels, a restaurant, cafe, bar, two suppliers and a manager have been named as finalists in this year's Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence, being announced during the HNZ25 conference, in Wellington, on June 10 and 11. Crowne Plaza Queenstown general manager Stewart Manson's a finalist in the accommodation industry leader of the year, alongside Rajeev Sharma (Sarin Hotels) and Alexander Siebentritt (Rutherford Hotel, Nelson), while in the supplier of the year, it's a Queenstown battle, with the only finalists resort-based IT business Both Brains going up against local Jill Polson (Lion). Future Hospitality Group's (FHG) Little Blackwood is once again a finalist in the best bar category — other finalists are Madame Social (Napier), Moon Under Water and Rambler at Drifter, both in Christchurch, Sprig & Fern Tawa (Wellington), The Freeport with Cleaver & Co (Mount Maunganui) and Tipsy Oyster (Paihia) — while odd saint, also owned by FHG, is in the mix for best cafe. It's going up against Christchurch's Brigittes Merivale and Hello Sunday, Brunel Peaks Cafe & Bar (Monowai), Peekaboo Backyard Eatery (Kaitaia) and The Pantry (Auckland). In the best restaurant category, Sherwood has been named as a finalist, as has Metita — SkyCity Auckland, Esther Restaurant and TALA, both also in Auckland, Craggy Range Restaurant (Havelock North), Fife Lane Kitchen & Bar (Mount Maunganui), Madame Social and Pio Pio Restaurant by Milford Sound Lodge. Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel, The Rees Hotel and The Dairy Private Hotel by Naumi are all in the running for the best hotel, as are Crowne Plaza Christchurch, Park Hyatt Auckland, QT Auckland and The George (Christchurch). HNZ boss Steve Armitage says the calibre of this year's finalists "speaks volumes about the talent and tenacity driving our industry". "Each one reflects the energy, care, and creativity that hospitality in Aotearoa is known for. "The Awards for Excellence are our opportunity to acknowledge those individuals and businesses who are raising the bar through their commitment to excellence, and we're proud to recognise their impact and celebrate their success." 'Future Fest' launches Queenstown's Future Hospitality Group's hosting its first 'Future Fest' next month, beginning with Little Blackwood's 10th birthday party from 7pm this Sunday. Co-owners Bert Haines and James Ace say Queenstown in June can prove to be a "holding pattern" for some businesses and locals as the resort waits for snow to fall, ski areas to open and visitors to arrive. Future Fest's been designed to connect the community, showcase the group's offerings and "have a bit of fun", Haines says. Events next month include 'Dragged to Brunch' at Margo's, featuring Yuri Guaii and Rosa Violeta from Ru Paul's Drag Race, Sip & Paint, cocktail-making masterclasses, a long lunch collab between Little Blackwood and odd saint, and a Matariki celebration with a starry night theme. Additionally, Future Hospitality's launching its loyalty programme — a random draw on July 1 will see one person win a $20,000 prize pack by signing up. For more info, or tickets to events, visit
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FOX31 partners with Future Fest to inspire next generation of the Denver metro
DENVER (KDVR) — FOX31 was the media sponsor for Future Fest, an event created to help inspire the next generation in the Denver metro and showcase the diverse careers available to them in the future. The event, hosted at Civic Center Park, had representatives from a variety of careers, including: Firefighters Police officers Artists Athletes Journalists Group gets stuck, suspended in air on ride at Elitch Gardens Those are only a small percentage of the groups that attended Future Fest. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston even attended the event to help inspire the next generation of politicians. 'You know, we have this great mayor's youth works program this summer, where if you're a high school student looking for a summer job, we can help connect you to an employer, you get hired for the summer and we'll pay you a $500 bonus for working there this summer,' said Johnston. Young artists held a contest to design the logo for this year's t-shirts, and a group of young entrepreneurs got to perform business pitches to a panel of experts. FOX31 brought out the Pinpoint Weather Beast and showed the next generation what it looks like to be a journalist and meteorologist. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Colorado teen wins design contest for Denver's Future Fest
Inside Artistic Apparel in Aurora, creativity knows no bounds. CBS "We are a full-service print shop," said VP of Marketing, Jouanna Wells. "We do anything you can think of -- pens, pencils, all the way up to big old graphic signs." The women-owned small business is playing a big role in Denver's Future Fest this year by providing the wearable swag for the youth-focused festival. Wells made sure it included a fun-filled twist. "If the point is that this is a kid-centered event, then the kids should design it," she said. To do just that, Wells started an online contest for kids around the Denver metro area to come up with their best T-shirt design. Wells said she was quite impressed by the submissions. "Is this really a kid who came up with this?" she said with a laugh. "That was my first thought." Among the submissions was a creation by 13-year-old Anna Beers of Thornton. She jumped at the opportunity to compete and use her love of graphic design. Anna Beers CBS "I've just always been a really creative person," she said. "When I was looking at the (Future Fest) logo, one of the letters had dots on it and it looked like a building. So, I thought it would be cool if I replaced certain letters with graphics. Like, let's try putting every letter with a different field and occupation and see where that gets me." Where it got the 8th grader was the top spot, and winning the contest means her design will be front and center at the annual festival this coming weekend. "People are going to be wearing your design around downtown Denver," CBS Colorado's Kelly Werthmann said to Beers. "How does that make you feel?" "It makes me excited because that means other people like my work" she replied. "Winning this contest has definitely boosted my confidence in graphic design." That boost of confidence and empowerment is what the City of Denver wants all kids to feel during Future Fest on April 26. An energetic festival where small business owners, entrepreneurs and other community leaders will not only celebrate kids of all ages but also encourage them to explore endless future career possibilities. "For any parent who's like, 'Hmm, what are we going to do this weekend?' Come down for half an hour, walk around, meet new people, and be exposed to a possibility for your kids that you didn't know or they didn't know existed," said Wells. CBS Visitors at Future Fest can get their own T-shirt with Beers' colorful design hot off the press - literally. Wells is bringing a T-shirt press machine to Civic Center Park and shirts of a variety of sizes. She has 500 shirts she will hand out for free.
CBS News
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Future Fest celebrates Denver children, all their future possibilities
Future Fest is a free, citywide event for students and their families to connect passions to careers and empower youth. "It's really our commitment as a City to our youth, our up-and-coming future workforce to get them excited about careers in their own backyard and be able to have hands-on interactions and activities that they can really dive into," said Alyse West, Community Engagement Strategist with the City & County of Denver. Future Fest kicks off with a parade around Civic Center Park at 11 a.m. There are Performing Arts Showcases, a Step Show Competition, a Business Pitch Competition, and Flag Football Clinics. Youth on Record will be performing on the main stage in the evening. "We want to empower and inspire our youth while giving them the opportunity to just explore new opportunities, the City, and learn more about our agencies and what we do," said J.J. Williams, OHR Talent Acquisition Supervisor for the City & County of Denver. In addition to the activities, 85 organizations and City agencies will have booths at Future Fest. Some of the organizations that will be on display at Future Fest include Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Cyber Qubits, and the Mobile Earth + Space Observatory. City agencies include Denver Parks and Recreation, Technology Services, and Denver Human Services. "I want to make sure that they feel seen and celebrated. There's lots of opportunities where they get to showcase their talents in different competitions and different performance opportunities," West added. Future Fest offers an opportunity for children to interact with the City's police officers, sheriff's deputies, firefighters, and 911 emergency communicators. LINK: Future Fest Future Fest is Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Civic Center Park.
