Hobbiton played host to 200 "Walshies" and certainly delivered a fantastic night!
I was lucky enough to have the wonderful Maya Storey from Hobbiton Tours to help me pull our concept together and make the most of what they had to offer.My endless questions were always met with helpful answers, and our discussions for ideas we wanted to try blossomed to deliver a wonderfully memorable night for the reunion.Last minute issues were met with a calm overtone, everything was well under control and it showed seamlessly on the night.
We had four bus loads of people to get from two different locations to Hobbiton. Each bus was met by a super friendly, funny and knowledgeable tour guide (ours went by both Andy and Stefan - I still don't know what his actual name was!) and for about 45 minutes we walked around the movie set, ducking in and out of Hobbit holes for photo opportunities.
After that, we piled in to the Green Dragon Inn for a complimentary beverage and rest, shortly followed by the most organised dinner service I've seen outside a 5 star restaurant.Margaret our maitre d' lifted and shifted all of us in turn to a beautiful dinner (the Whitfurrows option) without waiting at your seat or in line for more than a few minutes.
The ambiance in the party marquee was just wonderful on the beautiful summers evening.
At the end of the night, GoBus Matamata provided a shuttle system to get everyone back to where they started from.
But it's about how you deal with those issues.
We had a technical issue, which was solved without causing any fuss, and I'm convinced no one else knew it even happened.
We had someone who fell and required first aid; instantly a first aid kit so well stocked it could have been used to cut out someone's appendix appeared. Hobbiton staff also ensured the injured person was able to get home safely (they drove him home themselves!) - how cool that they care about their guests that much!
Absolutely, hands down if I ever get the opportunity to hold an event in the Waikato region I'll be looking to see what Hobbiton can do.
They made everything easy from concept to plate.
