“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw

Verve was founded in 1999 by entrepreneurial director Terri van Schooten. Drawing on a career focussed on designing change management and stakeholder engagement – Terri saw a gap in the business landscape for a consulting agency specialising in designing and delivering events and live communications.

And so, Verve was born.

In the 18 years since, Verve has created many of New Zealand’s most successful events and breathed new life into many others; seeing the strong results that flow from creating stunning events based on smart strategies.

Verve’s early work focused on city-wide celebrations and iconic events – including being the driving force behind the development and delivery of “everything but the rugby” for NZ Rugby’s Wellington Sevens in its first years; as well as the Lord of the Rings movie premiers in Wellington – as well as several significant public openings of iconic Wellington buildings, such as the new Wellington International Airport Terminal and Courtney Central Shopping Centre.

Verve has developed into a full-service events and communications agency, able to create and deliver any kind of event. Verve’s portfolio includes everything from large-scale arts, performance and public events to awards ceremonies, VIP gala dinners and exclusive experiences; through to conferences, roadshows, product launches and business events. We’ve even delivered a million-dollar birthday party!

With a core team of event specialists and a family of experts on call — there is no job to big or too small.  If there’s one thing Verve’s history has proven, it’s that we can deliver a one-of-a-kind experience that creates a lasting impression on all who attend.

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

One of the main things that sets Verve apart from our peers, is that we never start with assumptions or templated solutions. We listen, we evaluate and seek to understand your specific and unique needs.

Before we talk about who’s coming, what to do, where, when the event will be — we talk about why you want an event and what you aim to achieve through it. We work to understand your business and its needs so we can develop a strategy that delivers effectively to these needs.

Once we understand your business, we look to your audience — whether it’s an already defined and established group, or a new audience you are seeking to reach, we seek to define and understand them and how to best communicate and connect with them specifically.

We are detailed, we are thorough and nothing is left to chance, ensuring your message is delivered in a clear, concise and effective manner.

At Verve, we take nothing for granted and love to question assumptions. “Why?” is one of our favourite questions.

We will not propose anything for your event unless it necessary and serves the events strategy – this means every element from the venue and decoration, to entertainment and event programming is highly crafted to meet your needs. If any element does not serve this purpose, then is excluded.

This means your time, effort and budget is focused where it matters most, meaning your event is more effective and delivers a much higher return on investment.

“It takes a hell of a lot of work to make things look easy.” – Sir Richard Branson

One of Verve’s major hallmarks is a relentless commitment to innovation. As self-professed technology geeks, we love to look for new ways of doing things and integrate the latest technology into our audiences’ experience.

Verve has often taken the lead in integrating new technologies into the New Zealand events scene – as an example, Verve was the first to use “WatchOut” to manage AV content – now a standard for events requiring complex projection, Verve pioneered its use in Gala Dinners and Awards ceremonies.

Verve’s close connections to the technology sector mean we’re kept in the loop of wider developments, and our events have given guests the opportunity to experience new technologies first hand – Virtual Reality Headsets, Segways and even Jet Packs have been featuring at our events for well over 10 years!