#WeMakeEvents Global Day of Action – 1 Year Later – Join us online again!
One year on from our Global Day of Action, we want to join our overseas colleagues and remind the world that we are still here, and still trying to make events in the face of COVID!
Please join us on the 30th of September 2021 by populating the We Make Events – Aotearoa New Zealand Facebook page with images and your stories. These can be of past events, photos from Light It In Red 2020, images using your #wemakeevents gobo, photos of parts of your house lit up red, ghost light photos, or photos of you with your vaccination card in an event environment. Share your stories, help us raise the awareness of the industry!
*All photos or content should be created within alert level restrictions; respect social distancing, obey NZ laws, and convey a positive message.
Use the hashtags: #WeMakeEventsNZ #WeMakeEvents #IGotVaccinated #EntertainmentTechnologyNZ #EntertainmentTechnology #ETNZMember
We Make Events highlights the plight of our industry to fellow New Zealanders and the government, and we will add to the list above as key topics arise though this campaign.
Don’t forget to tag us in and we’ll do our best to share all your posts: Facebook, LinkedIn, & Instagram.
ETNZ have also been collecting information on COVID-19 support in Aotearoa. This information can be found here.

LIVE EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: A FORGOTTEN INDUSTRY IN CRITICAL CONDITION
Behind every concert, show, festival, and event is a vast supply chain, encompassing manufacturing and distribution, production and design, stage crew and venue staff. This hidden industry brings live events to life, from grassroots gigs all the way up to the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup.
This industry creates millions of memories with millions of stories, stories that are told and retold to friends and families around the world.
New Zealand #WeMakeEventsNZ is committed to helping ensure this continues.
September 30, 2020 – The events sector urgently needs more support to survive the COVID-19 crisis.
Live events around the world have been devastated, from major festivals and landmark theatres to grassroots venues and business events. Without major immediate support, the entire supply chain is at risk of collapse. In support of the wider global campaign, we bring you the New Zealand #WeMakeEventsNZ campaign organised by ETNZ: Entertainment Technology New Zealand, by industry for industry.
New Zealand #WeMakeEventsNZ is now at #RedAlert to raise awareness of Aotearoa’s thousands of highly skilled industry professionals, all of whom have had little or no work since March with little likelihood of restarting soon.
Our industry includes a huge supply chain ranging from production, audio, lighting, and video, to logistics, planning, transportation, and some of the world’s leading technology manufacturers.
Without additional support and acknowledgement of the supply chain, Aotearoa is in danger of losing its global position as a world leader in world-class events. Moreover, all of our incredible creatives and technicians could lose their livelihoods.
ETNZ have been collecting information on existing support in Aotearoa thus far. This information can be found here.




Stand as ONE alongside a growing collective of organisations, companies, and freelancers to get our industry’s voice heard.
Our next day of action is Wednesday 30th September 2020, in support of the Global Day of Action.
Aims:
- Engage and educate the public
- Engage and build awareness through Social Media
- Engage and educate politicians
ALL ACTIVITY MUST:
- RESPECT PHYSICAL DISTANCING – No crowds, no illegal protests.
- OBEY NZ LAWS.
- CONVEY A POSITIVE MESSAGE – We want to keep the public onside and gain support. This is not a protest.
- Employ communication with authorities to obey numbers – use existing lines of contact with emergency services. It is important to maintain the respect we have already established with emergency services.
What we are asking:
We ask that buildings be turned red to highlight all those affected by the ongoing situation in our industry. If you are able to, please also project the #WeMakeEvents logo and videos onto your building or structure. All of these assets can be found in the NZ TOOLKIT HERE.
Examples:
- Light It In Red – venues, vendors, landmarks, monuments. Use laser projection & Gobo projection to show the #WeMakeEvents logo over the red. Don’t have a venue? Light up your empty trucks, your warehouses full of unused gear, outside your offices; show us how the pandemic has affected you.
- Projections – Project images of a gig that took place inside the building, on the outside of the venue. Remind the public what they are missing now and risk losing.
- Light shafts – Create shafts of light to represent numbers of people out of work (e.g. 20 Sharpys together to form one shaft) – each shaft of light can represent 1k/10k people. YOU MUST NOTIFY Civil Aviation minimum 5 days before aiming large beams of light at the sky.
- Art Installation – Create works with flight cases, or a truss garden, or stacks of PA – representative of the quantity of people out of work.
It’s important not to be seen as ‘just roadies’ by pushing flight cases – aim to represent all the technical talents, plus caterers, marquees, infrastructure, venues, and drivers, etc.
When to light up:
This Global Day of Action will see our industry unite as never before, with buildings turning red on Wednesday, 30th September, 2020, from 8pm – 11pm (NZ). Further buildings we be turned red throughout the world, 8pm-11pm in each time zone.
Thank You for Your Images from Around Aotearoa



















Share Your Stories.
After lighting your building, or creating your image, we ask that you share your stories via your social media platforms. We understand that even more of our colleagues are now without work or financial support. If you are unable to take part in Light It In Red, you can participate in other ways.
Tell Us Your Story – as a video or written message. Read more about how to do this here.
Step Into The Light – photography brief.
WRITE to your MP – individual emails/letters referencing local people & businesses that are impacted.
Add the following hashtags to your posts across all your platforms:
#WeMakeEventsNZ #WeMakeEvents #LightItInRed #RedAlertRESTART #TheShowMustGoOn #RedAlert #SaveOurStages #StandAsONE #SupportNeeded
You can also add the new #WeMakeEvents logo to your social media profile.
We look forward to seeing your photos & videos from this Global Day of Action.
Register Your Action.
We want to keep track of all the places and ways you participate.
Please REGISTER YOUR EVENT HERE before the 30th Sept 2020.
The locations of New Zealand #WeMakeEventsNZ actions will be passed on to the #WeMakeEvents Global Team, who will be creating a world map of Global Day of Action as we Stand As ONE.
This form can also help us to connect people looking for a way to participate. Do you have some lights but no building to #LightItInRed? Do you have some great footage but need to edit it into something to share? We can put people in touch with each other through this form.
Send Us Your Content.
We will be hosting the NZ hub of the Global Day of Action for 3hrs on 30th September streaming worldwide.
Please SAVE YOUR CONTENT HERE ASAP before the 30th Sept 2020. If you have any difficulty saving to this link, email your content to etnz.admin@gmail.com.
By sharing your photos, videos, and text with the New Zealand #WeMakeEventsNZ campaign, you agree to them being shared via our social media channels, and with the wider media, as well as passed on to the #WeMakeEvents Global Team.
Watch the Live Feed from the 30th September 2020.
We hosted the NZ hub of the Global Day of Action for 3hrs on 30th September 2020 streaming worldwide.
You can visit our YouTube page to watch the live stream, or view it below.
Both our Facebook pages were also streaming the feed from Aotearoa:
By sharing your photos, videos, and text with the New Zealand #WeMakeEventsNZ campaign, you agree to them being shared via our social media channels, and with the wider media, as well as passed on to the #WeMakeEvents Global Team.