Adam Bennett is a well-known figure in the local entertainment and events space and in the North Shore community. As well as running Highlife Entertainment with his wife Jo, the father of two is on the board of Hauraki Primary and Takapuna Football Club. Adam has organised hundreds of successful events including music festivals, unique event experiences and high profile parties. He has also organised many different charity events and fundraising drives. One event that Highlife Entertainment has hosted on the North Shore calendar for many years is the popular Sunsetter Festival. For 2025, this festival is being held in Windsor Reserve on the Devonport Waterfront. During October the event totally sold out – months in advance. A sensational result in these challenging economic times. Channel Mag’s Aidan Bennett caught up with Adam for a chat in Devonport during October.
AIDAN BENNETT: You must be thrilled to sell out so early?
ADAM BENNETT: Yes, we are over the moon. It provides us with a lot more certainty and we can organise the event accordingly. We are very thankful for the support and that people got in early to purchase their tickets. It makes our lives a lot easier.
What made you make the decision to take the festival to Devo?
I grew up on the Takapuna and Devonport peninsula, living all over Devonport at different periods of my life. I have always had a lot of love for the place. I have wanted to produce another event on the Devonport waterfront for a long time now. We used to promote a large event called the Sounds of Summer at the Masonic Tavern and in its carpark many years ago which happened every year during the early to mid 2000s until The Masonic was developed and turned into apartments. For years after many locals have been asking us to bring something back to the Devonport waterfront but the timing just wasn’t right given our already busy events schedule. We then started planning to bring something back down to Devonport during Covid but ongoing restrictions delayed the timing of things. We finally decided to move forward with it all in 2023 and have been working on it all ever since to make it happen for 2025.
What do you have lined up for those lucky punters who managed to snaffle up tickets before they sold out?
We have some great house music, disco and live music from international acts Sneaky Sound System, Bermuda Social and the Loneliest Hunk. Some of the top wine brands in New Zealand will be on offer at the festival, a range of delicious cocktails and tailor-made food options from local Devonport restaurants and caterers. This is a higher energy and higher quality event so people can expect something a bit different than your usual food and beverage festival.
I know you’ve had a long-held ambition to do these things in your home patch for the benefit of the community and businesses. How are you involving local businesses?
We have included a number of local restaurants and caterers on the event and we have organised things so they keep 100% of the profits from their event day revenue. We are also covering some of their costs to activate at the festival and providing them with a lot of promotion and exposure surrounding the event. Many of them are also holding after functions at their establishments in Devonport as well which will provide them with extra revenue. We have also donated a lot of tickets and products that have been used as auction items at different schools and sports clubs on the peninsula. Some funds from the festival will also be supporting a local community initiative. We are also promoting Devonport as a destination so people far and wide can keep it top of mind as we encourage more people to visit the area and support the local hospitality outlets and retailers.
Where does your passion for the community come from?
I love New Zealand, I love Auckland and I love our area. I genuinely want to see our country and our area in a better place. I have a family of my own as well and want New Zealand to be a great place for all of our children to grow up in like it was for us. So my wife and I are pretty active in helping as many community organisations and people as we can when we can. I think we all need to step up and do our bit if we are in a position to do so, especially given the current state our country is in.
What measures have been put in place to ensure things go smoothly with this festival in Devonport?
We have pretty solid event, security, traffic and alcohol management plans in place for Sunsetter. We also have a wet weather postponement date in place for Sunday 19 January. There will always be learnings from an event in a new location but after producing 300 + events over 22 years I believe we have things mostly covered.
What other events have you got lined up for late 2024 and next year, 2025?
We have our Highlife New Years Eve event at Wild Estate Vineyard on Waiheke Island this year, and next year we have a bunch of local fundraising drives and events we are organising to raise money for Hauraki Primary School, Takapuna Football Club and other entities across the area in 2025.
It is no secret that 2024 has been very challenging for businesses. You are clearly still having a good level of success with what you do. What advice would you give for business people in the current market?
We are still having some good success with things but we have had to put in a huge amount more work than usual to ensure that success. The last few years have definitely been a challenge and our entire industry has felt it along with many others. My advice is that people need to pivot where needed, innovate and keep going forward. Have a plan (a realistic one) and also have a back-up plan. People need to be staying on top of any changes to their industry and also the potential impacts from the ongoing turbulence in the global geopolitical and economic environment. These tough times won’t last forever but the next few years are going to be bumpy so have smart game plans, a good vision and work towards a better tomorrow.
What will Adam, Jo and the kids be doing to relax in summer 2025?
Everything New Zealand. Fishing, beach and barbecues. Bring on a hot and sunny Kiwi summer!
