Once upon a time, during the recession of ‘09, an idea was cooked up by Grow Wellington and Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT).
And after just six weeks of compiling the ingredients, Visa Wellington On a Plate (VWOAP) food festival was prepared and ready to serve.
Visa Wellington On a Plate stands for quality, innovation and collaboration. And since its humble-pie beginnings, the annual Festival has worked hard to establish a reputation as one of New Zealand’s premier culinary events.
The Festival has continued to grow both in size and success (PDF). Since 2009, DINE Wellington participation has increased over 150 percent (42-108) and the events programme has surged eight-fold (12-106) – food for thought!
Economists have even suggested that the Festival has the potential to be as valuable and strategically important to Wellington as reputable events such as Hertz Sevens or the Brancott Estate World of WearableArt Awards Show.
VWOAP has quickly gained significant support not only from the Wellington food and beverage industry but also from producers and suppliers. The Festival acts as a cornerstone to the marketing of their industry throughout Wellington, New Zealand and Australia.
With a goal to raise awareness and grow confidence in the wider Wellington region’s food industry, and help solidify Wellington’s place as the Cuisine Capital of New Zealand, the Festival acts as a platform for a delicious and diverse range of events, programmes and competitions.
DINE Wellington – where over 100 eateries throughout the region offer locally focused set menus – is the centrepiece, while the Wellington Fisher & Paykel MasterClass leads the Festival Events programme.
The annual Battle of the Burger is fast becoming a favourite of the Festival. And there’s more than meets the pie with Wellington Bake Club – where ‘clubs’ compete against each other in a knock-out competition culminating in the ultimate bake off.
VWOAP is primarily funded by PWT and Grow Wellington, with additional contributions from our generous sponsors and partners.
As far as we’re concerned, having too many cooks in the kitchen is definitely a good thing!
:: Are you a foodie with a fun idea? Hungry to get involved? Visit our Industry page for more information.
View our Corporate Profile (PDF: 2.5MB) for further details on the Festival’s structure, strategies and success.
