Rotorua Queen's Birthday high tea parties to be held, with a twist

Published in Rotorua Daily Post on 29 May, 2020

A Rotorua event manager is using the power of technology to host a Queen's Birthday high tea party nationwide.

The initiative called Keep Calm and Carry On aims to hold virtual and real tea party events in Dunedin and Rotorua.

Participants have the option to join the royal-themed tea parties virtually by Facebook live if they cannot go along in person.

The Rotorua Queen's High Tea parties will start from 3pm on Monday at the Princes Gate Hotel and Level 13 in Rotorua with attendees encouraged to don their best tiara.

The event is a tourism initiative hoping to bring support to local tourism operators and café owners all around New Zealand.

The real and virtual Queen's high tea parties are being hosted by events and accommodation company Look After Me.

Founder Dr Julia Anne said she felt compelled to "do her bit" to help re-imagine and kick-start the domestic events industry through the Keep Calm and Carry On campaign.

"Our challenge is to maintain our sense of unity as a nation, keep having fun together – but to be physically distanced so we don't spread the virus," she said.

"All the while trying to adapt our tourism businesses, remain cohesive and strong while struggling through our personal turmoil.

"As a small and agile events company – we thought it might be a great opportunity to try something a bit different. We wonder if we can still have very large national events – but with our newfound love of technology, Kiwis are ready to explore attending events in different ways."