You may have heard that this month IT Partners moved offices. Our new home is located on Grey Street and is called 'Panama East’ – the shiny and new white building just round the corner from Snap Fitness. Moving is a wonderful way to start fresh and breathe new life into your office space.
If you work in an office, you’re probably familiar with the generic names of meeting rooms such as “Boardroom,” Conference Room,” or “Meeting Room 1.” These names may accurately describe the function of the space, but they lack personality and character. In recent years, more companies have started to get creative with their meeting room names, and for a good reason. Giving meeting rooms unique and meaningful names can add a touch of personality to the workplace, help build company culture, and better align with your company values. In this blog post, we’ll explore the inspiration behind our new office meeting room names and the meaning behind them too.
After many weird, wonderful (and downright Strange) suggestions from the team, we finally landed on the theme of 'Technology and Productivity’. Embedding our bigger just cause to ‘Make a difference by growing New Zealand’s productivity and place in the world’.
Drury (Boardroom)
Named after Rod Drury who was one of the driving forces and founders of global small business accounting platform Xero. Founded in Wellington, New Zealand, Xero has since grown to become a global company with operations in several countries. Providing accounting software and services for small and medium-sized businesses, it has won numerous awards for its innovative approach to accounting software. Managing Director Andrew Johnson credits Xero as “one of the first true software as a service (SasS)application that has totally changed the accounting landscape.”
Joyce (Booth 1)
Steven Joyce is a former Minister of Economic Development, Communications and Information Technology. He played a significant role in the rollout of the fiber network in New Zealand. In 2009the New Zealand government announced plans to invest in a national ultra-fast broadband network, which would bring high-speed fiber broadband to over 75% of New Zealand homes and businesses. Joyce was tasked with overseeing the rollout, “something the Australians even 10 years later still haven’t caught up with”– Andrew.
Gallagher (6 person meeting room)
This is a nod to the Gallagher family who over 6generations have built substantial businesses both here in New Zealand and worldwide. It recognizes to the eco-system of successful Waikato businesses, particularly in manufacturing that have been inspired by them. The Gallagher family is also well known for their philanthropic activities in the Waikato region. They have donated significant amounts of money to local charities, community organizations, and educational institutions.
Buckley (Phone Booth 1)
Phil Buckley is the founder of Buckley Systems, the world’s leading supplier of precision electromagnetics. Used in the manufacture of silicon chips, flat panel screens and high-end medical machinery (especially particle accelerators). Remarkably the company supplies machinery used in the manufacture of more than 90% of the world's silicon chips and employees close to 300 people in New Zealand…again making a difference!
Morgan (Phone Booth 2)
Named after (Son) Sam and (Dad) Gareth Morgan. Sam was one of the founders of Trade me and Gareth co-founded KiwiSaver provider, Gareth Morgan Investments. “Both used first mover advantage and technology to build successful businesses that have transitioned successfully from being founder led” – Andrew.
Stark-Dwyer (Booth 2)
Acknowledges Matt Stark and Graham Dywer who have helped shaped IT Partners’ identity through smart investment in both people and spaces, leading to enhanced productivity.
FNZ (Andrew’s Office and overflow meeting room space)
Like some of our clients there are companies out there on the global stage that are quietly going about building successful businesses, which you may have never heard of. FNZ is a global financial technology company that provides wealth management and investment platform solutions to financial institutions, including banks, insurers, and asset managers. The company was founded in 2003 in New Zealand and has since expanded its operations to the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and Australia. “An example of how you don’t need your name in lights to succeed” – Andrew.
We hope this blog challenges you to consider whether your business is getting the most out of your meeting room spaces, both from a technology and cultural impact perspective!
