The night also served as an introduction to Weka’s new general manager, Sandy Trapski – known for roles at Tandem Travel and Air New Zealand.
Company founder Josh Loughnan says Trapski will be running New Zealand and Europe operations while he steps more into marketing, research and product development.
He adds that Weka is seeing strong demand in all three of its current travel styles.
‘Tailor made FIT is taking off. We handle the detail and bring in the local knowledge – we have massive support on the ground.
‘We’re also seeing growth in private tours for special interest groups – sports, yoga, cooking etc. A lot of agents who lead their own tours are coming to us for design and supply work.’
The third area is hosted journeys, with Bali launched now and Italy and Spain soon to follow.
The evening at Weka’s premises on Remuera Rd, Auckland included an art exhibition by Kelly Williams, who has worked with the travel company on its logo. Neighbouring business little Coco opened it showroom for people to view curated furniture and access open night specials, while Hercules Noble supplied oven fired pizzas.