Baycourt Community and Arts Centre is this year's best venue in Aotearoa after winning the supreme honour at the 2019 EVANZ Awards.

The Tauranga City Council managed venue won two awards at this year's EVANZ Awards in Christchurch on Tuesday night – Best Small Venue and Supreme Venue of the Year.

EVANZ – The Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand – is the peak body representing the venue industry in Aotearoa with a membership of over 120 venues nationally, including theatres, event centres, outdoor stadia and convention centres.

'Winning Supreme Venue of the Year is a fantastic achievement for the whole Baycourt team who've worked hard to create extraordinary experiences for our audiences and artists this year,” says Baycourt manager James Wilson.

'The judges noted the strong community support for the venue, with a diverse range of hirers using Baycourt throughout the year, along with the team's excellent customer focus.”

Baycourt competed against two other nominees for the Best Small Venue award – Auckland's Q Theatre and the Ashburton Trust Events Centre.

While Vying for the Supreme Venue of the Year award alongside Baycourt were the winners of the Best Medium Venue – Trafalgar Centre in Nelson – and Large Venue – Claudelands in Hamilton – categories.

'Past winners of the Supreme Venue of the Year award include Auckland's Spark Arena and Eden Park, and Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal. This year is the first time a ‘small' venue has taken out the supreme title and that makes our win even more special.”

James was also nominated as a finalist in the Best Venue Executive category alongside Transport World Invercargill events manager Adam Reinsfield and this year's winner, Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner.

Running since 2012, the prestigious EVANZ Annual Awards not only recognises excellence in venue management but also celebrates the remarkable contribution made by venues and their employees.

A panel of industry experts judge the awards and take into consideration a range of factors including strategic focus, achievements and community focus, guest focus, asset management, and focus on sustainability.

'Our focus at Baycourt is working with promoters and arts organisations to bring the best in performing arts events to our community in Tauranga, and winning these EVANZ awards is a signal to promoters that we offer a fantastic venue experience for both audiences and artists alike.”

Baycourt is a Four Star Qualmark rated venue and the premier performing arts facility in Tauranga. It extensively hosts local, regional, national and international performances, conferences and exhibitions.

The then pioneering and architecturally designed venue opened in 1983 to serve the cultural, social and commercial needs of the rapidly expanding city.

Located in the heart of Downtown Tauranga, Baycourt features three prominent spaces; the Addison Theatre, X Space and Terrace Rooms.