Thank you to Hospotrade, ‘the hub of the hospitality industry’ for your support in bringing the DineAid message to New Zealand.

Hamilton based Hospotrade is the hospitality service hub where members can place free advertising in the classifieds and job board pages, discuss hospitality topics, and find trade suppliers in NZ’s largest Hospitality Trade Directory.

We really value their support.

www.hospotrade.co.nz/

Just a quick note and photo to show you the stand at Hospitality August 23rd – 25th and the visiting stars of Hospitality from the world renown French Laundry restaurant. After the first day we decided to make a few changes and here is the result which I am sure you will agree looks great.

We were positioned next to the Telecom master classes theatre where Clare Clark and Larry Nadeau, Pastry Chef and Maitre D, from the French Laundry in California ( 2009 World top 5 ) were sharing and inspiring with their invaluable knowledge. These master classes were sold out and thus we enjoyed a high quality of visitors to the Dineaid stand.

As of yesterday we have had 80 restaurants already sign up using the NEW on-line registration form at New Zealands busiest dining web site Menu Mania: www.menumania.co.nz/dineaid

Thank you everyone for your unflinching support, wonderful design work, cars and stand collateral, you made it all possible for which we are most grateful and are particularly excited about Dineaid 2009.

Please come and visit us on the DineAid stand at the amazing Hospitality NZ show at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, West Auckland from Sunday 23rd August to Tuesday 25th August 2009. Click here for more details about the show.

This October’s platinum foodie event is the Sunday Star-Times “Restaurant Month”, a deliciously gastronomic four weeks where everyone gets the chance to “ditch the dishes” and dine out in over 150 of New Zealand’s finest restaurants, fabulous menus at irresistible prices from $20.

All diners need is one voucher per person, collect these free each week from September 20th in the Sunday Star-Times, Escape Magazine.

Diners visit MenuMania.co.nz, choose the offer they like from over 150 restaurants, then call the restaurant to make a reservation.

Dineaid Restaurants already include: The French Cafe, The Engine Room, Prego, Rocco, Merediths, The Falls, Cookin with Gas, Pier 19, Logan Brown, Millbrook Resort

The Sunday Star-Times “Restaurant Month” features restaurants exclusively from DINEAID, the charity of the New Zealand restaurant industry where 100% of all funds raised get distributed to City Missions – Food Banks in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch regions.

The Trustees of the DineAid Charitable Trust are exited about plans for the 2009 campaign. With an expectation that the current economic climate will have eased slightly by Xmas 2009, but an expectation that times will still be tough for those in needs of a helping hand, it has been decided that the sole beneficiaries of the 2009 campaign will be the foodbanks run by the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch City Missions. Subsequently, with your help, DineAid are committed to making eating out during Christmas 2009 an occasion where good quality food will also be going to those in greatest need in New Zealand.

With the support of some amazing Principal Sponsors in the shape of Mercedes Benz, Kensington Swan and Venerdi, and a whole host of supporters such as Geon, DMG Media, Fairfax, Ponsonby News and others, during the 2008 DineAid campaign, we were able to pull in an amazing result.

Despite the global credit-cunch, the 2008 campaign still boasts some impressive numbers;

•    More that 155 restaurants were involved across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and other cities (compared to just 35 in the first year in the UK)
•    A total of $55,000 was raised during the 9 week Christmas period of the campaign (outstripping both first and second year totals raised by sister organisation Streetsmart Australia)
•    (Due to the support of the Principal sponsors), every donated cent has now been distributed to the 2008 beneficiary charities – the City Missions in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch; Foundation for Youth Development, Kidz First at Middlemore Hospital and Cure Kids – all of whom received their cheques in March of 2008

DineAid are extremely excited to be involved with the upcoming Taste of Auckland show which is taking place at The Infield, Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, Thursday 19 – Sunday 22 March 2009.

12 of Auckland’s leading restaurants are currently preparing to amaze you!  Fancy an entrée from dine by Peter Gordon, a main from Clooney and a dessert from The French Cafe?  Taste of Auckland, presented by Metro and Principal partner Singapore Airlines is unlike any other food and drink event.  For 4 days, 12 selected Auckland restaurants will set up full professional kitchens to deliver a degustation menu like no other, offering 36 tantalizing signature dishes.  Restaurants include The French Café, Euro, Mudbrick, Vinnies, Rocco, and Q Restaurant and Bar to name a few.

A Taste Session lasts for 4 hours (5 on Sunday) and allows you enough time to browse around the event and enjoy the various features such as The Fisher & Paykel Chefs Theatre, Taste Magazine Chefs Table, the Taste Masterclass and the Arano Producers Market featuring over 80 food and drink exhibitors.

The inaugural event takes place Infield at Ellerslie Racecourse from 19 – 22 March and will be the ultimate dining experience so we definitely urge every one of you to make your way down there at some point during the show.

(Click here to visit the Taste of Auckland website for more details)

The 2008 Dineaid campaign came to a close on the 31st December.

To all those establishments that took part, and of course all of the diners who gave the donations, we wish to offer our thanks.

We will be back soon with news on how much we were able to raise and subsequently able to donate to the 2008 charities.

Once again. To everyone.

Thank you.

The DineAid Team

Even more restaurants have now joined DineAid, we are way past the 150 mark now which is a great testament to the fabulous restaurant and entertainment community that we have in New Zealand.

We have just updated the list of establishments, but also added in a link at the top of the page if you own or run a venue and would like to be part of DineAid 2008 – just click on “Join” and get in touch. (With six weeks still to go it is not too late).

With huge thanks to RadioWorks for their support, our radio advertising campaign is now live, playing out across Radio Live for the next few weeks.

This airtime will be supported by spots in various programmes such as Marcus Lush’s Breakfast Show, the Saturday Kitchen & Garden Show and the Saturday evening Taste Life show.

We are extremely grateful to everyone at RadioWorks for all of their support.

Thank you guys!

(We at DineAid are very grateful for this exposure as we know how valuable this airtime is, as Radio Live is an excellent way to reach a valuable New Zealand audience with your message. If you want to promote your own business we suggest that you call 09 373 5000 and talk to Paul Hancox who will be able to sort you out).