The projects that stay with me are often the ones celebrating a milestone. There's something special about creating a guestbook that will be filled with memories from people who have helped shape an organisation over many years.
This custom guestbook was created for the New Zealand Vegetarian Society as they celebrated their 75th anniversary. The celebration brought members together to reflect on the Society's history and recognise everyone who has contributed to its journey over the decades.
A guestbook for an important milestone
Anniversary celebrations are about more than marking a date on the calendar. They're an opportunity to reconnect with past and present members, share stories, and celebrate the people who have helped an organisation grow. It’s amazing to think that their founding member, Geoffrey Hodson, had the vision to set up such a group as far back as 1943 when a meat-eating population was considered the norm.
Creating a custom anniversary guestbook
For this project, the fingerprint guestbook was personalised specifically for the New Zealand Vegetarian Society's 75th anniversary, creating a keepsake that reflected the significance of the occasion. Using the clients brilliant logo designed for all event branding we added strings for the balloon fingerprints to be added. Matching ink pads to brand colours was also considered and luckily lime and cyan blue were a great batch.
Handmade with longevity in mind
One thing I always think about while making guestsbooks like this is who might be looking at them hanging on the wall in another 25 or 50 years' time. Long after the decorations have been packed away, the guestbook becomes part of the organisation's history, preserving not only signatures, but memories and well wishes from everyone who attended.
The event set up
I not only delivered the Guestbook but was invited to stay and take part in the evening. I was fascinated to hear guests talking about being third or fourth generation plant-based eaters making it a ‘norm’ in the family to be a vegetarian, rather than ridiculed or being told it’s a fad.
Guests were treated to an utterly delicious meal (all vegetarian of course!) and feasted like royalty at the stunning Heritage Hotel in Auckland which, incidentally, was the first hotel in New Zealand to receive an accreditation by the NZ Vegetarian Society for its special menu options for plant-based and vegetarian diners. This hotel celebrates this achievement alongside the group.
At the risk of sounding like a brand ambassador for the Heritage (I’m not, just a fan!) I have to rave about the exquisite bouquet of vegetables the staff created especially for the dinner. I think you’ll agree with me on how utterly unique it is.
It’s not often I get to see any of my Guestbook’s in action at an event either! I was thrilled to hear the comments and feedback from the guests. Comments such as:
“This is so unique”
“Oh how wonderful”
“What a cool idea!”
“I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
I was really honoured to spend an evening with such a thoughtful, kind and caring group of people and I particularly loved how welcoming everyone was. If you’d like to know more about this organisation you can visit them here: https://www.vegetarian.org.nz
Project Summary
Client
New Zealand Vegetarian Society
Project
75th Anniversary Guestbook
Occasion
Organisation Anniversary Celebration
Book Style
Custom personalised fingerprint guestbook
Personalisation
Client supplied logo and custom anniversary wording
Perfect for
- Organisation anniversaries
- Clubs and societies
- Charities
- Community groups
- Corporate milestone celebrations
- School reunions
- Association conferences
Planning your own milestone celebration?
Whether you're celebrating 25 years, 50 years, 75 years or an even bigger milestone, a personalised guestbook is a wonderful way to capture the people who made the journey possible.
If you're planning an anniversary celebration for your organisation, I'd love to help create a guestbook that's made specifically for your event and designed to become part of your history.
