Happy New Year to all our PeopleMax® and Action Actors contractors and clients!

Hope you had a great holiday, although the less said about the weather the better – especially since things seemed to have fined up as soon as we all headed back to work.

Never mind, the team at PeopleMax® are raring to go in 2012.

2011 was an amazing year for us and we’re confident that the only way is up for the coming year.

PeopleMax® is the reliable, no-hassle contract workforce provider. Remember, if you book full or part-time staff with us, we’ll do everything for you – training, rostering, contracts, salaries, communication, management and post-campaign reporting.

What’s been happening at PeopleMax recently:

Ellerslie Train Station
The NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail are currently collaborating on an upgrade of the Ellerslie Train Station.

The idea is that in the future the Southern Motorway will have an extra lane constructed in the north-bound direction. The new station design will allow this to happen.

And, as an added bonus, the station itself will have a better layout with more attractive facilities and much improved access.

To help make the renovation go smoother, we have PeopleMax® part-time Transport Ambassadors monitoring passenger movement on the platform, answering any questions and helping any mobility or sight-impaired passengers that need assistance due to the changes in the layout of the station while it’s under renovation.

Otara Transport Centre
More transport upgrades have been underway around the city – this time in South Auckland – at the Otara Transport Centre on January 16th and 17th.

The upgrade meant that the usual stops were closed and buses were relocated to temporary stops. PeopleMax® had part-time contract workers on hand as Transport Ambassadors who ensured that passengers were directed to the correct temporary stop.

Sandringham Bus Services
Central city road works in Bowen Street were behind the temporary relocation of several bus-stops in January, which affected buses travelling to the Sandringham area.

Once the work was completed, PeopleMax® had members of their contract workforce out making people aware that they could return to their usual bus stops in the CBD.

What’s coming up for PeopleMax?

Auckland Transport Tertiary Campaign
With the 2012 school year about to begin, Auckland will soon experience a new influx of students to various tertiary institutions around the city.

In March, PeopleMax® Transport Ambassadors will be stationed near universities and polytechnics to help new students with their public transport queries and to check they have special tertiary stickers on their ID cards. These stickers mean they can receive discounts on Auckland buses, trains and ferries.

Super 15 Rugby
Our World Cup triumph may seem like a world away now, so if you’re experiencing withdrawal symptoms, Super 15 Rugby is back in late February and goes right through until June.

We’re personally hoping for a strong performance from the Auckland Blues in 2012. If you’re attending any games this season at either Eden Park or North Harbour Stadium and taking public transport, chances are you’ll see more of our PeopleMax® Transport Ambassadors.

Our contract workers will be out and about distributing essential information at bus stops and train stations so that crowds can get to and from the games quickly and easily.

If you need part or full-time contract workers, contact PeopleMax® today – the no hassle contract work-force provider.

To all our PeopleMax® and ActionActors Contractors and Clients – Merry Christmas!

It’s been one heck of a year – from settling in with the new Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, to setting up ActionActors and of course, our most amazing project of all time with Rugby World Cup 2011. This has been an amazing year and a big thank you to all our clients and especially all our fantastic PeopleMax® and ActionActors workers.

It goes without saying that the Rugby World Cup was the most memorable project (but jeez did the final have to be such a nail biter?!). We haven’t added up all the contractor hours worked during the cup but we had a total of over 200 workers involved each day in the last weekend making RWC2011 a real test to the organisation and its people at every level, and our Ambassadors really delivered. (See Gallery for pictures of the Auckland Transport Ambassadors in action – link).

PeopleMax® wraps up the year a bigger, better and stronger organisation and looks forward to providing more workers to the work for 2012. Whilst the administration office shuts down from the end of the week until January 16th, the Field Managers will be running the show over the Christmas/New Year break and are available to book your project or can provide assistance if required.

We are the reliable, no-hassle contract workforce provider. Remember, if you book full or part-time staff with us, we’ll do everything for you – training, rostering, contracts, salaries, communication, management and post-campaign reporting.

Thanks again for such a great year – here’s a review of the Rugby World Cup 2011 some of the other projects undertaken recently.

PeopleMax® out and about:
Rugby World Cup 2011
Usually we have several projects on the go at once but recently, surprise surprise, our contract staff were dedicated to one event in particular – the Rugby World Cup.

We had a fantastic tournament – and not just because of who the winners were.

It was an incredibly effective campaign with our pro-active contract workers at bus-stops and train stations from Papakura through to Albany as well as right near the action at Eden Park.

Bus Relocations
To cater for the games and the fan zones in downtown Auckland, there were many road closures that forced bus-stops to be relocated. We had event staff stationed around Britomart to inform the public about bus-stop changes and either redirecting them with maps or even walking them to the new stop.

Train Stations
Part-time workers at train stations were handing out flyers that included transport information, as well as helping people get to the right train platform or to special event buses that replaced certain train services. As for the contract workers stationed around Eden Park, they were able to direct fans to the correct stadium entrance from Kingsland Train Station.

If anyone had transport issues and needed help to find alternatives, we had our project staff there. They also answered all manner of questions about Auckland, helping to make people’s evenings and overall time in the city more enjoyable.

During a Rugby World Cups shift PeopleMax® part-time workers each handled anywhere between 50 interactions with people at quieter stations such as Takapuna, right up to 700 interactions at Kingsland Train Station. And we received a lot of great feedback from the public about the help they received from our contract workers.

As the crowds and excitement built throughout the tournament we were able to respond to the large demand for part-time staff at short notice. The bottom line being that with our solid base of contract
workers we have the scope to cater for events of this size.

Your needs may not be as great as those of a major international sporting event but it doesn’t matter – we can provide you with event staff and project staff, both part and full-time.

Auckland Triathlon ITU World Cup
Another international sporting event, another win for New Zealand, and over 30 PeopleMax® part-time workers out on the streets of Auckland helping things to run smoothly. The triathlon course meant many streets in Downtown Auckland were closed, meaning bus diversions and bus-stop relocations. PeopleMax® contract workers were ensuring bus-stops had the correct signage, redirecting the public to new bus-stops and assuring them that they were in the right location to catch their bus.

Farmers Santa Parade
Thousands of people lined Queen Street and the surrounding area to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus – our hard-working contract staff gave up their chance to see Santa so they could help out parade-goers and other members of the public get around Auckland smoothly.

36 of our contract staff manned bus-stops around the CBD to hand out flyers informing the public about new bus timetables brought about by the parade, and to point people in the right direction to catch their bus.

Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park
Santa also made an appearance at this yearly event in the Auckland Domain. The Newmarket and Grafton train stations had 3 PeopleMax® event staff members a-piece informing the public about two things – the walking route to the event and how to get home after the event.

Meanwhile at the Domain, 5 PeopleMax® contract staff were there beforehand to direct bus drivers to specific locations to drop off their passengers; and were there afterwards to help people catch the correct bus to go home.

Kiwi Rail
2011 has seen PeopleMax® staff complete mail drops for Kiwi Rail along various rail way lines. This was to ensure there is clear communication between Kiwi Rail and the residents and businesses in those areas that may be affected by the works.

Veolia Transport
Recently PeopleMax® have been assisting Veolia transport to ensure that the public are aware of the upcoming rail-works around the Christmas and New Year period. Contract workers were on-site at the Britomart Transport Centre to provide information on where rail replacement buses were departing and ensure any other relevant information was issued to the public.

ActionActors
Since the launch of ActionActors, our part-time contract staff have been busy with various promotional projects for several clients:

DHL Rugby Zone Promotion
Our ActionActors part-time staff got involved during the RWC as well. Action Actors Contractors were down at Queens Wharf promoting the DHL Kicking Simulator. Members of the public who came to the DHL stand were able to emulate Dan Carter (without the injury of course) by kicking a RWC football over the goal. A little bit of fun for about 6 ActionActors staff working on this project for 2 months.

Just Juice
ActionActors staff were out in supermarkets across Auckland to promote Just Juice’s brand new range of drinks. Supermarket-goers were asked to blind test Just Juice against a competitor’s brand and give their feedback. Some lucky customers were even given free passes to Auckland Zoo for their participation.

AIM Proximity Pulse Xmas Party
Two contractors from ActionActors had a fantastic time working at the AIM Proximity Pulse Xmas party where the theme was ‘Croonies Cruise’. We provided a ‘Captain’ greeting guests at the door as well as an ActionActors mystery guest named ‘the Birthday Boy’. All in all it was a great night for all the AIM Proximity Pulse staff.

Merry Christmas!

PeopleMax has had a few large projects this past month with our first Christmas themed project already complete! There’s still more to come though…

PeopleMax has some projects running through the holiday period, but the office will be closed from December 24 through until January 12. For urgent enquiries though, you can contact me on 021 766 856, or Robert the PeopleMax supervisor on 021 377 257.

Thank you to all our clients and team members for your support over the year. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday period.

Cheers,
Jessica
PeopleMax Assistant Manager

Vector Electrical CBD Upgrade

This was PeopleMax’s first big project of the month and spanned the entire month.

Vector Electrical was upgrading the power supply to the CBD which resulted in some bus stops needing to be temporarily closed. Ambassadors were positioned at various stops throughout the lower part of the city assisting the public and redirecting them to the temporary stops set up.

There was great feedback and people really appreciated the assistance of ambassadors when catching the bus.

Gas Leak Disruptions Minimised by Peoplemax Emergency Response Team!

When a gas main was ruptured by contractors near New Lynn Rail Station on Monday, train services in both directions were practically frozen whilst the Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials unit managed the crises. Veolia Transport immediatly contacted Peoplemax and within the hour the first of the stand-by Ambassadors were on location at the platform, assisting passengers to alternative transport. Ambassadors were stationed at New Lynn, Avondale, Henderson and Waitakere Stations, ensuring the train users were kept informed of the disruption and their alternative transport options.

Peoplemax have a regularly updated roster of workers who are available for on call work, ideally we try to get them to your location within the hour – because you never know when you are going to need a few more people in a hurry.

Hello devoted readers,

We have had a busy month at PeopleMax. The Be A Tidy Kiwi Questionnaire has come around again and we have had street interviewers across Auckland getting the opinions of New Zealanders about littering in Auckland. We have received some great feedback from the public, which will be translated into a concise report to be used by the Combined Councils. This was a fun project as it involved an enthusiastic team of people speaking to the public about a topic that really matters to all Kiwis.

We also had another huge project involving surveying 5000 bus stops across Auckland! We are currently doing the Manukau area, which has kept our bus surveyors quite busy over the past 5 weeks. We have the guys working in pairs to complete the project, which has been quite efficient and fun for them.

Those two projects have kept us on our toes as well other project involving mail drops, brochure distribution on buses in Auckland and assisting people with bus and train changes. As you may know, the new train line has affected many people who have used the train system as their preferred public transport. We were happy to be involved in helping people to the correct platforms and assisting them to catch their trains.

So as you can see – we had our hands full this month. We did have a good month though and July looks very promising. I will keep you updated on what’s happening in July, as we are very excited once again to be involved in the Coca Cola Careers Expo 2008 – held at the ASB Showgrounds from Wednesday 6 July – Saturday 8 July 2008. I hope to see you all there!

Kind Regards,

Gillian

New PeopleMax Broom Sweeps Clean, Appoints New Manager!

PeopleMax is proud to announce its new Manager, Gillian Damon. This PeopleMax Planet is the perfect opportunity to introduce Gillian to you all. Gillian learnt all about PeopleMax on the frontline – assisting the public with the Northern Busway opening. Since then she has graduated from university and started taking over the management of PeopleMax last week.

Cheers,
Mike Williams
Manager, PeopleMax® (for the rest of the day)

PeopleMax’s Number One Ambassador heads overseas

I still find it hard to believe that it was almost exactly four years ago that I interviewed a slightly nervous and recently graduated Mike Williams for a media position. During our “chat”, whilst it was apparent that media wasn’t really going to light his fuse, it was clear that this person had too much talent to be allowed to just wander off to some other employer.

Having provided occasional, part time MAXX Ambassador’s to ARTA since the inaugural and mammoth Britomart opening, a position was created for Mike to develop and run this activity as a permanent service, and thus PeopleMax was formed. It was a bit of a judgement call to gear up a new business unit around a person, but from that day Mike has justified this decision – and more.

He has been instrumental in establishing many of our SOP’s but systems aside, PeopleMax has evolved on some basic concepts – respect being a prime one. We respect all our workers and try always to do the right thing by them. Likewise we expect them to respect our requirements. Mike has lead by example and his personality and work ethic has ensured he quickly gained the respect of all those around him, and it’s been great to watch his evolution as a natural leader. (Having said that, one wonders how much the O.E is going to steer him away from the need to be responsible for some time!).

It has been a constant challenge and reality for PeopleMax that we would be managing an ever changing workforce – and it is a testimony to Mike’s processes and skills that he has been able to pass on the torch for his own position with relative ease. The new manager for PeopleMax, Gillian Damon has some big shoes to fill, but she is the right person to take over from Mike as we look to improve on what we do well and develop our services into permanent placement HR.

As a shareholder, no matter his many adventures overseas, Mike will be keeping an eye on things from afar and we’ll keep you posted on his travels – Mike departs in late June, heading for Ireland where his family is originally from and who knows, he may even acquire a taste for Guinness…

Bon voyage Mike, it has been a personal and professional pleasure to work with you.

Anthony Hurst

Introducing the new PeopleMax® Manager – Gillian Damon

Hello devoted readers. I will be taking over from Mike and holding down the fort. A great job has been done over the years to build PeopleMax® up into the very valuable people placement and promotions company it has become. I will do my very best to ensure the company’s positive image and integrity is upheld and maintained. There may be challenges ahead. Actually, I’m sure there will be but I will take it in my stride. My determination and hard work are an assurance that PeopleMax® won’t miss a beat. I have a genuine love of marketing and combined with my excellent interpersonal and communication skills, you can be guaranteed that PeopleMax® is in goods hands.

Here’s a bit more about myself. I have a Bachelor of Business and Information Management degree from the University of Auckland, majoring in Marketing and Information Systems Management. I enjoy all aspects of business and have an interest in global issues. Aside from being business-minded, I enjoy chatting and catching up with my mates. I am very much a people’s person and enjoy helping others, solving problems and offering encouragement to people. I am an animal lover and my little two year old white Bichon Frise can attest to that. That’s a quick profile of me in a nutshell.

Farewell to Mike who will be enjoying a most exciting overseas exchange. Many thanks to him for doing an excellent job thus far. I look forward to representing PeopleMax® and working with a diverse range of people within and beyond the walls of the company. I’ll get stuck in now. You’ll be hearing more from me in future as I produce interesting and informative newsletters for your enjoyment.

Kind Regards,

Gillian Damon
(New) PeopleMax® Manager

Auckland Commuters Push Rail Journeys to 6 Million

Passenger journeys on Auckland’s rail network have reached an historical high, with 6 million journeys taken for the year ending November 2007, a record for Auckland.

As a seasonal thank you to commuters for their loyalty and support, Christmas Elves distributed Christmas gifts to passengers traveling during peak times on Friday the 14th.

Eight PeopleMax Christmas Elves stopped at nothing to spread festive spirit and Christmas cheer.

DFS Galleria

PeopleMax provided 2 gift-wrappers and a perfume engraver for an exclusive shopping event at DFS Galleria. While guests were treated with breakfast canapés and complimentary mini make-over’s, they could personalise their gifts by having their perfume bottles specially engraved and their presents wrapped by our team.

The Santa Parade!

PeopleMax® provided MAXX Ambassadors to assist on one of the busiest days for public transport in New Zealand. The Santa Parade traditionally attracts well over 250,000 people, is 2.2kms long and takes approximately 50 minutes to pass any given point.

This year the parade took place on Sunday the 25th of November and seven Ambassadors assisted commuters with bus stop changes, special services, and general public transport enquiries.

PeopleMax Planet Crosses Writers’ Strike Picket Line!

Following a lengthy negotiation process, which resulted in it getting full creative control of next month’s coveted Christmas Edition, The PeopleMax® Planet has scandalously crossed the picket line. Always keen to keep its ‘audience’ vaguely entertained, The PeopleMax Planet is back to tell you about some of the projects PeopleMax has worked on over the last month.

This month we feature the Ambury Park Day, and a survey we conducted on Closed Circuit Television Cameras on buses.

I am sure you will find this month’s newsletter informative in finding some of the ways PeopleMax® can help you in your HR and communication needs.

Cheers,

Mike Williams
Manager, PeopleMax®

Ambury Park Day

Last month PeopleMax provided MAXX Ambassadors to help out at the Ambury Farm Day. Organised by the Auckland Regional Council, Ambury Farm Day had entertainment and fun for all ages with free entry. Included were games, rides, food and live entertainment.

Along with setting up and breaking down the MAXX stand on the show bus, PeopleMax entertained the thousand children and their parents who came through the bus. The team also blew up at least 600 balloons and created 700 gift bags with fun sheets, colouring-in pencils, water bottles, magnets, and fold-up buses.

Due to the wet weather, children and parents clambered aboard the bus for shelter at times, so the hydraulic doors were shut and “The wheels on the bus” song busted out. Even the parents joined in!

CCTV Camera Survey

Also in October PeopleMax assisted ARTA in conducting a survey on the perception of CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) Cameras on buses. This required the interviewing of passengers on buses going to South Auckland from the City and back, passengers on the Link bus, and commuters waiting for buses in the city.

The survey was conducted over 3 days, and at one stage had ambassadors on all 20 Link buses on the circuit!

PeopleMax handled the recruitment and briefing of staff, project management during the project, as well as the compilation and entering of the data. The project resulted in over 1600 responses for ARTA to make conclusions on CCTV cameras on buses.

PeopleMax® Planet’s reputation as the diva of all company newsletters continues to grow, as it continues to make sporadic appearances and make supercilious demands. The Planet’s well-documented rapid rise to the top and the perk-laden lifestyle that came with it has clearly gone to its head.

Meanwhile the rest of us have toiled away doing what PeopleMax does best, co-ordinating communication projects. This month we feature the new Bike Barn store opening in Wellington, and a ‘Thank you for your patience. Enjoy a donut and coffee on us’ for the Western Liners MAXX Project at Britomart.

I am sure you will find this month’s newsletter informative in finding some of the ways PeopleMax® can help you in your HR and communication needs.

Cheers,

Mike Williams
Manager, PeopleMax®

Thank you for your patience. Enjoy a donut and coffee on us.

MAXX is celebrating the completion of double tracking works on the Western line between New Lynn and Henderson. The development of the new stations at Henderson, Fruitvale Road, Sunnyvale and Glen Eden, all with improved shelter, lighting, CCTV security monitoring and public address systems has also been completed. This represents a significant advance in the development of a modern rail network for Auckland

The work on the Western line has caused disruptions to commuters and MAXX wanted to take the opportunity to thank them for their patience.

PeopleMax® provided four MAXX Ambassadors to hand out of donuts and coffee vouchers to Britomart commuters on the western line. The busy commuters hungrily enjoyed the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast: Donuts!

Bike Barn Opening – Wellington

PeopleMax® helped celebrate Bike Barn’s new store opening in Wellington. Along with organising the equipment, two PeopleMax® Promo staff kept the customers sustained with American Hotdogs.

Bike Barn has stores throughout Auckland, in Hamilton, and now in Tauranga and Wellington. Whether you ride a mountain bike, a road bike or a touring bike, bike to work or just for fun, Bike Barn will make sure you get the right bike for you, at a price that suits your budget.

Check out their website here – www.bikebarn.co.nz.

Ever thought about guaranteeing your business some word of mouth advertising? With PeopleMax, promotional activity can not only be cheaper than mass communication methods, but also more effective.

A promotion doesn’t have to be big – it might be as simple as two staff for a few hours. However, with the right message those staff might be able to have thousands of invaluable interactions.

PeopleMax® uses its evolved contract, recruiting, and briefing systems to make the process as easy and cost effective for you as possible.

If you think your business could benefit from a promotion then please don’t hesitate to contact us. We can discuss some strategies, and organise an obligation free quote.