2026 ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship
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Trusted partnership helps deliver landmark international golf championship
When the inaugural 2026 ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship was announced to be held in Auckland, New Zealand, both the excitement and the time pressure were evident from day one.
Co-sanctioned by two of the world’s most renowned and respected tours - the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), the championship marked the first time in history the tours have partnered together in a joint tournament.
The event brought world-class men’s professional golf back to Auckland for the first time since 2004, showcasing leading players from New Zealand, Australia, and Japan alongside rising stars from across the region.
With premium presentation standards and significant sponsorship and broadcast commitments to deliver, expectations were high. However, with a short lead time, no event infrastructure on the ground in New Zealand, and limited local connections to call on, the PGA of Australia event team needed a trusted local partner who could help bring the prestigious event to life quickly.
For PGA Tour Event Manager Andrew Potter and his team, time was the biggest challenge.
“The event was announced and pulled together with a pretty short lead time, which put things under pressure from the outset, as we had no event equipment on the ground and no real previous industry connections in New Zealand to leverage from,” says Andrew.
“Our biggest challenge with this event was time. It was a very short turnaround compared to other events we run, yet delivering a premium event to the PGA standard was a non-negotiable for us,” adds Andrew.
Initially approached by X-Site owner, Hamish Lamb, the partnership quickly evolved beyond event infrastructure support.
While the PGA of Australia originally engaged X-Site to assist with marquee and infrastructure builds including a hospitality marquee, media centre, and a few entry and exit setups, it quickly became clear the X-Site team could offer much more in other areas also.
“Traditionally, at our events we use different suppliers for infrastructure, marquees, signage and installation,” says Andrew.
“However, it became clear that X-Site offered a wide range of services and were not only well resourced in terms of quality equipment and staff, but also incredibly well connected within the New Zealand events industry.”
Having a knowledgeable local team on the ground proved invaluable. X-Site helped connect event organisers with key contractors, acted as a local liaison across a number of suppliers, and played a critical role in helping manage event signage, which is an essential component of an event of this type with strict sponsorship and broadcast obligations.
For an event of this scale, signage was especially important, with more than 120 custom signage frames needing to be designed, built and installed, something X-Site took ownership of across the entire course.
“To be honest we were a bit nervous to start with on the signage front, having to rely on a partner we had never worked with before, especially given how important sponsorship and broadcasting requirements are to our events,” says Andrew.
“Hamish’s knowledge and passion for golf definitely helped us achieve the premium look we were after.”
As the project planning and delivery evolved, X-Site became much more than a supplier.
“At first, we were just looking for support with our marquee and infrastructure builds, however having someone on the ground and well connected proved super valuable,” comments Andrew.
“We couldn’t have done it without them in such a short timeframe. “They really felt like an extension of our team and were committed to being part of the event’s success from start to finish.”
Despite the tight turnaround and evolving demands of a major international event, the X-Site team consistently delivered.
“We threw a lot of things at them on very short timeframes, and they rose to the challenge every time, always meeting commitments and tight deadlines,” says Andrew.
“They were always proactive in helping identify issues and incredibly helpful in helping us liaise, connect and find solutions, many of which were outside the original scope of what we engaged them for.”
For Andrew and the PGA of Australia team, delivering an event of this scale in a new market and under tight timeframes relied on strong collaboration, trusted local support, and partners willing to go above and beyond to help bring the tournament to life.
“The quality of X-Site’s workmanship, equipment and the care their team showed was very noticeable,” says Andrew.
“If you’re looking for someone to truly partner in your event’s success and bring an incredibly high level of care, then you’re in the right place.”
