American businessman and author who served as both chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Shultz, once said: 

“We are at our best when creating enduring relationships and personal connections. When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers, even if it is just for a few moments. It’s really about human connection.” 

Was he talking about TNG?  

In every way possible he may as well have been. A look around the room at TNG’s recent 10th anniversary celebrations in Auckland, in every corner, were people who have been on the same journey with TNG for the past decade and show no signs of leaving anytime soon. 

Founder Mark Trafford speaks of the power of meeting with like-minded people… learning from each other, building business; people with people doing business.  

Mark Trafford says there were so “many familiar faces in the room because over the years of TNG so many people have formed deep friendships and created solid business foundations through TNG. It’s more than just regularly meetings to network. It’s so much more. It is enduring relationships, personal connections and being there for each other through thick and thin–it’s why we’re all still here doing what we love with people we love.” 

If TNG is about people doing business with people, then author and international and award-winning speaker Alison Mooney’s ‘Pressing the Right Buttons’ keynote address was the perfect accompaniment to a celebration of people. 

Both humorous and thought provoking, Alison’s talked about how to understand our fellow human beings better through the filters of four personality types–playful, powerful, precise and peaceful: How to influence, to relate better, to understand and predict behaviour. 

Most of all, she taught us how to treat others in the way that they wanted to be treated. 

“Nobody is better, just different,” Allison said. “If you are building a team or a network, you need each type to make it all work.” 

The ten-year celebrations were packed with a diversity of people that spoke to the sheer scale of TNG’s outreach to the business community. A melting pot of cultures, languages, races, religions, and business roles–from accountants and business coaches through to videographers, writers, landscapers and plumbers–they were all there. Every TNG is a microcosm of that one meeting where TNG continues to help businesses connect, improve, and grow. 

See a short video of the highlights here