Insights

Caterpillar’s 100-year anniversary at Wheels at Wanaka 2025

14 August 2025

Celebrating a century: Caterpillar’s 100-year anniversary at Wheels at Wanaka 2025

For a century, Caterpillar has built the machines that shape the world. From roads carved through landscapes to the foundations of city skylines, their iconic yellow machines have been part of progress in nearly every corner of the globe.

In New Zealand,– the country’s distributor for Caterpillar – wanted to mark this centenary in a way that honoured the brand’s legacy while creating an unforgettable experience for their most valued customers. Their vision was to celebrate 100 years of Caterpillar by bringing together customers from across the country, immersing them in the brand’s history, and showcasing its innovation.

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A last hurrah for Wheels at Wanaka

Held every two years, Wheels at Wanaka is an all-machinery, all-vehicles festival celebrating heritage and engineering, from vintage steam engines and tractors to motorbikes, trucks and earthmovers. The event coincided with Caterpillar Centenary celebrations, and sadly, 2025 was the last time the event would run in its current form before the site underwent development, so the occasion was a particularly special one.

“We’ve been a key partner with that show since its inception in 2019, but with this being the last show and 100 years of Caterpillar we wanted to really make a bold statement with regards to our stand; we wanted to really own the show and have people come away from that stand saying, ‘Wow, that was really impressive’,” said Richard Clark, Brand and Events Manager at Terra Cat.

As a platinum event sponsor, they envisioned a site that captured the brand’s history and innovation, engaged customers through the Global Operator Challenge, and transformed by night into an exclusive celebration dinner for 250 invited guests.

Two events. One site. A 1.5-hour turnaround.

The brief for DE Group was ambitious and included:

A bold exhibition site that showcased Caterpillar’s past and future.
The first-ever Global Operator Challenge held in New Zealand, with machine operators competing in three equipment challenges for a chance to represent their country on the world stage.
A celebration dinner under the stars, honouring 100 years of Caterpillar, thanking loyal customers, and building excitement for the century ahead.

Our relationship with Terra Cat spans over 30 years, so we approached the project as an extension of the client’s team. As Richard put it: “They know our business very well. They know our customers very well. The culture within their business is really important; they have a group of employees that I’ve got to know over the years, that I can ask them something, and I can trust them to do it well. I don’t have to double check or follow up, because we know that we can get fantastic results.”

Collaborating on the concept with Terra Cat, we designed an impressive custom dual-marquee structure with a new roof, creating an open, inviting atrium-like space by day that could be elegantly reimagined by night. The materials could also be repurposed for future events. For the evening festivities, we needed the change to be significant enough to make it feel like a different space but also be easy to manage within a short window of time.

The site featured:

Machinery on display, including a special-edition new Cat dozer painted in the original vintage grey, alongside an original grey machine from the 1920s as a powerful visual timeline of progress.
Graphic displays that charted Caterpillar’s history and innovation journey.
Exclusive centenary merchandise where guests could purchase a tangible memory to take home.
The Global Operator Challenge arena: Drawing crowds eager to watch New Zealand’s best compete for international glory.

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When the sun set, DE Group’s team sprang into action. In just 90 minutes, we transformed the space into a function space for the invite-only customer event in the evening:

Machinery and displays were reset to create a networking area.
Festoon lighting was strung across the site.
A stage was set for speeches and celebration.
Banners, bar leaners and a bar were arranged to welcome guests.
Black Label Barbecue prepared American-style smoked meats onsite along with local beverages served from a vintage caravan.

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“Customers were impressed by how good the site looked, how professional it was, how well the brand was communicated. At the end of the day, success for us at this event was how much people enjoyed engaging with us there”, said Richard.

An event to remember

For an event of this scale, great design was just the beginning. DE Group didn’t just build the structures and create the look and feel, we helped manage details on site. Marjoree, DE Group’s Business Development Manager, stepped in as Event Manager, working closely with Terra Cat and the Wheels at Wanaka organisers on everything from logistics, catering, and drinks to staffing and health and safety.

“From an event management perspective, there’s always a very long list of things you have to do, and having Marjoree there means fewer things that I have to worry about. That experience is just invaluable.”

Together, Terra Cat and DE Group turned a milestone into a memory, creating an event that celebrated a century of progress, built customer connections and inspired confidence in the journey ahead.