Nelson Classic Car Museum (formerly World of WearableArt & Classic Cars Museum)

About this place

The Nelson Classic Car Museum is a motoring museum and event venue at 1 Cadillac Way, Annesbrook, positioned between Nelson city centre and Nelson Airport. The location is convenient for fly-in delegates and for groups travelling between the city and Stoke or Richmond.

History

The site opened in 2001 as the World of WearableArt & Classic Cars Museum, pairing the WOW awards garment collection with a large classic car collection. The wearable art exhibition closed permanently in May 2020 under the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the venue continued as the Nelson Classic Car Museum, focused solely on the automotive collection. The World of WearableArt organisation has since moved its remaining operations to Wellington.

The collection

The museum displays more than 150 vehicles, covering over a century of motoring. The range runs from a 1903 Cadillac through 1950s marques such as Vauxhall, Triumph and Buick, to later Jaguars and Ferraris. Frequently noted highlights include a 1959 pink Cadillac Coupe de Ville and a 1981 DeLorean.

Venue hire and event capability

The museum hires out its display floor for functions, accommodating up to 200 guests. The cars themselves form the setting, which gives the space a strong visual identity without the need for heavy theming or styling spend.

• Catering is flexible: hirers may bring their own caterer, use food caravans, or self-cater. The museum can supply a list of local food vendors.
• Museum guides and hosts are available during events, so guests can be walked through the collection as part of the programme.
• The "Hoods Up" experience offers exclusive access to the interiors of 100-plus classic cars — a ready-made incentive or reward activity that can be built into an event.

Meeting and event suitability

The venue is best suited to cocktail functions, gala and awards dinners, product launches, client entertaining, incentive groups and conference welcome or closing functions. It is a display-floor venue rather than a fitted conference centre, so organisers should confirm audiovisual, staging and seating requirements with the museum and plan on bringing in suppliers where needed.

For incentive programmes in particular, the combination of a self-contained venue, a genuinely distinctive collection and a built-in guided experience makes it a strong option among Nelson's unique-venue offering.