A Christchurch boss is taking 40 employees on an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas, all funded out of his own pocket, for the company's 20th anniversary.
Paul Kelly Motor Company employees are set to jet off to the US city on Monday, closing four car yards and a service centre until their return.
Chief executive Paul Kelly was set to pay for the trip himself at a cost of about $150,000.
Mechanic Craig Stace has worked for the company for 16 years and said he had never been on a trip overseas like this.
He said it took him a while to fully comprehend that he was going to the "entertainment capital of the world".
"We've all got our tickets and everything like that, so it's all go," he said.
"It's pretty cool."
It would not be the first time staff at the company had been treated to extreme work events.
Over the past few years, Mr Kelly had arranged amphibious boat racing, short film productions, and even his own version of hit television show,The Apprentice.
Last year they flew helicopters and airplanes.
Mr Kelly said the holiday had been months in the making.
"At Christmas time I was sitting down trying to figure out what I was going to do for the 20th anniversary ... I was going to have my own version of The Amazing Race in Central Otago ... but the logistics were getting hard and it was getting extremely expensive to do it," he said.
Mr Kelly said the cost of the Vegas trip was completely worth it, as his team worked hard and were like a family to him.
"If you can afford to do something I think people should do it," he said.
Photo: 123RF
