New Zealand – the essential element

Consisting of two main islands marked by beautiful volcanic and glaciated landscapes, boasting a population of about 4.5 million people, New Zealand, sometimes referred to by its evocative Māori name, Aotearoa, has numerous conference and convention facilities, as well as new venues under development in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. The country is indeed on a mission to be a player meeting planners can’t do without.

In 2016, New Zealand celebrated a record year for international conference business showing higher delegate attendance and a 4% growth over the 2015 figures. With three new convention centres on the way, these beautifully scenic islands are expecting even more following tourism reaching the number one slot as the biggest revenue contributor to the country’s GDP. Ambitions are high for 2017 and for good reason – everywhere I went, from Christchurch to Rotorua, there was a feeling of everyone working together hand in hand with a tangible understanding of the need to send a message out there that New Zealand has matured and is now ready to be a player on a global scale. To make this happen there is a diverse range of motivated people from university academics to health sector professionals who work with meetings suppliers to champion their field of expertise in the international arena and focus attention on New Zealand as a prime location for future conferences.

Tourism New Zealand specifically targets international events in sectors where it excels, like the marine industries, agribusiness, health science and high-value foods “With new major conference centres coming on board in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch we are expecting to see even more growth,” said Lisa Gardiner, Business Events and Premium Manager at Tourism New Zealand.“New Zealand is already recognised for its superb service and support, world-leading knowledge hubs, natural beauty and amazing array of activities.New and existing conference facilities alongside increased air capacity and favourable economic conditions have tipped the scale in our favour.”



Worth noting in particular is that Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme provides strategic funding and marketing support designed to assist events attracting 200 or more international delegates to be held in New Zealand. In support of this assistance a Business Events Visa programme greatly eases access for conference delegates from key attendee markets of China, India, Thailand and Indonesia.As well as this, New Zealand offers visa free entry from over 50 countries.

Crucially, it is in the infrastructure space that so much is happening to attract larger conventions in the future. These include the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), scheduled to open in Auckland in 2019 with capacity for 3,000 for a convention, or one-off events with up to 4,000 people. “Auckland currently attracts 37% of New Zealand’s business events, with 1.5 million delegates attending more than 14,000 events last year. Auckland has already won a diverse range of business events, with more in the pipeline. There’s been a lot of interest in the NZICC who are working together with the Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB) on a number of promising leads, and the recent announcement of first two wins for NZICC in 2020 -The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) expecting 4,000 delegates will be the biggest medical meeting ever to be held in New Zealand” states Anna Hayward, ACB Manager.

Meanwhile, the new Wellington Convention Centre and Movie Museum, is expected to open circa 2020 with an expected capacity for up to 1,750. The Movie Museum will be spearheaded by award winning Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor which will include an extensive collection of movie memorabilia.

Over on the South Island, New Zealand’s oldest city is becoming its newest with plans underway for a new convention centre precinct in Christchurch. Branded as a 21st century city with people at its heart, the development is set to be a world-class boutique facility of major architectural significance for up to 2,000 delegates, planned for completion in late 2019.

Existing infrastructure in Rotorua includes the Energy Events Centre, where organisers can hold meetings with a “geothermal” flavour. This venue, located in the picturesque Government Gardens, is positioned at the edge of Lake Rotorua and can accommodate up to 4,000 people; there’s also room for 300 exhibition booths. The surrounding region has many leisure and adventure opportunities with a particular focus on Māori culture and tradition.

Seasoned New Zealand based PCO Jan Tonkin of The Conference Company, currently President of IAPCO, elaborates on this aspect quoting the Māori term “Manaakitanga” which is a term central to Māori society loosely translated as hospitality and a sense of place. “It is a sense of understanding what the visitors need and what matters” going on to add that “The opportunity is there to experience the heart of the culture close by to conference locations. Field trips open doors and introduce people highlighting the ease of doing business in New Zealand”

One of the most dynamic cities in developing this community spirit in their Ambassador Programme is Auckland where they have actively been introducing the city’s innovators to international organisers demonstrating what’s great about their home town. In addition to the NZICC, the SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre offers 5,000m2 of event space with theatre-style seating for up to 1,750. The 316-room SkyCity Grand Hotel is a luxury property adjacent to the convention centre and, close by, the SkyCity Hotel has a further 340 guest rooms. The street running between the two SkyCity properties can be blocked off for special events.

All in all, it seems that business events in New Zealand are red hot right now. New Zealanders have clearly understood that with the right attitude plus the appropriate venue for the major conventions it will change the name of the game for all players in this spectacular country.

• CBD 1.4 hectare site with 32,500sqm of floor space, 35 meeting spaces of various sizes
• Five times larger than the current largest convention facilities in New Zealand
• Conferences and one off events of approximately 4,000 people
• New Zealand’s largest theatre, with seating for 2,850 people
• Two large-scale bookings confirmed for 2020 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology 
• (APAO) expecting 4,000 delegates will be the biggest medical meeting ever to be held in New Zealand.
• International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) expecting 2,000 delegates will hold back-to-back conferences at the NZICC spanning five days.

• Home to a collection of movie memorabilia synonymous with Wellington’s film-making industry with a convention capacity for up to 1,750 people.

• CBD located on prime riverfront site with 2,500 new hotel rooms within walking distance. 
• Auditorium for 1,400 people or for three groups of 250 to 400. Interconnected meeting rooms over 1,600m2 of space.  The 3,800m2 clear-span exhibition hall can house up to 200 booths on one level or seat 2,000 people.
• Events from 200 to 2,000 delegates.

businessevents.newzealand.com