Tourism New Zealand celebrated its conference wins, worth NZ$31 million (US$22 million), at an event last week.
The event was in recognition of the efforts of the 23 experts across New Zealand who played a part in bringing the conferences to the country.
“Tourism New Zealand worked with these individuals to secure conferences that will bring 13,500 international delegates to New Zealand,” said Tourism New Zealand’s international business events and premium manager, Lisa Gardiner.
The experts include a diverse range of people from university academics to health sector professionals.
For instance, Sue Cherrington from Victoria University of Wellington, successfully bid to host the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association’s 21st annual conference in Wellington in 2020. The conference will be hosted at Victoria University and will bring 500 scholars from around the Asia-Pacific region to the city.
“We find we have the most success in bidding for conferences related to sectors New Zealand excels in on the global stage, such as the marine industries, agribusiness, health science and high-value foods,” said Gardiner.
As well, international conferences have the potential to attract visitors in the off-peak season, supporting Tourism New Zealand’s strategy to grow the value of international tourism to New Zealand.
