Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) and the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) jointly agreed to collaborate on issues mutually affecting their markets.
While CINZ chief executive, Lisa Hopkins, acknowledges that Covid-19 has impacted business events on both sides of the Tasman in an extraordinary way, “it has also created opportunity and conversation among organisations who would not normally align”.
BECA chair Vanessa Findlay added that the collaboration will facilitate maximum economic, trade and investment benefits for both countries.
Both organisations also see the benefit in leveraging government advocacy.
“The Australian government publicly acknowledged the difference between controlled gatherings, such as business events, and mass gatherings when they released their three-step COVIDSafe Roadmap, while five weeks ago the New Zealand government gave the go-ahead for events of up to 100. We would have liked to have seen our government follow their Australian counterparts and I am sure, vice versa,” Hopkins said.
“The close relationship between our countries, and the reliance we have on each other, means it makes sense to have a common voice when advocating for change, especially at this time of tremendous economic impact on our industry,” Findlay shared.
With New Zealand now functioning under Alert Level 1, events are now able to operate without any restriction, but both organisations believe keeping an eye on the future is critical.
“When it comes to competitive bids, each association will continue to act in the best interests of their markets. However, this is a unique relationship at a unique time. Both Vanessa and I believe a unified voice from this part of the world makes sense, giving customers and our industry greater confidence that it is safe to attend business events,” Hopkins commented.
