Peak industry body Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) will lead the creation of the country’s first Business Events Week, with full support from Tourism New Zealand, this September.
The week-long forum from September 18 to 22 will start with the BEIA Annual Conference in Marlborough, before moving on to Wellington for a policy forum, and Auckland for the Tourism New Zealand Business Events National Awards, and workshop events.
International speakers, local experts and sector leaders will join with members of the wider business events industry to present, discuss, and plan strategies for growth and ensure there is a greater understanding of the role business events can play in New Zealand in the future.
BEIA chief executive, Lisa Hopkins told TTGmice that the Business Events Week is in line with her organisation’s commitment to be “future focused” now that travel and face-to-face events are back on track and days of crisis management are over.
She noted that New Zealand’s business events community is feeling “buoyant” about the days ahead.
Pre-Covid, the business events industry was worth NZ$1.5 billion (US$931,012) to New Zealand’s economy, supporting 8,200 jobs. As the industry recovers strongly, Tourism New Zealand’s business events team has set loftier targets for financial year 2024.
Addressing the media at MEETINGS 2023, Rene de Monchy, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand, shared that his team aims to make at least 90 brand new bids in the new financial year, with a greater focus on association meetings originating from South-east Asia.
Hopkins said the Business Events Week will provide the business events community “a huge opportunity to exchange experiences and share the latest global thinking with the industry, developing ideas that can help set our destination apart”.
Tourism New Zealand’s general manager NZ & business events, Bjoern Spreitzer, added: “Business events are an important part of how we deliver on our strategy to encourage high-quality visitors to Aotearoa New Zealand. Business events deliver knowledge, business and economic benefits and positive social legacies. Business Events Week will be a great opportunity to recognise the sector’s successes and build on them for future sustainable growth.”
