Business Events Wellington (BEW) recently celebrated the first anniversary of its Legacy Programme, highlighting the positive impact of 12 conferences held in the past year.
These events have resulted in new career pathways, regulatory changes, and increased investment opportunities for Wellington and New Zealand.
BEW Manager Irette Ferreira explained that the Legacy Programme aims to achieve both the host organisation’s strategic objectives and drive positive change through conferences. The programme supports conference organisers in planning and implementing specific activities to address challenges or local needs.
“By facilitating, measuring, and documenting these actions, we can see the wider positive impacts these conferences have generated beyond the benefits to Wellington’s visitor economy,” Ferreira said.
Key objectives across the participating conferences included building stronger connections, attracting more investment, growing diversity, improving government support, and increasing public awareness of career opportunities. Feedback indicated that 82 per cent of attendees felt they achieved their main objective for attending, and 75 per cent said they would implement new practices in their work as a result.
Several conferences showcased the programme’s success. The Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC 58) addressed a lack of diversity in the younger generation studying IT. BEW connected APNIC with two local organisations like Tūhura Tech and Summer of Tech, enabling 20 students to attend the conference with sponsorship from Victoria University of Wellington.
Meanwhile, the Life Sciences Summit 2024, held in Wellington to maximise government attendance, successfully raised awareness of the biotech sector and the need for new gene modification regulations. Following the conference, the government declared biotech a top science priority and announced plans to develop new regulations in collaboration with the biotech industry.
Lastly, the inaugural Wellington Games Week, strategically timed before the NZ Game Developers Conference (NZGDC) 2024, proved a major success. The week hosted 24 events showcasing Wellington’s gaming culture, attracting approximately 1,500 attendees. NZGDC’24 also welcomed international scouts and organised a fam tour for international game studios, developers, and investors, leading to increased interest in Wellington as a hub for game development.
“We are excited about 2025,” Ferreira added. “The city is welcoming an excellent lineup of international conferences this year, many of whom are looking to make a positive impact on Wellington and Aotearoa. Most clients already have a specific need in mind, and we’re ready to make the connections to meet their objectives.”
