Tourism New Zealand is targeting a record NZ$253 million (US$144.8 million) worth of international conference business in the next financial year, with Asia identified as a key growth market.
Announced at Meetings 2026 in Auckland, the target is based on 110 international conference bids, unchanged from this year, but represents a significant increase in projected value compared with the NZ$185 million goal set for 2025/26.
Tourism New Zealand’s global manager business events, Penelope Ryan, said the higher value target reflects updated industry research showing the sector’s economic contribution had been significantly undervalued using pre-pandemic delegate spending data, as well as a greater focus on attracting larger conferences following the opening of Auckland’s New Zealand International Convention Centre.
“The new value target uses updated 2025 industry data, so it’s really right-sizing what we can actually deliver as an industry,” Ryan told TTGmice.
Asia remains a key growth market for New Zealand’s business events sector, with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and South Korea among the strongest-performing source markets.
Ryan said she would like to see Asia eventually account for around 20 per cent of future conference bids as awareness of New Zealand’s business events offering continues to grow.
The destination is also benefiting from growing interest among organisers seeking politically stable destinations amid ongoing global uncertainty.
“Safety and stability is the number one thing that people are looking at at the moment, and New Zealand can deliver on that, as well as an amazing experience,” Ryan said.
The positive outlook is already being reflected in event performance, with some international conferences and incentive programmes attracting significantly more delegates than forecast.
Ryan shared with TTGmice that industry partners are reporting attendance figures well above expectations, driven primarily by international delegates.
“We’re seeing conferences that expected around 900 delegates attract 1,300 or 1,400, while some incentive groups forecast at 600 participants have grown to around 900,” she said.
