The International Congress for Conservation Biology is set to take place at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in 2025, showcasing Brisbane’s science excellence in conservation biology research to a global audience.
The successful bid, supported by Australia’s scientific community was led by BCEC Advocate, and former Queensland chief scientist, Professor Hugh Possingham, in partnership with the BCEC team, together with Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia and Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
Over 1,500 researchers and practitioners will attend the congress, which will shine a light on the activity in key areas such as reef restoration on The Great Barrier Reef, special planning for renewable energy and First People’s knowledge for land and sea management.
It is anticipated that many delegates will also embark on pre- and post-touring, showcasing Queensland and Australia to the rest of the world.
The five-day event is set to deliver a A$4.3 million (US$2.9 million) boost to the Queensland economy and is expected to galvanise interest among Australia’s scientific community as well as from the Asia Pacific, including New Guinea and other Pacific Island neighbours.
Among the other key legacies being proposed is providing the opportunity for delegates to offset their carbon footprint by working with the Queensland Trust for Nature to set up a designated programme enabling delegates to donate directly to a fund for creating new habitats for koalas.
BCEC general manager, Kym Guesdon, added: “This high-profile international environmental congress will enhance the city’s credentials enroute to hosting the world’s first carbon neutral and biodiversity neutral Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Prior to transferring to Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, he was area general manager overseeing four resorts – Centra by Centara Maris Resort Jomtien, Centara Q Resort Rayong, Centara Chaan Talay Resort & Villas Trat, and Centara Koh Chang Tropicana Resort.
Prior to joining The Hotel Britomart, Swan was client value manager with Corporate Travel Management in Auckland, New Zealand.
New Zealand’s national carrier, Air New Zealand, made several key announcements on May 10 at TRENZ 2023, which includes a significant investment in its fleet, expansion in capacity, and future marketing plans, as well as revealed more details about Skynest, the world’s first sleep pods in the sky.
The airline’s NZ$3.5 billion (US$2.2 billion) investment includes the purchase of eight new 787-9 Dreamliners and five Airbus A320neo that will be deployed on its Tasman and Pacific Island services. The investment also includes interior refurbishment of 14 Boeing 787 aircraft and installation of new Business Premier Luxe product. Work is expected to start next year.
It is also in final negotiations to lease another Boeing 777-300ER, which could add 3,000 more seats per week to the airline’s international network. This would bring the total 777-300 fleet to eight.
“Across our international network, capacity is back to about 91 per cent of pre-Covid (levels) and bookings are steady. We’re now at 30 routes, having returned to Bali in March,” Greg Foran, chief executive, Air New Zealand, said during a media briefing.
Within Asia, Air New Zealand’s capacity is at 117 per cent of pre-Covid levels, with Singapore a key hub, particularly for connections to India and Europe. Demand out of China is “rebuilding slowly but surely”, noted Foran, adding that Air China, an alliance partner, restarted its Beijing-Auckland route earlier this month.
Domestic flights are back to pre-Covid levels, where 15,000 seats were added every week over summer. Regional flights out of Christchurch and Auckland have also increased.
“We know it’s not just about bringing overseas visitors to New Zealand but also giving them plenty of options to explore around Aotearoa New Zealand,” Foran pointed out.
During the media briefing, the airline revealed more details about Skynest, where a prototype was available onsite at TRENZ for industry stakeholders to explore.
Located between Premium Economy and Economy, the Skynest is a six-pod configured sleep zone that will offer four-hour sessions for economy passengers to stretch out and lie down. Each passenger will be limited to one session, and each pod will feature a full-size pillow, sheets and blanket, ear plugs, a separate reading light, USB outlet, ventilation outlet, seatbelt, and lighting designed for rest.
The bedding will be changed between each session, and a 30-minute transition time will be allowed for this. The lights will gently come on at the end of each session, and crew will politely wake any passengers who sleep through this.
“We’re still working through the exact details of how the booking process will work, and we have yet to determine the price. At this stage, we are looking at around NZ$400 to NZ$500 for the four-hour period,” shared Air New Zealand’s chief customer and sales officer, Leanne Geraghty.
Geraghty added that the Skynest – designed and to be installed in Aotearoa – will be made available from September 2024 on Air New Zealand’s ultra-longhaul flights, starting with the Auckland-New York and Auckland-Chicago routes.
Air New Zealand will also be investing NZ$30 million in marketing campaigns this financial year in key markets, and continue to rebuild its offshore sales and marketing teams.
Foran added: “Our relationship with Tourism New Zealand is one of our most important marketing partnerships. Teaming up makes every dollar go further to raise destination awareness and it was great to re-sign our MoU last year to promote New Zealand offshore.”