Published on : Saturday, October 17, 2015
Auckland has staved off the international competition to win another three bids to host conferences around the city over the next three years, bringing an estimated $2.67 million to the local economy.
Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB) – a division of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), with support from Tourism New Zealand, worked with three representatives from the different sectors to secure the rights to hold the international business events in the region.
Auckland will host the first International Council of Large Electrical Systems’ CIGRE B5 Study Committee (Protection & Automation) Annual Meeting and Colloquium in 2017 attracting around 250 experts in electrical power systems.
Then in 2018, around 800 doctors, physio and occupational therapists will come to Auckland to attend the Asia-Oceania Conference of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.
The World Congress of Environmental Health will also be held in 2018 attracting 300 specialists, managers, students, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and leaders involved directly or indirectly with environmental health science, practice, and research.
ACB Manager Anna Hayward says attracting delegates of this calibre not only provides another boost to the visitor economy but presents exciting opportunities to expand New Zealand’s knowledge economy.
“The benefits of hosting business events are far-reaching. Beyond the obvious economic value, they bring people together to exchange knowledge and ideas, build business relationships and over the long term attract investment and talent flows,” she says
“There’s intense competition for hosting business events globally and we are upping our game to compete to bring the world’s top minds here to help our city and country benefit.”
ACB introduced New Zealand’s first business events advocate programme earlier this year as a key deliverable from the Auckland Business Events Plan to help bolster Auckland’s presence on the global stage as a world-class destination for hosting business events.
“We now have 14 distinguished thought leaders as part of the Auckland Advocate Alliance representing sectors spanning health, medical, education and ICT that we are working closely with to bid for international events,” Mrs Hayward says.
“Advocate programmes abroad are highly successful and essential in achieving on-going success in the highly competitive business events sector, and our Auckland advocates already have a proven track record in attracting conferences here.”
Auckland has benefited from impressive growth in the business events sector. In 2013, the sector contributed $236 million in direct spend to the Auckland economy. The aim of the Auckland Business Events Plan is to double that figure by 2023 and increase delegate days from 1.98 million in 2013 to 2.55 million.
Lisa Gardiner, Tourism New Zealand International Business Events and Premium Manager says the international business events sector, particularly international conferences and incentives, holds great potential to attract new high value international visitors to New Zealand.
“Tourism New Zealand has significantly increased its work in the business events sector and in the year ended June 2015 achieved a new milestone of 23 international conference wins for the year, which will see an additional $27 million injected into the New Zealand economy in the coming years.”
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