The southern conference sector is putting its best foot forward this week as it vies for a piece of the multimillion-dollar conference industry.
Conference and Incentives New Zealand (Cinz) is hosting its annual Meetings conference in Auckland at the ASB Convention Centre today and tomorrow.
During the next two days exhibitors from around New Zealand, including Dunedin, Southland and Queenstown, will meet national and international conference and incentive organisers in the hope of luring them to their areas.
Otago and Southland exhibitors include Otago Museum, the Dunedin Convention Bureau, Venture Southland, Transport World, Millbrook Resort, Toitu Otago Settlers Museum and Ngai Tahu Tourism.
More than 30 international buyers and media from China, Southeast Asia, Japan and North America, including 90 from Australia, will attend the conference.
Figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's business events survey show Dunedin and Queenstown hosted more than 2900 single and multi-day business events attracting nearly 200,000 delegates in 2018.
Cinz chief executive Sue Sullivan said more than 6000 meetings would be held during the two-day event which would bring more than 190 suppliers and 500 conference organisers under one roof.
Last year's event generated more than $60 million of business, Mrs Sullivan said.
Two new large conference venues expected to open in 2020, the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland and Te Pae in Christchurch, meant New Zealand was ready to take on a bigger share of the international multi-day convention market.
Regional areas would also benefit from the new venues, as large conferences took their sub-conferences to venues outside of the main centres, Mrs Sullivan said.
- Tim Miller is in Auckland as a guest of Conference and Incentives New Zealand.
