MEETINGS back in person , in June , in New Zealand
EETINGS 2021 successfully connected the best of New Zealand ’ s business events industry with Australia ’ s and New Zealand ’ s leading event professionals in Auckland in person for two days , 2-3 June .
The event , hosted at the ASB Showgrounds and organised by national industry association Business Events Industry Aotearoa ( BEIA ), gathered 150 exhibitors from 18 regions with 50 Australian and 110 New Zealand hosted buyers . Three hundred local day buyers also joined .
BEIA chief executive Lisa Hopkins said MEETINGS 2021 had marked a turning point for the business events industry : “ This is an extraordinary achievement for New Zealand . A significant business event featuring international buyers in a face-to-face environment . It is a reflection of the way New Zealand has managed Covid , and BEIA is excited to help facilitate this vital connection with Australian buyers looking to bring business to our shores ,” she said .
“ Working in partnership has never been more important . As an industry , we have had to learn to adapt ,” Hopkins added , explaining that organisers had implemented contactless registration for hosted buyers on arrival , thermal temperature checking , and self-check in counters with QR code registration for day buyers — essentially a no-scan , no-entry approach . There was also a triage room , wider aisles between the exhibitors , and QR codes on all coaches being used for transfers .
“ Covid has expedited the need for the industry to upskill in the use of different technology platforms , systems , and devices . Events now need a Plan B , C and in some cases D ,” Hopkins said .
“ Our world revolves around the need to be able to deliver events in an omnichannel environment . That means it could be in person and online , fully online , on demand , by subscription , or include other elements of event delivery ,” she said .
Some buyers from Victoria in Australia were unable to travel but were able to engage in their pre-scheduled appointments online . Hopkins estimated the Melbourne buyers were looking to place NZ $ 21.5m ( US $ 15.51m ) in business in New Zealand . “ That was too great an opportunity to ignore ,” she said and hence the back up digital plan kicked into effective action for them .
Australian hosted buyer , Tracey Edwards , general manager , Australia and New Zealand at Event Travel Management , said her first time at MEETINGS had been both educational and inspirational .
“ I am excited to rediscover some of the regional destinations , where our customers can make the most of their visit with unique workshops , team building , scenic touring , and enjoy local food , wine and shopping ,” she said .
Hopkins explained that for the six months from 1 July to 3 December 2020 , there were 4,300 business events taking care of over 431,000 delegates in New Zealand , with an estimated spend of almost NZ $ 124m . While low compared to a normal year , she said it was at least encouraging to see that domestically , the business events industry was able to rally .
Post-show , Australian and New Zealand buyers headed to Waikato and Queenstown for weekend familiarisation experiences . Others had visited Auckland , Wellington and Christchurch prior to MEETINGS .
Next year MEETINGS will be held in Õtautahi Christchurch at the new Te Pae Christchurch convention centre , 15-16 June 2022 .
Other venue openings in the pipeline include Tãkina in Wellington in 2023 and the New Zealand International Convention Centre in 2024 .
50 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 113