New Zealand is on a mission to amplifying
the business event sector's positive impact on culture, society, the environment, and the
economy.
To achieve this, Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA), the
membership association of New Zealand's business events sector, has launched Pīata Mai, meaning ‘to shine bright’ in Māori.
Pīata Mai is a national statement of strategic direction
outlining a focused vision for the industry over the next decade. It was guided
by an industry stakeholder group and shaped through consultations.
Pīata Mai is a first for New Zealand's business events
sector. “It symbolises the industry's readiness to excel domestically and
globally, driven by its commitment to resilience and sustainability,” said BEIA
chair, Martin Snedden.
"New Zealand Māori Tourism bestowed the name, and we
are grateful to Dame Pania Nathan-Tyson and her team for honouring our sector
with it. It illuminates the critical role and contributions of business events
to communities throughout New Zealand, which have also been bolstered by some
of the world's most modern purpose-built infrastructure.
"Pīata Mai not only guides BEIA in its pivotal role as
guardian of the statement, but also serves as a roadmap for industry businesses
to identify impactful opportunities and foster alignment."
The strategy emphasises storytelling about the sector's
community impacts, its foundational values of people and place, and the
economic and legacy benefits of business events.
The long-term and immediate objectives of Pīata Mai include
commissioning credible domestic and international spend data, asking the sector
to take measurable actions to reduce its environmental impact by 95 per cent,
and supporting the development of an enduring and equitable funding system for
the visitor economy.
Lisa Hopkins, BEIA chief executive says Pīata Mai aligns
with the broader goals of Tourism 2050, a vision set out by Tourism Industry
Aotearoa in 2023.
"With increased international and domestic conferences
anticipated, it's timely to emphasise our strategic position and collaborate
with our whanau in tourism and hospitality," she says.
“This is about the business events sector taking leadership
and ownership of its future while at the same time recognising its contribution
as an economic and social driver.
"Pīata Mai lays the groundwork for any organisation
within the business events network to embark on a strategic journey aligned
with this vision.”
Download the full version of Pīata Mai here.
