A strategic partnership between Business Events Wellington
and Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) has helped the city
secure three new conferences for 2026/7.
The conferences – The International Symposium on the Ocean
in a High-CO2 World; International Conference on Advanced Information
Networking and Applications 2026, and Conference of the International
Association for the Study of Popular Music – will take place over the next two
years at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre and VUW.
The bids were supported through Tourism New Zealand’s Conference
Assistance Programme and were part of a concerted strategy to engage and
leverage partnerships with tertiary institutes.
Irette Ferreira, manager, Business Events Wellington, said: “Here
in Wellington, we maintain a strong focus on attracting conferences and events
aligned to our intellectual capital – not only to ensure we offer innovative
content to visiting delegates, but also to maximise the benefits to the city
through international networking and global exposure.
“Our close partnership with Victoria University of
Wellington has been the catalyst to getting these important conferences to the
city. It is clear there is immense value in collaborating with local tertiary
education providers to help secure conferences that have a positive impact on
the city, its people, and its visitors.”
Penelope Ryan, global manager business events at Tourism New
Zealand, said: “These wins highlight the strong connections between New
Zealand’s convention bureaus and research and innovation networks and it’s
fantastic to see these events bringing international thought leaders to
Wellington and New Zealand.”
The news comes following the launch of the International
Conference Leaders Fund to enable researchers and academics based in
Wellington, New Zealand, to attend more international conferences and events
and enhance their standing in the international research community.
