Tourism New Zealand is aiming to achieve its
highest ever financial target for international conferences, with a goal of
making 110 bids valued at NZ$185m.
The target was
announced at MEETINGS, a trade show for the business events
industry, in Auckland, and followed an announcement that $3m
of extra government funding would be directed toward business events in the fiscal period ending 2026 (FY26).
The target comes
as Tourism New Zealand’s dedicated Business Events team looks set to deliver on
its FY25 stretch target of 110 bids valued at $170m. This was assisted by $3m
of increased Tourism Boost funding for business events announced by the government in March 2025.
The national tourism
organisation had previously set a target of 90 bids with a value of $140m for
the 2025 financial year. Win conversion targets remain set at 60 per cent.
Tourism New Zealand
chief executive René de Monchy said: “The additional Tourism Boost funding for business events was a strong vote of confidence in
the work we do at Tourism New Zealand, highlighting the vital role this
activity plays in growing the New Zealand economy. This investment allowed us
to do more and go faster.
“We’re looking to
accelerate this momentum and retain that stretch target into the next year. In
addition, with a full year to target higher value and larger scale conferences,
we aim to build on the value that business events deliver to New Zealand and New
Zealanders.”
Tourism New Zealand
will draw on new perception research in the international business events
sector to fuel continued growth, de Monchy said.
This includes
supporting early career academics to boost the country’s bid champion pool,
addressing perceptions around the complexity of travelling to New Zealand, and
showcasing the magic of conferences and events held in New Zealand.
