Billion Dollar Industry on Show

Tuesday 11 July 2006

PRESS RELEASE

Billion Dollar Industry on Show
MEETINGS 2006 Comes to Christchurch

The convention and incentive industry injects more than $1 billion dollars a year into the New Zealand economy and exactly what this country has to offer will be showcased next week at MEETINGS 2006.

MEETINGS 2006 is New Zealand’s annual convention & incentive (C&I) tradeshow that promotes New Zealand exclusively as a C&I destination and is being held on July 19 and 20 at the Christchurch Convention Centre. More than 160 of the country’s finest suppliers of venues, products and services are exhibiting.

“This year we’re celebrating 10 years of the MEETINGS tradeshow, which has gone from strength to strength since its inception. The beauty of the show is that it’s all under one roof, making it a one-stop shop, so to speak, for prospective buyers,” says Alan Trotter, Conventions & Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) CEO. “As well as local buyers there are hosted buyers from Australia and Asia also attending to update themselves on our products and services.”

Mr Trotter says that the New Zealand convention business is steadily growing every year, with a selection of major international association conferences lined up over the next couple of years. “This is thanks to a Government funded scheme, the Conference Assistance Programme (CAP), which enables CINZ to prepare bids to attract international conferences here. We’ve been hugely successful with our bids to date, with them showing an economic return to the country of $22 million for every $100,000 spent through the programme, which is massive.

“While Australian conference business is the mainstay of the industry and always will be and we are now looking to attract more international longhaul association conferences to New Zealand from the likes of Europe, Northern USA and Asia.”

Mr Trotter and a New Zealand contingent of local operators recently returned from the IMEX tradeshow in Frankfurt, Germany – which is Europe’s huge equivalent of MEETINGS 2006. “It’s the second time we’ve attended the show and this year we really built on relationships that we established in 2005. The response was very positive and we’re looking forward to converting the enquiries into firm business, which I’m sure we will,” he says.

MEETINGS 2006 is expected to generate more than $35 million worth of C&I business for New Zealand. MEETINGS 2007 will be held in Auckland at the SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre on July 25 and 26.

ENDS

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