The postponed National Jazz Festival will be held in June. Photo / Andrew Warner
Bay of Plenty events venues are being "inundated" with inquiries for event bookings that are expected to boost the pandemic-hit economy.
As the border re-opens and postponed events go ahead, those in the industry are taking bookings and inquiries through to next year.
Tāpoi Te Moananui ā Toi Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said the events calendar was building back up and winter was looking to be busier than usual.
He said there were a few reasons for this, which included events postponed due to Covid such as The West End Wiggle and National Jazz Festival being rescheduled.
"The events sector, in general, has also been buoyed by the removal of all indoor and outdoor guest capacity limits. This has boosted confidence and enthusiasm to start planning more events."
The higher profile of Matariki this year — recognised for the first time with a new public holiday — also created new opportunities.
"We've also got some more Regional Events Fund activities coming up – this includes the X*Air Games in July and the Zespri AIMS Games, which will be happening in September."
Covid-19 had forced the cancellation of the AIMS Games for the past two years and he said they were looking forward to the "huge boost this multi-national intermediate-aged sports tournament will create" when it returned.
It was also starting to see an increase in business event inquiries for both this year and next.
He said this was down to corporate companies moving away from online gatherings and restarting face-to-face conferences and events.
"There's been a noticeable uptick in demand for regional venues beyond New Zealand's largest cities, and this bodes well for the coastal Bay of Plenty and is a shift that Tourism Bay of Plenty is actively working to capitalise on."
It was vital for the sector to ensure a wide range of events, and event dates were on offer as it enticed locals and visitors to engage with the people, places and activities the region had to offer, he said.
"This generates positive flow-on benefits for all the interconnected areas of our local economy - such as hospitality, accommodation, venues, transport and tourism activities."
Tauranga City Council venues and events manager Nelita Byrne said the events calendar was looking promising, with planning already under way for the 2022/2023 summer season.
"The line-up over the next few months is exciting, and will showcase a range of sporting, arts and culture, and entertainment events."
Byrne said there was a wide range of entertainment booked, from large concerts to free family events. Most of the annual events that the community know and love were also set to return.
There were more than 300 events booked in public open spaces across Tauranga for the year from June.
The bookings provided a boost to hospitality, accommodation, venues and tourism industries, Byrne said.
"From local suppliers being engaged to provide their services for events, through to restaurants and bars benefiting from the business of visitors and locals who have attended events."
The National Jazz Festival 2021 created 4985 visitor nights from attendees outside Tauranga and had a $470,285 net benefit to Tauranga.
But people's confidence in attending events was returning, she said. January's Black Clash cricket match brought in $1,120,294 in visitor spending over the event weekend.
"Last week we commemorated Anzac Day and saw thousands of people attend services across our city, which shows people are feeling more confident to return to live events."
While the pandemic had a "significant impact", she said event organisers had been using the quiet time to work on plans and were now eager to deliver their events in Tauranga.
This eagerness is also being seen in the business event market, Byrne said.
Tauranga's Atrium Cafe and Conference Centre manager Victor Haupt said it was getting lots of inquiries "from all sectors".
"We've been inundated."
He said it was great to get people coming in, particularly after having rafts of cancellations over the last couple of years.
Tauranga Business Chamber events and sponsorship manager Anne Pankhurst said events had a long lead-in, and so anything that was postponed for the last 18 months was now looking positive and moving ahead.
"We know that venues around the region have become really busy again and it is challenging to find space from around August.
"This has a trickle-down effect on all the other suppliers in the events chain, which is great news."
She said demand had been building and its own networking and leadership events were well attended.
"The business community likes connecting with other like-minded people and knowing what's going on in our region. We enjoy partnering with local hosts and suppliers to make this happen."
Upcoming Tauranga events
After Dark Urban Light Festival, May 13-22
Ultimate Athlete NZ, May 20-21
Tauranga Moana Pride Picnic, May 29
Matariki, from May 31
National Jazz Festival 2022, June 20 – 26