There has been a 'rebound' in the business events sector after Covid-19 disruptions. Photo / 123rf
There has been a 'rebound' in the business events sector after Covid-19 disruptions. Photo / 123rf
Some businesses are inquiring as far ahead as 2027 to book conferences in Tauranga as the coastal region experiences a “real rebound” in the business events sector following the disruption caused by Covid-19, Tourism Bay of Plenty says.
Conferences offer a boost to the regional economy with attendees spendingmoney on accommodation providers, hospitality, retail, and various visitor activities, the agency says.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said there was a “real rebound” in the business events sector in 2023 compared to 2022.
After the disruption caused by Covid-19, Nathan said there was a lot of “pent-up demand” for businesses and organisations to bring their teams together face to face.
Nathan said Tauranga’s proximity to other main centres – particularly Auckland – and the “ease” of flying to Tauranga, made the city an “attractive option” for business event organisers.
“Since the reopening of our international borders, Tourism New Zealand has also been actively promoting New Zealand’s business event options to our overseas markets, so we’re seeing the positive flow-on effect of that.”
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan.
Nathan said business event attendees spent money at the event, and local businesses such as accommodation providers, hospitality, retail and activities, which supporting employment and boosted the regional economy.
“Longer term, we want Tauranga to maximise and fulfill its potential as a conference destination and this is prompting significant investment into infrastructure such as new hotels and amenities as well as upgrades to existing facilities.”
Nathan said the agency was constantly talking with organisations such as the Tauranga City Council and Priority One about the city’s needs.
He said demand had been “high” for conferences, with many for 2024 and 2025 already being confirmed.
Conference inquiries were from corporates, associations and not-for-profit organisations, many of which were from Auckland and Wellington.
“We’re even fielding business event inquiries that stretch into 2027. Venues and accommodation are being booked well in advance, which empowers local businesses because it gives them more certainty with their resource planning and financial forecasting.”
New developments in Tauranga CBD will take business events to ‘a whole new level’
Tourism Bay of Plenty head of destination management Mary Tolley said it received 70 direct leads and bids for conferences during the 2022/2023 financial year. Of those, 32 booked a conference, which accounted for 6500 attendees.
Fifteen of the 70 went to other regions, while the remaining 23 were “still considering” their options for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Tolley said Tourism Bay of Plenty hosted 10 famils last year to showcase the region to various domestic conference organisers. Five conferences were confirmed as a result.
The conferences featured organisations from the food and beverage sector, sports, insurance, real estate, technology, building and construction companies.
Tolley said its business events team was working with relevant partners to grow the region’s business events profile and generate leads.
New developments in Tauranga CBD should take business events “to a whole new level” in the future, she said.
Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said a lot of small to mid-sized conferences were managed between the client and venue directly.
“While the large conferences are great, they require large venues and logistics of moving people around and a steady supply of small-to-medium conferences across a variety of venues throughout the year can benefit the economy just as much as a couple of large conferences.”
Harriet Laughton is a multi-media journalist based in the Bay of Plenty.
