Auckland’s about-to-open $1 billion NZ International Convention Centre will host 95 events next year, its owners and managers say.
SkyCity Entertainment Group has released a list of confirmed bookings, showing events next year but also through to 2028.
A spokeswoman said that in addition to next year’s 95 events, 28 international conferences were confirmed for future years.
Heart rhythm specialists, school principals, coral reef scientists, dairy specialists, public health officials, pest managers and ecologists are some of the thousands booked to arrive soon.
Around 15,000 attendees are expected to attend 15 of next year’s 95 events at the centre built by Fletcher Building subsidiary Fletcher Construction.
Those 15 events are forecast to have an economic impact of more than $20 million.
The International Coral Reef Symposium next July is the NZICC’s largest event of 2026.
That is due to bring an estimated 2000 attendees and have a $5.1m economic benefit. The event is due to run from July 19-24.
Organisers said the event will represent an important forum to highlight the plight of the world’s coral reefs, including those across Oceania, and discuss management solutions with global applicability.
“Coral reefs are a vital part of marine ecosystems and are under threat from global warming and ocean acidification, as well as more localised threats such as agricultural run-off, poor fishing practices and coastal development,” organisers said.
Hosting the symposium in Oceania would provide a unique place to come together to identify solutions to these problems and to provide guidance to help governments, NGOs and industry make informed decisions to protect our coral reefs and the livelihood of those affected, the organisers said.
The second-largest event will be the Royal Australasian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists’ 57th annual scientific congress, attended by 1750 people.
That will run from November 6-9.
Professional organisations like this show details on their own conference sites about the events including geographic locations of hotels near the centre.
However, SkyCity has itself got nearly 1000 hotel rooms in three big venues: SkyCity Grand, SkyCity Hotel and Horizon by SkyCity, built specifically for the NZICC.
The third-largest will be from next August 16 to 21 with the International Society for Microbial Ecology. That is expected to draw 1700 attendees. That event is held every two years.
“New Zealand has an active and vibrant microbial ecology community, and we are very excited to bring ISME back to New Zealand, where the first symposium took place way back in 1977,” organisers said.
“Five decades on, and with ISME symposia having gone from strength to strength, New Zealand retains the charm of a country renowned for its natural beauty and stunning landscapes while also offering the sophistication of Auckland, our truly international city.”
The NZICC has commented on the events.
“Two of Australasia’s largest association conferences are confirmed for 2026 at the NZICC, with a combined total of 3300 delegates expected to attend, generating millions of dollars in economic activity,” it said.
This was the first time in more than a decade that the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) would hold conferences in New Zealand.
Professor Dave Story, ANZCA president, said: “We are one of the largest specialist medical colleges in Australasia, and we are thrilled to have secured the state-of-the-art venue of the NZICC.”
The six-day event would feature international speakers on anaesthesia and pain medicine and will deliver up to 150 workshops to attendees.
Later in the year, RANZCO’s annual scientific congress would contribute more than $2m in economic activity.
In February this year, SkyCity said it would open the centre next February. A SkyCity spokesman said then that was better timing rather than later this year.
Asked why February, he said it was a “contingency plus the convention market effectively closes in December and January. This allows time for commissioning”.
SkyCity said today it could not release a list of all events booked due to commercial confidentiality.
“Many are not publicly announced,” the spokeswoman said.
The centre now has 41 full-time employees.
“The recent recruitment focus has been in our event planning team, operations team leadership roles and executive sous chef. The next recruitment drive will be towards the end of the year to support our operational team’s workforce starting in January in preparation for the February opening,” she said.
SkyCity is suing Fletcher Building for $330m over the centre, saying in June it had taken 10 years to build instead of three.
But Fletcher said in response it had already paid significant liquidated damages to SkyCity for delays.
“Accordingly, Fletcher Construction will vigorously defend itself against the SkyCity claim for further liquidated damages beyond the capped amount provided for in the building works contract,” it said.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.