Rotorua events sector heats up as postponed events make for busier winter

Harcourts Dancing for Hospice tickets will go on sale in June. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rotorua's winter events calendar is expected to be busier than usual as thousands of people flock to the city to attend events rescheduled because of Covid.

Those in the industry say relief is coming for struggling businesses because they are taking bookings and inquiries through to next year and people feel confident events can go ahead.

Rotorua Lakes Council director of events Joelene Elliott said thousands of people were expected to attend events in the city in the coming months and she was excited to see people back at council venues.

The Tip-Off Basketball Tournament was recently held, attracting more than 500 players.

"Looking ahead we have a number of bookings that moved to later in the year and so forward bookings are looking very positive."

Rotorua Energy Events Centre. Photo / Andrew Warner

From now until July next year she said it expected to host 10,000 business event delegates at the Energy Events Centre.

"August to November 2022 is especially busy with around 15 conferences being hosted ... over these months."

She said the events space in winter looked busier than last year, which would contribute to the economy during what is traditionally the off-season for tourism.

Winter and beyond looked to be particularly busy as postponed events went ahead.

These included the Rotorua Marathon in September, Whaka100 in October, the Six60 concert and Crankworx in November.

"There are also a number of events yet to be announced which is exciting."

Rotorua Marathon 2020 winner Michael Voss. Photo / NZME

She said alert levels, the traffic light system and Covid-19 guidelines had a significant impact on the ability to host events.

But, the desire to have these events had not changed, she said.

"As confidence grows in the industry we are expecting more inquiries and can't wait to welcome more people back to events in Rotorua."

Events brought not only economic benefits to the city, but vibrancy too, she said. They contributed to the cultural and community well-being.

"Out of region visitation is an important part of our event strategy moving forward."

Six60 frontman Matiu Walters. Photo / NZME

Rotorua Community Hospice Trust fundraising and marketing manager Jessica Meade spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post about its Harcourts Dancing for Hospice event on August 20.

"A hugely anticipated event, people have called me asking for the date so their holiday plans don't clash with [it]."

She said it was "extremely lucky" to have loyal sponsors and community members be part of the event since its inception, supporting the event each year, bringing with them friends and colleagues.

The event tickets go on sale in June and she said it was anticipated to be a sell-out.

But confidence the event was able to go ahead was low only a couple of months ago and planning was put on hold due to uncertainty.

"The Omicron variant was raging, and with our restrictions limiting events to 100 people, it was difficult to imagine an event with over 2100 in attendance being viable."

At orange, the team was in "full planning mode" and dancers were due to start training next week.

"We are exercising caution, and have robust external guidance in our Covid-19 response, ensuring our dancers, instructors and staff will be as safe as possible during the dance training phase."

Whaka 100 contestants in 2016. Photo / NZME

Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard said people were eager to get out and about.

"We're seeing a big appetite for events of all kinds."

He said there were lots of events in the pipeline.

"The outlook for events is better than it has been in years."

Destination Rotorua head of marketing and insights Jo Holmes said events brought an economic benefit felt widely throughout the community.

"Events play an important role in the economy, developing income for the hospitality, accommodation and retail sectors while adding to the vibrancy of the town for locals and visitors alike."

Large-scale events in particular have significant flow-on effects on the local visitor industry that benefitted from the increase in visitor numbers, she said.

Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard at an event in Rotorua. Photo / Laura Smith

Novotel & ibis Rotorua Lakeside conference sales manager Vanessa Price said there had been plenty of inquiries and bookings.

She said the increase had been expected as clients were able to book ahead with certainty under the reduced traffic light setting.

It had been a "roller coaster" in red, but she was seeing future bookings as far as next year.