Volcanology conference predicted to inject millions into economy

The Rotorua Energy Events Centre. Photo/File

Rotorua has secured the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior Conference for 2021.

One thousand delegates from around the globe will attend four days of workshops and lectures at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre, predicted to inject over a million dollars into the Rotorua economy alone.

Destination Rotorua chief executive Michelle Templer said that Rotorua winning the bid to host this conference was a major coup for the region.

"Promoting Rotorua as a business event destination is key to supporting growth in valued visitors," she said.

"While we are well-known for our visitor activities, attractions and natural environment, we also have excellent conferencing facilities and a large portfolio of accommodation options. Because of this conference, organisers continue to realise that Rotorua is the ideal place for their event."

Rotorua punches well above its weight in the attraction of business events, ranking third in New Zealand in the number of multi-day conference delegate days spent in the city.

Only major centres Auckland and Wellington have a greater market share of this visitor group.

Destination Rotorua business events manager Craig Murray said the attraction of large scale business events was a highly competitive space because conference delegates have a much higher average spend than most visitors.

"Many of these conferences are scheduled for our low or shoulder seasons so they are also perfect for our industry in that they provide capacity and demand in what is traditionally a quiet time of year," he said.

Destination Rotorua actively targets sectors that fit with the region's natural or intrinsic competitive advantages like indigenous culture, forestry and geothermal.

The successful conference bid was a joint venture between Destination Rotorua, Tourism New Zealand and the University of Waikato.

Dr Adrian Pittari of the University of Waikato said that Rotorua, a city inside a caldera volcano and close to a wider diverse volcanic landscape, was a natural fit for a conference on volcanology.

"Scientific field trips to visit these areas will be an important aspect of this conference," he said.

"The capability and convenience of the Energy Events Centre and the capacity and range of accommodation options were also important factors in deciding to choose Rotorua."

Tourism New Zealand business events and premium manager Lisa Gardiner said targeting the international business events sector was an important part of Tourism New Zealand's strategy to grow the value of international visitors to New Zealand.

"This is another significant win for New Zealand where we worked closely with the business events team in Rotorua to help secure this result, providing expertise and support through our Conference Assistance Programme," she said.

"This win is further evidence of what can be achieved by working together to build New Zealand's reputation as a premium conference destination."