Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB), in conjunction with its members and industry partners, has won an impressive $45 million worth of business events in the year ending June 2018.
As a result of these wins, more than 100 different business events have been secured and will be held at various times over the next nine years, injecting millions of dollars into the regional economy.
Head of ACB, Anna Hayward, says: “It’s been a hugely successful year for the team and the future growth prospects for the sector are incredibly exciting.
“These wins will see the region host more than 52,848 international and domestic delegates between 2018 and 2027, who will stay a total of 120,834 visitor nights.”
Auckland’s market share for business events increased by 2 per cent to 37 per cent (YE June 18). Auckland hosted the greatest proportion (26 per cent) of multi-day conferences and conventions, generating 35 per cent of total multi-day conference and convention delegate days.
Another highlight over the last year has been the establishment of a group of world-leading experts and senior leaders in the business events sector who have been enlisted to help further enhance Auckland’s reputation and presence in the international market place.
Mrs Hayward says the Auckland International Business Events Advisory Group (AIBEAG) provide strategic guidance and market intelligence within the highly competitive business events market as well as fostering new international connections.
“Recently we worked with American Express Global Business Travel, through our advisor Patrick Rush, to develop a whitepaper on bucket-list destinations for incentive programmes with Auckland as the focus. This has been followed up with a webinar to the North American market, in conjunction with Prevue magazine,” she says.
“ATEED’s General Manager Destination, Steve Armitage, was also invited by another advisor, Oscar Cerezales, to present to a global audience of business events marketers and organisers about the recently launched Destination AKL 2025 strategy.”
Destination AKL 2025 was launched in May by ATEED, in collaboration with a senior leadership group made up of representatives from across Auckland’s visitor economy.
ATEED General Manager Destination, Steve Armitage, says business events play an important role in supporting the sustainable growth of Auckland’s visitor economy.
“The Destination AKL 2025 Strategy recognizes the importance of business events to our region, with current forecasts suggesting that the total value of the sector will reach $438 million in 2025. To support this growth, we are putting more resources and energy into pursuing business events,” he says.
“We want to make sure we remain competitive with other destinations and are primed to maximise the opportunities that new developments like the New Zealand International Convention Centre bring to the region, as well as leveraging the global spotlight of hosting events such as the 36th America’s Cup and APEC events in 2021.”
ACB’s financial results as well as an update on the progress of the Destination AKL 2025 strategy were presented to more than 80 ACB membership partners at Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour yesterday.