Auckland has won the bid to host the International Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) eGrid Conference in 2022.
The hybrid conference, set to be held in December 2022, will bring together world-leading energy experts from government, industry and academia to share ideas, challenges and solutions to the planet’s energy challenges.
The bid - secured by ACB, a division of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, and with support from Tourism New Zealand - is expected to attract over 200 delegates, with an estimated 60-70 percent international attendees. This is the first time eGrid has been held in New Zealand.
The three-day conference bid was won by Dr Nirmal Nair, from the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering at the University of Auckland and ACB’s Auckland Advocate Alliance member.
“This is a major win for Auckland and reinforces the city’s standing as a destination of choice for premiere international technical conferences,” Dr Nair says.
“Hosting eGrid next year is a big win for New Zealand engineers who will be able to tap into and share a wealth of knowledge and gain exposure to emergent world-leaders around the use of efficient and effective use of power electronics into renewable energy infrastructure.”
Dr Nair has won four international conferences for Auckland, valued at $3 million and is working to bring two other international conferences to New Zealand in 2023.
“Auckland has an enviable reputation for hosting world-class conferences and I am looking forward to continuing to collaborate with ACB and Tourism New Zealand to boost this reputation.”
Auckland Unlimited’s Head of Major and Business Events, Richard Clarke, says collaboration is key to winning bids.
“This conference is a platform for leading experts to advance the field and provides the opportunity for New Zealand engineers and academics to strengthen ties with international networks, showcase our own research in this sector and build new research links.”
Tourism New Zealand General Manager Domestic & Business Events Bjoern Spreitzer adds: “Tourism New Zealand supports international conference bids because these events deliver a myriad of benefits.
“They enrich New Zealand through the high-value visitors, international profile, and knowledge opportunities they attract. We’re very pleased to welcome eGrid to our shores for the first time.”
If you want to understand more about how you can host a conference in Auckland we would love to hear from you, get in touch with:
Gemma Wood, Business Events Manager
M +64 21 985 622
About Auckland Convention Bureau
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ACB promotes and positions Auckland in domestic and international markets as a premium destination for business events, ranging from large-scale conferences and conventions to meetings, seminars, tradeshows and incentive travel.
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It is a specialist unit within Tātaki Auckland Unlimited with the objective of driving the growth of Auckland’s world-class business events sector.
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Business events provide a platform to exchange knowledge and ideas, build relationships and attract investment and talent to Auckland.
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Nirmal received his BE in Electrical Engineering from Maharaja Sayajirao University (M.S.U), Baroda, India.
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He completed his ME in Electrical Engineering with specialization in High Voltage Engineering from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India.
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He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, USA.
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He has held several professional, teaching and research positions in India, USA and now in New Zealand.
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Presently, he is an Associate Professor at Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering of University of Auckland.
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His expertise involves smart grids, power system analysis, protective relaying and optimisation in the context of electricity markets and integration of DG/renewable resources into electricity networks. He serves in various capacities for IEEE New Zealand North Section, IEEE Power and Energy Society, and is in the governing board for IEEE- Asia Pacific and CIGRE New Zealand National Committee. He engages closely with New Zealand electricity stakeholders through the Electricity Engineer’s Association.
About the ACB Auckland Advocate Alliance
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The Auckland Advocate Alliance was developed by Auckland Convention Bureau and works to bring more business events – conferences, conventions, exhibitions, meeting and incentive travel – to Auckland.
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Business events provide a platform to exchange knowledge and ideas, build relationships and attract investment and talent to Auckland.
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The programme brings together influential thought leaders from multiple industries and communities who work to promote Auckland as an international destination for business events.
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Launched in 2015, it is the first programme of its kind in New Zealand.
For more information please get in contact with:
Shelley Ashdown
Communications Advisor, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited
+64 27 206 1853
[email protected]