Event organisers and key decision makers wanting to attend New Zealand’s MEETINGS 2013 are being urged to apply online to secure a place in the popular hosted buyer programme.
MEETINGS is New Zealand’s premier business tourism exhibition and showcases the diverse range of destinations, venues, products and services available in New Zealand for conferences, meetings, exhibitions, events and incentive travel programmes.
The hosted buyer programme is designed to make it as easy as possible for event organisers and decision-makers to make connections with key people who can help them with the planning and execution of their next event.
“It’s a very popular programme because not only does it provide opportunities for people to connect at a business level, but it also gives people the chance to network informally and to experience some of our great hospitality,” says MEETINGS event manager Jeanette Stanton.
Organised by Conventions & Incentives New Zealand (CINZ), this year’s MEETINGS, which is being held in Auckland at the SKYCITY Convention Centre on June 26 and 27, is a sell-out, with more than 170 exhibitors representing venues and suppliers from throughout New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand is working with CINZ to bring international buyers to the event as part of its commitment to growing the business events sector in New Zealand.
Business tourism currently brings in an estimated $1 billion annually into the New Zealand economy.
Buyers from Australia, China, South and South-East Asia will be attending MEETINGS, along with a large contingent of New Zealand buyers.
Before getting down to business, hosted buyers can this year enjoy a famil day in fun-filled Auckland. Australian buyers are also being offered the opportunity to extend their stay for the weekend and experience more of New Zealand through famil trips to either Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch & Canterbury or Queenstown.
More details about those trips and how to register for the Hosted Buyer Programme can be found by clicking here.
“Places on the Hosted Buyer programme are limited so if you are planning a business event and want the chance to meet with the who’s who of New Zealand’s conference and incentive travel industry then you need to go online and apply now,” Stanton says.
Those who cannot commit to a pre-arranged schedule of appointments or do not fit the criteria for the hosted buyer programme can still attend MEETINGS through the day buyer programme.
It is free to register for the programme, which allows buyers to visit MEETINGS for as long or as short a time as they want. Everyone who registers for the Day Buyer Programme will be invited by Millennium Hotels & Resorts to join them for a hosted lunch at St Matthew in the City. They can also attend the popular Speakers Showcase on the first day of MEETINGS.
“New Zealand is an exceptional conference and incentive travel destination and at no time is that more evident than during MEETINGS when you get to see all that we have to offer under one roof. It really is a not-to-be-missed event so we’re expecting a very big turnout,” Stanton says.
