Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) Chief Executive, Lisa Hopkins says buyers have been keen to sign up online, with many applications already received from New Zealand and Australia event organisers.
“We believe MEETINGS is the first event for the sector globally in 2021, after other key events have unfortunately had to cancel. Our timing will enable New Zealand’s business events industry to connect early with buyers who are focused on 2022 and beyond,” she says.
“With the roll-out of the vaccine programme, confidence will be streaming back. Now is the time for business to be secured and to provide certainty for the future.”
MEETINGS is New Zealand’s largest business events trade show and this year it includes a two-day programme, plus eight different regional familiarisation tours.
“Following the huge success of BE Reconnected, supporting the industry to connect consistently is vital. The interest we have for MEETINGS is really exciting. Some of the comments from Australian-based buyers are giving us insight into the pent-up demand for New Zealand, which is seen as a low-risk international destination,” Hopkins says.
Shannon Healey, Event Manager at CBD Events Australia says attending MEETINGS 2021 will be incredibly valuable, as it will help to expand their business even more into New Zealand.
“In this current COVID landscape, where overseas travel will be few and far between, we certainly want to try and host more and more events closer to home in New Zealand, so this will be a fantastic opportunity,” she says,
Fernando Lonergan, Senior Director, Australia, BCD Meetings and Events, Asia Pacific says they are already receiving customer enquiries for designing face-to-face programmes into lower risk domestic and international destinations.
“With this backdrop, MEETINGS in New Zealand presents a great opportunity for us to connect with our local partners and identify new suppliers that can help us amaze and protect our customers,” he says.
Business event organisers can attend MEETINGS in a number of different ways this year.
“Buyers have several flexible options - to be fully hosted for two days in Auckland, to attend fully-hosted for a day, to visit for a few hours as a local day buyer, or to connect online,” Hopkins says.
“We are developing a virtual Hosted Buyer programme to ensure our Australian and international buyers can still be part of the New Zealand MEETINGS 2021 community, if travel continues to be restricted.
“MEETINGS 2021 may be different, but it remains true to the purpose of connecting event organisers with New Zealand through one-on-one appointments, destination updates and extending our warm manaakitanga (generous welcome).”
Pre-familiarisations will take place from 30 May to 1 June in Auckland, Northland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin-Central Otago. After MEETINGS, from 4 to 6 June hosted buyers can choose to visit either Waikato or Queenstown.
Hosted buyer applications for MEETINGS 2021 close on Friday 9 April, and pre -scheduled appointment requests will begin online from Monday, 19 April.
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