Attracting conferences and events to the region is a crucial ingredient in the recipe for a strong regional economy, which is why our conference and events team hosted a site at Meetings 2018 in Auckland. It is New Zealand's only national business tourism event for the conference, meetings, exhibition and travel incentive industry.
"Meetings is an amazing opportunity to create and develop relationships with a large number of conference and event organisers from around the country and world," says Phil Hildred, Conference and Events Executive.
"Organisers are looking for the best location. Manawatu's central setting, strong key industry sectors, the number and diversity of great venues, the ease of travel to Palmerston North and navigation within the city are major draw cards," he says, adding that conference delegates' daily spend is almost double that of other visitors to the region, meaning the attraction of conferences is incredibly valuable for Manawatū.
Since CEDA's inception, $2.5 million dollars worth of new conferences and events have been brought to Manawatū and we've also supported multiple conferences to the region, with a combined worth of more than $10 million to our economy. With our presence at Meetings, more are on their way. If you'd like to host your national conference here, contact us today.
This originally appeared in 60 Seconds with CEDA, a weekly update on our latest news and projects, delivered to your inbox. Sign up for this by scrolling to the footer of this web page.