MEETINGS 2023 had a clear agenda – with sustainability, growth and the future all featured as top priorities for event organisers, exhibitors and buyers attending the business events conference.
Inside Tourism sat and chatted with Business Events Aotearoa CEO Lisa Hopkins – when she had a spare moment – during MEETINGS this week to get her take on the future of MEETINGS, sustainability of the conference, growth, and some of BEIA’s behind-the-scenes advocacy.
MEETINGS 2023 was hosted at the new Tākina Events centre in Wellington – which boasts a 5-Star Green Design certification from the New Zealand Green Building Council. So when it comes to sustainability, the MEETINGS team is switched on.
This year’s event saw less printed materials, more digital signage, and less single-use cutlery and crockery.
But when you’re already making huge gains for sustainability, is there room for further improvement?
“Do you ever peak? That’s the question,” says Lisa.
“You don’t ever peak because whatever we do, we’re always going to have that issue around flights.
“That’s always going to be the real sticking point. There’s also that challenge around what’s impacting on us from a sustainability perspective to what is recyclable.
“One of the things that we as an organisation are doing is we’re taking out event planner completely online. There’ll be no physical copies – the cost to produce is one thing, but the waste is another.”
This year’s conference all but maxed out Tākina’s spacious facilities. With more than 1000 attendees, 224 stands and 19 regions represented across two floors, MEETINGS has seen growth in the past year.
And, Lisa says, there’s more to come.
“I’d like to think there’s still room for growth! Especially seeing as at some stage we’ll end up at the New Zealand International Conference Centre in Auckland, which is really big.
“We’re quietly excited about the opportunity for the future and what that will bring and the growth that will bring.”
MEETINGS 2023 saw the return of international buyers from further afield – with North American and Singaporean buyers amongst Kiwis and Aussies. It’s a step forward that Lisa says the industry is very excited about.
“I’d love to see more – especially coming out of South East Asia and North America.
“Yes we’ll always have the Australians come over, as they should, but it was almost emotional seeing the North Americans and the Singaporeans.
“I know that if we said we’d sponsor X number of people out of India, we’d fill that in a nanosecond.
“Also out of Hong Kong and other places.”
She says the high cost to travel to New Zealand is always a bit of a bugbear, but she doesn’t think New Zealand’s high cost of living impacts the business events industry – yet.
“I think [high cost of living] a separate thing. There’s certainly the cost to fly here is one thing.
“Everyone’s a business, so everyone needs to keep an eye on the bottom line, even with simple things like breakfasts and lunches. We haven’t noticed a significant difference, but that’s not to say that it’s not still coming.”
And BEIA is busy behind the scenes, when they’re not busy organising conferences, with advocacy.
Lisa shared with delegates at an industry briefing that they’ve been involved in conversations around a recent Therapeutic Products Bill.
“We appeared before the select committee on the Therapeutic Products Bill. We were presenting a case for products not authorised in New Zealand as yet to be allowed to be a part of a trade show when attached to a medical conference. That’s really important to us, because if we can’t get those exhibitors here, the conference, which uses the trade show to offset some of its costs, becomes quite expensive. It was really important that we presented our case as part of the industry.
“Our recommendations were put forward; we asked for clarification on language, and I’ve had a look online and it looks like we might potentially see a positive outcome.”
With medical conferences making up 32 per cent of the conference industry in quarter one of the 2023 financial year, according to Tourism New Zealand, it’s a huge sector of the industry.
“Imagine what we’re missing out on,” Lisa says.
She mentioned that BEIA is also involved in of conversations around single-use visas as well.
“We could certainly see how that could have some advantage to both Australia and New Zealand.
“I’m loving the relationships we have – with Immigration New Zealand and with NZ Māori Tourism.”
And growth – or at least returning to pre-COVID levels – is something Lisa is also excited about.
Last year, Inside Tourism asked Lisa what the predictions were around seeing the business events industry return to pre-COVID levels. At the time she predicted we’d return around 2025, and 2023 Lisa says her prediction was solid.
“Absolutely. I feel very comfortable about [returning to pre-COVID levels], certainly in 2025.”
