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Education for hosted buyers, day buyers, and the next generation of event managers will be a strong focus for MEETINGS 2024, the largest gathering of business events professionals and service providers in New Zealand.
This year’s event at Rotorua’s Energy Events Centre on June 19-20 will be the biggest yet, with 246 stands representing 205 businesses from 18 regions of New Zealand including 36 new exhibitors.
New to MEETINGS 2024 are education sessions for buyers, held during lunch breaks, covering a wide range of relevant and trending topics. Day buyers registering before the end of May will receive priority registration to their choice of sessions.
MEETINGS event manager Chris Peak says buyers can maximise their time on the show floor with opportunities to do business and learn, gaining new ideas, inspiration and new connections.
“We are packing in the benefits for hosted buyers and day buyers to ensure they take as much away from this experience as possible. Anyone who organises, researches, or makes decisions on any type of business event in New Zealand – conferences, meetings, product launches, incentives, roadshows can’t afford to miss MEETINGS,” he says.
The 50-minute education sessions will include: identifying and managing unexpected risks; corporate social responsibility through an indigenous lens; Aotearoa New Zealand’s special status globally – and how to tell its story; securing commercial and third-party funding for events; and how tikanga Māori – customs, protocol, and values can enhance events. These education sessions will also be recorded and made available to all attendees.
Team Up Events’ lunchtime workshop on Wednesday, June 19, is an interactive Corporate Social Responsibility team-building session set to make a positive impact for the local Rotorua community. Attendees will experience first-hand how the power of events can create meaningful benefits for local communities.
The Tourism New Zealand Knowledge and Destination Hub will host 23 different 15-minute targeted presentations throughout the two days of MEETINGS. Attendees can find out what’s new in New Zealand events with regional showcase updates from across the country, gather insights into the Asian and North American events markets, and learn more about Toitū and Qualmark and what these certifications mean for assessing the sustainability of an event. Other topics will include everything from the application of GST in Australasian events, to the role and value of a professional conference organiser, and the significance of Māori cultural protocols for events.
Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team will also be on the stand to discuss the support, bid assistance and resources available to help attract and host successful international conferences.
And, the next generation of event management and hospitality professionals will be given hands-on insights into the burgeoning business events industry.
This year MEETINGS will be supporting more than 100 Level 5 and 6 students studying hospitality, event management and tourism at the local Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in Rotorua. They will have the opportunity to explore the MEETINGS tradeshow before an afternoon of sessions designed to develop their knowledge and understanding of the business events industry, how their specific areas of study play a part in the overall business events ecosystem as well as their career pathways. Students will also have a chance to gain practical experience by working with the organising team at MEETINGS 2024.
Day buyer registration is free on the MEETINGS website. Day buyers can attend MEETINGS for any length of time – from two hours to two days – and will receive priority registration for their choice of education sessions, plus complimentary activities in Rotorua, and return transport from Auckland.
