This Content Is Only For Subscribers
In conjunction with the annual BEIA conference held in Taranaki, November 26 and 27, their 48th Annual General Meeting of Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA), November 26 also marked a key moment with the announcement of two new board members.
In the media release, November 26 Jacques Meyer of Cordis, Auckland, and Vanessa Wallace of RotoruaNZ have stepped into key leadership roles, bringing new energy and skill to BEIA’s mission of advancing New Zealand’s business events sector.
Jacques Meyer, director of Sales and Marketing at Cordis, Auckland, takes over the Platinum seat on the board from Ross Steele of Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, who has completed his two-year term. Vanessa Wallace, Business Events manager at RotoruaNZ, was elected to the Gold seat, previously held by Tracey Thomas of Conference Innovators.
BEIA Board chair Martin Snedden says “We extend Jacques and Vanessa a very warm welcome to the BEIA Board as our new Platinum and Gold representatives and thank Ross and Tracey for their service to our industry.”
Jacques’s commercial understanding and leadership at Cordis, Auckland — New Zealand’s largest hotel — are expected to bring valuable insights to the board. In addition, Vanessa’s achievements in repositioning Rotorua as a top-tier destination for high-profile events further strengthen BEIA’s leadership team.
The full 2024/25 BEIA Board lineup was also confirmed:
Board Chair: Martin Snedden
BEIA Management: Lisa Hopkins
Tourism New Zealand (co-opted): Bjoern Spreitzer
Air New Zealand (co-opted): Iain Walker
Platinum Representatives: Prue Daly (NZICC/SkyCity Entertainment Group), Jacques Meyer (Cordis Auckland)
Gold Representative: Vanessa Wallace (RotoruaNZ)
Silver Representative: Sam Holdich (Weta Workshop)
Appointed Members: David Perks (Regional Tourism NZ), David Downs (The New Zealand Story)
