This Content Is Only For Subscribers
Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) has welcomed the findings of the independent review of New Zealand’s approach to events, and the move towards developing a National Events Strategy.
The review was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to look at how New Zealand’s events system currently performs, with a focus on identifying the changes needed to deliver greater and more consistent public value.
BEIA chief executive Lisa Hopkins says the review is an important opportunity to take a more coordinated and strategic approach to how New Zealand attracts, supports and leverages events – including business events.
“This is a significant piece of work for New Zealand’s events sector. It’s good to see the report recognises that New Zealand already has strong business events capability.
“It also highlights the significant value events of all kinds already create, as well as the opportunity in front of the wider events sector to achieve much more from them.”
The review outlines some of the issues the wider events industry has faced for some time. It highlights the lack of a long-term national direction, fragmented decision-making and coordination, and investment settings that don’t reflect the long lead times required to secure events or the increasingly competitive international events market.
Lisa Hopkins says BEIA supports the report’s finding that business events play an important part of New Zealand’s wider events ecosystem.
“The report specifically recognises the role business events play, not just economically, but also strategically.
“It recognises how effective our sector is in driving outcomes for investment, knowledge sharing, connections and global reputation, as well as regional dispersal. It also references the importance of domestic business events, which are crucial for all regions.”
BEIA believes the development of a National Events Strategy – one of the key recommendations from the report – provides an opportunity to make the most of events for New Zealand’s benefit.
Lisa Hopkins says: “We need to be clear about the types of events New Zealand wants to attract, what we want to get from them, and how government and the wider events industry can work together to make that happen.
“Having a shared strategy is an important step and having the events industry at the table to help develop this will be essential.
“The people who are attracting, bidding for and delivering events understand the opportunities available to New Zealand, but also the increasingly competitive international environment in securing events of all kinds.
“In 2024, BEIA released Pīata Mai, the National Strategic Direction for Business Events, created by industry, for industry. We’ll be starting the process to refresh Pīata Mai at the BEIA conference next month, with a view to using this to inform the National Events Strategy on the role of business events.
“BEIA is looking forward to being closely involved in the development of the strategy, and working with government, our members, and the wider events sector on the next steps.”
