Conventions and Incentives New Zealand and the Business Events Council of Australia have announced a joint agreement which will see both organisations collaborate on issues mutually affecting their markets.
CINZ chief executive, Lisa Hopkins says COVID-19 has impacted business events on both sides of the Tasman in an extraordinary way.
“It has also created opportunity and conversation amongst organisations who would not normally align, and our agreement with BECA is an example of this,” she says.
BECA chair, Dr Vanessa Findlay says a collaboration between CINZ and BECA will facilitate maximum benefit for both countries.
“Business events are such significant economic drivers and a fast way of encouraging trade and investment. International events will give an important boost to business recovery on both sides of the Tasman,” Dr Findlay says.
Both organisations also see the benefit in leveraging Government advocacy.
“The Australian Government publicly acknowledged the difference between controlled gatherings, such as business events, and mass gatherings when they released their three-step COVIDSafe Roadmap, while five weeks ago the New Zealand Government gave the go-ahead for events of up to 100. We would have liked to have seen our Government follow their Australian counterparts and I am sure, vice versa,” Lisa says.
“The close relationship between our countries, and the reliance we have on each other, means it makes sense to have a common voice when advocating for change, especially at this time of tremendous economic impact on our industry,” Dr Findlay says.
With New Zealand now functioning under Alert Level 1, events are now able to operate without any and both organisations believe keeping an eye on the future is critical.
“Australia and New Zealand are leading the way in managing the pandemic and have shown strong leadership. Working together, both markets can now solidify their position as being safe, trusted destinations for business events,” Dr Findlay says.
“When it comes to competitive bids, each association will continue to act in the best interests of their markets. However, this is a unique relationship at a unique time. Both Vanessa and I believe a unified voice from this part of the world makes sense, giving customers and our industry greater confidence that it is safe to attend business events,” Lisa says.
