September 2, 2021 | By Bronwen Largier | Image: The Napier region’s Art Deco heritage
The Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) Conference 2021 has been postponed by three weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak in New Zealand.
The conference will go ahead in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, from November 1 to 3, 2021.
New Zealand’s outbreak has put pause on all events across the nation, with all parts of the country at Alert Level 3 or 4, with neither permitting events to go ahead. At Alert Level 2, events of up to 100 people can take place. New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is expected to have the highest alert level in place at least until mid-September, with a review due on September 13.
BEIA Chief Executive, Lisa Hopkins said meeting face-to-face would be even more important for the industry after a period of lockdown.
“Our members are telling us they are keen to go ahead, and we have been fortunate to work with our partners in Hawke’s Bay to secure the new dates. It is vital we continue to support the local region. They have invested so much time and effort into helping us host the conference and create an awesome programme.
“With the theme ‘BEing Brave, Bold and Ready’, the programme is highly relevant in this challenging time of change.
“We looked at feedback from past conference delegate surveys and from this year’s programme committee and the message was consistent — our members want to spend time with one another as industry leaders to solve problems, realise potential opportunities and celebrate everything that is great about our sector,” said Hopkins.
The Napier War Memorial Centre on the waterfront will be the main conference venue in Hawke’s Bay. All delegates who have already registered have had their registrations automatically rolled over to the new dates.
“We believe this will be the most important and critical conference in the history of our organisation, and we invite all members to be part of the conversation and solutions for the future of our industry,” said Hopkins.