MEETINGS kicks off next Tuesday in Auckland with a welcome event at New Zealand’s largest stadium, Eden Park, which will be attended by New Zealand’s tourism and hospitality minister, Louise Upston, alongside Auckland’s Mayor, Wayne Brown.
On Wednesday and Thursday more than 550 buyers will meet with New Zealand exhibitors across 253 stands, representing business events destinations, products and services across 18 regions of New Zealand. Thirty-five exhibitors will be on the show floor for the first time at MEETINGS 2025.
“This year sees the largest-ever delegation from Australia, with 126 business event organisers crossing the Tasman to meet in Auckland,” said Lisa Hopkins, chief executive of Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA), which owns and delivers MEETINGS.
“They will be joined by a group of international buyers, alongside a strong contingent of domestic event planners, all keen to find out what New Zealand has to offer for conferences, incentive travel and corporate meetings.
“MEETINGS is a microcosm of New Zealand under one roof. Buyers can organise their events on the spot, boost their knowledge of the regional destinations, get updates on all the new infrastructure, and find out more about the assistance available to bring their events here,” said Hopkins.
Following two days of buyer-seller appointments on the show floor, a closing celebration will be held at the Viaduct Events Centre, followed by an afterparty on the rooftop of QT Auckland.
MEETINGS will include a famil of Auckland next Tuesday for hosted buyers and media – including micenet – with more than 150 participants set to experience a variety of different itineraries around New Zealand’s largest city.
Sixty-four Australian buyers are also visiting other New Zealand destinations before and after MEETINGS, with support from seven regional convention bureaux and Air New Zealand.
At last year’s event, BEIA reports more than NZ$110 million worth of business was booked on the show floor, somewhat less than the record $157 million transacted in 2023, but still the second highest figure in the show’s near 30-year history.
