More than 150 hosted buyers and media took part in Auckland experiences on Tuesday morning, ranging from the All Blacks Experience and the SkyJump off SkyCity’s Sky Tower to white water rafting, sailing and cycling around Auckland.
These experiences were bookended by a breakfast atop the Sky Tower on an unfortunately cloudy morning and a themed lunch at Wētā Workshop Unleashed, alongside a tour of the facility which goes behind the scenes of costume and prop making with the team responsible for these elements in the iconic Lord of the Rings film series. The lunch also featured a keynote from Wētā Workshop’s co-founder, Richard Taylor.
In the early evening, more than 700 attendees gathered at New Zealand’s largest stadium at Eden Park for a welcome celebration that featured a custom laser show on the field of play, alongside an announcement of additional business events funding from New Zealand’s tourism minister, Louise Upston.
Highlighting the significance of the event to Auckland, the welcome event was also attended by Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown.
Over Wednesday and Thursday, more than 550 buyers will meet with exhibitors representing 18 regions of New Zealand, across 253 stands on the MEETINGS show floor.
“We will be hosting 240 buyers and media from New Zealand, Australia [and] international markets and more than 300 day buyers from Australia and New Zealand,” said Lisa Hopkins, chief executive of Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA), which owns and runs MEETINGS.
“This year…we are delighted to welcome 35 new exhibitors to the show floor. They include venues, production and event design companies, hotels, regional convention bureaux, caterers, attractions and activities.
“Their presence is a reminder we are constantly evolving as an industry, welcoming new ideas, new ways of working and fresh thinking.”
The 126-strong Australian buyer and media group at MEETINGS 2025 – including micenet – is the largest ever to attend the show in its nearly 30-year history.
