Wellington’s largest build infrastructure project in two decades, Tākina Wellington Exhibition and Convention Centre, opened in June, marking the beginning of a new era in event delivery in New Zealand’s capital.
Between Tākina and Te Papa, both managed by Tākina Events, 50,000 delegates have been held at the two venues since the beginning of June.
Tākina Events was formed when the Te Papa events team was selected to manage the convention centre as well.
“Tākina Events has showcased its expertise in organising extended multi-day conferences, thanks to our seasoned team with 25 years of experience managing Te Papa’s business events,” said general manager of Tākina Events, Andrew Dorrington.
Significant events held in the first six months of the convention centre include the Festival for the Future, the first official client event held at the venue on June 8 and 9, which attracted more than 1,400 delegates and the Water New Zealand Conference and Expo in October, which drew more a record breaking 1,200 delegates and had 185 exhibitors.
“These events have strengthened our reputation as a go-to destination for a wide range of conferences and conventions. Tākina Events now aligns with Auckland and Christchurch in the business events market,” said Dorrington.
Tākina Events will play a critical role in delivering 200 events at Tākina and Te Papa between now and June 2026. Major international conferences set to be hosted include the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Annual Scientific Meeting 2024, iPRES 2025 – International Conference on Digital Preservation, and the International Sedimentological Congress in 2026.
