Another major international conference for New Zealand
Tourism New Zealand's Business Events team has added another conference win to their growing stable of successes, thanks to their combined efforts with the Queenstown Convention Bureau and Bodeker Scientific.
In January 2014, between 300 - 400 international delegates will make their way to Queenstown for the General Assembly of Stratospheric Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC), one of the core projects of the World Climate Research Programme.
The bid for the conference by Bodeker Scientific was supported by Tourism New Zealand's Conference Assistance Programme and is the first CAP bid in conjunction with the Queenstown Convention Bureau.
Kylie Brittain, Queenstown Convention Bureau Manager says the win is fantastic for Queenstown.
"As our first CAP bid, we found the process to be very professional and the resulting win helps us reinforce our ability to host large events to the Business Events Sector, which is a high priority target market for us."
Tourism New Zealand's Justin Watson says significant amounts of time and effort goes into these bids with New Zealand making their final pitch for SPARC at a presentation in Zurich.
"Our involvement in the business events sector is about increasing the economic contribution of international visitors by attracting more high value visitors.
"Research tells us that international delegates on average spend up to three-times more than the usual international visitor."
Greg Bodeker, who presented the bid in Zurich, said the straightforward CAP process helped him secure both potential financial support and the assistance of a range of conference bid experts.
"The result was that I was able to take a world-class proposal to Zurich that was both professional and comprehensive. Without the CAP fund support, this simply would not have happened. The financial leveraging that CAP provides for New Zealand makes a lot of economic sense."
Tourism New Zealand's Business Events Team took responsibility for the Conference Assistance Programme in June 2010.
Justin says: "We have a dedicated Business Events team that are working in collaboration with industry partners to maximise the wealth of opportunity available from winning the right to host such international conferences."
About CAP:
- Tourism New Zealand manage and administer the Conference Assistance Programme (CAP) on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Development
- The Conference Assistance Programme provides support for anyone considering hosting an International Conference in New Zealand
- CAP can be used to help to determine if you should Bid to host your international conference; provide experienced professional advice; fund the initial financial feasibility study and provide strategic advice on international bidding
- For more information on the CAP and Tourism New Zealand's involvement in business events visit the Business Events section on our website