Auckland has moved up 14 places in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings to 79 from 93 last year – continuing its rapid climb up the ranks as a business events destination.
ICCA is the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry and each year provides one of the few reports which compares destinations’ meetings-related performance on a global scale.
Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB) Manager Anna Hayward says this year’s ICCA rankings highlight how much Auckland as a business events destination is growing on the international stage.
“Auckland has shifted 32 places in the rankings since 2014 and this is before the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) is open,” she says.
“The ICCA data captures the number of international association events that happen around the world. While the ICCA data doesn’t capture all of the international meetings that come here, this is fantastic result for Auckland and really highlights how increasingly popular our region is as a destination for business events.”
Auckland continues to attract a wide range of business events. With the added capacity that the completion of NZICC will bring when it opens in 2019, the region will be well placed to attract much larger international events than it is currently.
Auckland has already secured two large scale eye conferences to be held at NZICC in 2020 and just announced winning the 20th International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) World Congress 2020.
ACB, which is a division within Auckland’s economic growth agency, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development, is responsible for leading the bids for Auckland in collaboration with the likes of Tourism New Zealand and the bidding associations or conference organisers.
“Auckland is a city on the move, with a thriving economy making it a natural drawcard for people to live, work, invest, play, and meet for business,” says Mrs Hayward.
“Auckland is now emerging as an innovation hub of the Asia Pacific region. It competes strongly on the world stage for export revenue, talent and investment, making it a great place to meet and exchange ideas.
“With a wealth of intellectual capital, plus world-class infrastructure provided by a professional industry, centralised event facilities and a reputation for superior hospitality, place Auckland at the forefront of hosting international events in New Zealand.”
PIC CAPTION: Auckland has a diverse range of venue options to suit any size business event, including St Matthews in The City, which is able to be used as a venue space outside of when it’s in use for services.