Tourism New Zealand has been celebrating the efforts of 23 of its conference ambassadors who have brought NZ$31m (US421.5m) worth of meetings to the country.
“Tourism New Zealand worked with these individuals to secure conferences that will bring 13,500 international delegates to New Zealand,” said the national bureau’s business events manager Lisa Gardiner at a special national awards dinner to honour the ambassadors.
The guests included academics, health sector professionals who have championed their field of expertise on the global stage to bring conferences to the country.
Dr Sue Cherrington from Victoria University of Wellington was one of those recognised at the Tourism NZ event and recommended other academics take advantage of the board’s Conference Assistance Programme to win such business for the country.
Dr Cherrington successfully bid to host the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association’s 21st annual conference in Wellington in 2020.
The conference will be hosted at Victoria University and will bring 500 scholars from around the Asia Pacific region to the city.
Gardiner added that the country had had the most success in bidding for conferences related to sectors New Zealand excels in on the global stage, such as the marine industries, agribusiness, health science and high-value foods.
