Innovative, impactful and vibrant
Wellington may be well-known for the beauty of its landscapes and friendliness of its people, but it also has a reputation as a progressive city full of creative idea-makers delivering new solutions.
Fondly known as New Zealand’s creative capital, the compact city leads the way in smart, innovative, high-value business with thriving sectors in creative technology, scientific research and education, and professional services.
As a place of innovation with a progressive and impactful world view, event organisers and delegates will also discover New Zealand’s tech and start-up community at the forefront of fresh, challenging solutions for a better tomorrow.
Collaboration is key
Wellington is a city where collaboration comes naturally. All of New Zealand’s decision-making comes out of Wellington, home to the government and headquarters for most of New Zealand’s central government agencies and many industry associations.
Surrounded by nature and fuelled by creative energy, Wellington has recently been recognised as one of the 21 places of the future by Cognizant. It is primed for powerful collaboration between the city’s business events strategy and the growth plans for industries including creative technology, GovTech and FinTech.
The innovative tech and screen sectors alone have been instrumental in Wellington developing a reputation as the centre of New Zealand’s digital and gaming community over the past two decades.
Also designated as a UNESCO City of Film, Wellington has a proud history in the screen sector too, best known for The Lord of the Rings films, King Kong, Avatar and its globally recognised post-production capabilities.
Creative and cultural heart
Set on a stunning harbour, this compact city has an array of incredible event venues and accommodation options for all sizes and budgets, all within walking distance of food, drink, arts and culture precincts.
Renowned for its creative and cultural heart, Wellington boasts award-winning eateries and a love of coffee, regional wine and craft beer. It is also home to the national museum Te Papa Tongarewa and a full calendar of events, be it cultural, music, theatre or sporting.
Ideal location for events
With a multitude of world-class venues, it’s not surprising that Wellington offers unique buildings and spaces that vary in size and cost to suit a range of event types, from concerts to conferences.
A recent multi-year partnership between the New Zealand Game Developers Association and the city is the latest alliance to demonstrate the power events hold to help industry sectors grow and diversify.
Anchoring its annual conference in Wellington from this year, the association, with the support of the city, is expanding its event content – and its audience – to include film, screen and interactive media, including a focus on the emerging field of virtual production, where gaming, film and screen capabilities are converging.
The conference will take up residence in Wellington’s new convention and exhibition centre, Tākina, when it opens next year.
Situated the heart of Wellington’s cultural precinct, the brand-new, purpose-built venue offers 10,000sqm of multi-purpose space across two levels, suitable for plenaries up to 1,600 people.
Ideally located right in the heart of New Zealand, making it easily accessible from other parts of the country, Wellington is a popular conference destination within New Zealand.
With New Zealand’s borders fully reopened, the city is again welcoming international conferences with the International Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements and the International Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces taking place later this year.
FinTech sector surging
Wellington’s FinTech companies are opening new doors for businesses and consumers too – from billion-dollar companies including accounting software Xero to emerging businesses like investment app Sharesies and digital tax accounting solution Hnry, Wellington is a hub where innovation thrives.
One of Wellington’s world-class education institutes, Victoria University of Wellington, actively engages with the tech sector, educating the young minds moving into the sector.
As its dean of graduate research Neil Dodgson says, Wellington’s wealth of small and medium-size tech companies provides a dynamic eco-system for the development of novel solutions and products.
“More than this, it engages with local tech companies to provide guest lectures, project oversight and internships so that students benefit from industry knowledge during their study.
“The university is also a hotbed of research, tackling issues that are often outside the short timeframes of an industrial R&D department.”
For more information visit: WellingtonNZ.com/meet
To talk about hosting your conference in Wellington, contact official convention bureau Business Events Wellington: BusinessEvents@WellingtonNZ.com
