AusLeisure

Ahead of the trade show commencing next week for Business Events Industry Aotearoa’s (BEIA) MEETINGS 2024 in Rotorua, more than 30 Australian hosted buyers will be treated to a pre-MEETINGS tour of Hobbiton™ Movie Set to experience the brand-new Bagshot Row™ development.

BEIA will be welcoming over 1,100 business events professionals from New Zealand, Australia and Asia-Pacific to Rotorua next week for MEETINGS 2024 – the national trade show for the business events sector on 19th and 20th June.

On Sunday 16th June, Australian buyers will be collected from Auckland Airport in Hobbiton™ coaches to stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka, then heading to the movie set in rural Waikato, before joining RotoruaNZ for a special one-day destination famil on Tuesday 18th June.

Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) Chief Executive, Lisa Hopkins says they are thrilled buyers can see more of the country's attractions while they are here, and experience what's on offer so close to host city, Rotorua.

Hopkins enthused “MEETINGS is so much more than a two-day tradeshow. It's going to be a multi-sensory set of experiences that will leave guests with long-lasting memories.

“Our visitors to MEETINGS 2024 can expect a full immersion into Aotearoa New Zealand's rich culture, and an extremely warm welcome in the heart of the North Island.”

Shayne Forrest, General Manager Tourism at Hobbiton™ Movie Set says the team is looking forward to revealing the new set first hand to a large number of hosted buyers.

Forrest added “we really appreciate the opportunity to showcase our piece of Middle-earth and to host buyers in our brand new Bagshot Row™ interior Hobbit Holes. These only opened to the public six months ago and the feedback has been incredible, with people blown away with the attention to detail that has brought these spaces to life, we think it's going to be very popular in the business events and incentive space.”

New Zealand hosted buyers will have their turn to experience tours of Hobbiton™ Movie Set before and after MEETINGS on Monday 17th June and Friday 21st June.

Many Australian hosted buyers are staying on after MEETINGS with the support of Air New Zealand and regional business events bureaux to visit Auckland, Taupō, Rotorua, Waikato, Wellington, or Christchurch.

BEIA's annual showcase will welcome a record number of buyers and exhibitors for two days at Rotorua's Energy Events Centre, with a pōhiri and welcome function at the Sir Howard Morrison Centre on Tuesday 18th June.

MEETINGS 2024 coincides with Te Tau Hou Māori - the Māori New Year, when Matariki reappears in the dawn skies, and RotoruaNZ is inviting hosted buyers to a special Matariki dinner on Wednesday 19 June to celebrate.

New this year, MEETINGS Education sessions for buyers will be held during lunch breaks both days, covering a wide range of relevant and trending topics.

The Tourism New Zealand Knowledge and Destination Hub will host 23 different 15-minute targeted presentations throughout the two days of MEETINGS. Attendees can find out what's new in New Zealand events with regional showcase updates from across the country.

Day buyers can register for free on the MEETINGS website. They can attend MEETINGS for any length of time and request priority registration for their choice of education sessions, plus complimentary activities in Rotorua, and return transport from Auckland. 

Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) is the official membership-based association of New Zealand's business events sector. It has more than 460 members across a broad range of industries.

BEIA works to actively promote the sector for its members and New Zealand. It provides advocacy with central government; and offers assistance, information, professional development and business connections to its members.

MEETINGS is Aotearoa New Zealand's only national tradeshow for the business events industry. It is the leading platform for connecting influential domestic, Australian and international buyers with key regions, meeting facilities, accommodation, off-site venues and activities.

MEETINGS, now in its 28th year, is owned and managed by Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA).

After receiving Toitū net carbonzero certification as a Certified Event Operation for the first time last year, MEETINGS is continuing its journey as a certified net carbon zero event in 2024.

MEETINGS 2023 broke records this year for the value of business it generated. BEIA'S post-MEETINGS buyer survey showed $157 million placed over the next five years following the two-day event in Wellington.

MEETINGS 2024 major partners are Air New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand Business Events, RotoruaNZ, Energy Events Centre Rotorua, EventsAIR, Peek Exhibition & Display, and Exhibition Hire.

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