Wellington's Tākina is the new star for business events

New Zealand is on track to see the return of business events in Wellington as the mid-2023 opening of Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre looms closer.

Industry research by Tourism New Zealand has revealed 55 percent of associations planning a conference intend to host it in Wellington.

“With the re-opening of international travel, and business events resuming around the world, we have shifted our focus further afield, with Australia being our first target for conferences that rotate within Australasia or between Australia and New Zealand. We’re following this by seeking conferences that rotate within the Asia Pacific or Oceanian region and then association conferences that rotate internationally,” shared David Perks, GM of Tākina Commercial Development - Wellington City Council.

The centre’s sweet spot will be 500 to 1,200 pax with a maximum plenary of up to 1,600 delegates, which makes it ideal for medium-sized conferences, added Perks.

According to official comments by WellingtonNZ, the destination’s central location has led planners to shift their conferences to the capital city, and they expect interest to intensify in the lead up to Takina’s opening.

Perks shared that RFPs are looking positive with about 70 multi-day conference bookings on the calendar for Tākina from mid-2023 and beyond. The majority of these are from New Zealand associations.

“Now, with a team member based in Australia, we are seeing a real step up in interest there, and encouragingly we have recently started seeing more international interest as well for conferences from 2024 onwards,” he added.

One of the first conferences that will take place at Tākina is Festival for the Future. It is New Zealand’s largest social innovation summit with over 1,200 delegates attending. Immediately after, the New Zealand Veterinary Association will host their annual conference with more than 1,000 delegates celebrating the centenary of their event.

New Zealand will also be welcoming the 22nd International Sedimentological Congress (ISC) in 2026, which is expected to attract up to 1,000 delegates and contribute an estimated NZ$3.4m to the economy.

The centre was named Tākina to mean “to invoke”, reflecting its role as the nation’s newest meeting space for thinking, creating, learning and sharing ideas. It was recently awarded a 5-Star Green Star Design certification – the first convention centre in New Zealand to achieve this certification by the New Zealand Green Building Council.

It will have more than 10,000sqm of exhibition space and a conference space for up to 1,700 delegates, a 2,500sqm exhibition floor, two large, flexible plenary halls and meeting rooms, and a gala dinner capacity of 1,400 pax. A vibrant 1,600sqm ground-floor public exhibition gallery will be the largest in New Zealand.

Tākina is situated minutes from Wellington’s waterfront precinct and is across the road from Te Papa National Museum and Toi Art National Art Gallery. It is also within easy walking distance of key transport links, accommodation, entertainment and recreation options.