Business events momentum partly buoyed by groups from Southeast Asia and Australia destinations. Photo Credit: iStock/MollyNZ
Tourism New Zealand is reporting strong momentum in its business events sector after securing a record 110 international conference bids worth NZ$185 million (US$105.4 million) over the past financial year.
The performance comes amid a broader recovery in international meetings and conventions, supported by new convention infrastructure, growing international demand and rising interest from long-haul corporate and incentive groups.
“There’s been a strong recovery in the business events sector numbers over the past year. We have a record number of international conferences booked and a very strong pipeline of bids, and we want to build upon that,” said Penelope Ryan, global manager for business events at Tourism New Zealand.
The destination was recently recognised as an “early recovery leader” in the latest rankings from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), climbing to 45th place globally from 48th the previous year. The number of association meetings hosted in 2025 also exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Fresh data from Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) underscores the sector's economic impact. Multi-day conferences generated NZ$925 million in economic activity across New Zealand in 2025 and contributed more than 735,000 international visitor nights.
Ryan said business events remain a high-value segment for the visitor economy, attracting delegates who spend more, travel during shoulder seasons and contribute to knowledge exchange across industries.
Part of the momentum is being driven by New Zealand's expanding convention infrastructure, with purpose-built facilities now operating in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
The destination is also seeing increased interest from corporate and incentive groups out of North America, Australia and Southeast Asia, including some that were originally looking at Europe, Ryan said.
In the coming financial year, Tourism New Zealand will pursue 110 international conference bids, the same number as the previous, with a projected value of NZ$253 million (US$144.4 million).
The higher value target reflects updated methodology from BEIA, which has revised the economic value assigned to conference delegates using more current spending data across international, Australian and domestic markets.