mice | AUCKLAND
Center Stage Auckland prepares for a leading role in the global business events market. BY MARLENE GOLDMAN MAIN EVENT: Artist’s rendering of the New Zealand International Convention Centre PHOTO: © AUCKLAND TOURISM, EVENTS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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NEW ZEALAND’S HUB FOR ARTS AND CULTURE is about to gain momentum as a mecca for MICE groups. As Auckland readies its upcoming New Zealand International Convention Centre, due to open in 2020, a slew of new hotel developments will introduce an additional 4,000 rooms over the next five years. “The development of the New Zealand International Convention Centre means Auckland is able to be more competitive on the global stage for largescale business events,” said Anna Hayward, head, Auckland Convention Bureau. “At an impressive 32,500 square meters [nearly 350,000 square feet], with 33 meeting spaces and a 2,850-seat theater, the NZICC will be the largest and most versatile confer-
globaltravelerusa.com
MARCH 2019
ence, exhibition and entertainment space in New Zealand.” The NZICC will be five times larger than the current largest convention facilities in New Zealand and will be capable of hosting conferences of around 3,150 attendees and one-off events of around 4,000 people. It already proves a popular venue, with several conferences booked throughout 2020 and 2021. Projections indicate by 2025 Auckland will welcome more than 4 million visitors a year (58 percent more than now), creating an estimated $13.9 billion visitor economy (up 85 percent). The expanded accommodation capacity of the NZICC will help support the forecast growth of Auckland’s business events sector, predicted to rise to $438 million in 2025, a 105 percent increase compared to 2014. Auckland’s luxury hotel sector is particularly booming, according to Hayward, with a number of international brand names entering the market for the first time, including Four Points by Sheraton, The Ritz-Carlton, Park Hyatt and SO/Auckland, just recently opened. Plans are also in the works to expand the Auckland Cordis hotel, making it the biggest in New Zealand by room count. Its new 16-floor tower is scheduled to open in late 2020, in time for the America’s Cup and Asia-Pacific Economic Forum. The addition will include 250 rooms and increase its event space. A host of hotels are also undergoing renovations. Castle Resorts & Hotels recently announced a 125-room hotel conversion: the Liberté Hotel, opening in the Aotea Quarter in 2019. IHG’s significant investment into Auckland encompasses two large develop-
