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When is the best time to visit Wellington?
Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is a great conference or incentive destination year round with a convenient mix of outdoor and indoor activities available. Summer in the city serves up an array of outdoor activities such as walks, kayaking on the harbour, and a full program of musical events. Winter offers the choice of taking in a rugby game at the Westpac Stadium, or visiting the superb museums, galleries and local bars. Air New Zealand has year round direct capacity into Wellington making it a good alternative to Auckland and Christchurch for large groups.

Where do you recommend people stay?
We recommend the top rated Duxton and InterContinental hotels which have 192 and 231 rooms respectively. They both have excellent conference facilities and combined can cater for up to 1000 delegates. For a conference venue with a difference Te Papa is New Zealand’s innovative national museum. It has very unique conference facilities for both small and large groups and can also cater for gala dinners, cocktail parties and museum group tours.

Any good restaurant tips?
A stroll down Cuba Street, or the entertainment precinct of Courtenay Place, will reveal something to suit every palette. Great restaurants for small groups include Anise, Logan Brown and Citron. For bigger groups try the superbly located Shed 5 on Queen’s Wharf which can cater for up to 250 people. Wellington claims it has more bars per capita than any city in the world! Make sure you include the Matterhorn, one of the best ‘hole in the wall’ bars in Wellington. It was a favourite spot for the cast members of The Lord of the Rings and has one of the best cocktail lists around.

What group activities can you do in Wellington?
Te Papa is again top of the must see in Wellington list as it’s not your typical museum. It features interactive exhibits that give you the real flavour for NZ, its culture and its people. The city also boasts a range of activities ideal for groups, such as tours to locations featured in The Lord of the Rings movies and food and shopping tours. Alternatively why not book a carriage on the scenic train to the boutique wine village of Martinborough or for adventure seekers visit Boomrock Lodge, a corporate and social day retreat 30 minutes from central Wellington that offers extreme golf, clay target shooting and rally car rides.

Air New Zealand flies direct to Wellington from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane up to 26 times a week or you can connect via Auckland from Adelaide, Perth and Cairns. For more information contact Air New Zealand Group Sales Australia at AUconventions@airnz.co.nz or free call 1300 132 476.

In 2006 Wellington’s hotel sector has been busy with the completion of two major upgrades in the first six months. The Museum Hotel, located opposite Te Papa, has just undergone a $29 million expansion and upgrade, including the building of a nine-story addition that more than doubles its capacity. The Mercure Hotel Willis Street has also completed a refurbishment, making it an even more attractive conference venue. The hotel features 90 rooms and its six conference rooms, all located on one floor, can accommodate up to 400 delegates.

Wellington Convention Bureau manager Chris Lamers says the city’s hotel sector is growing rapidly.
“Still in development is the 17-storey Holiday Inn, which will open its doors to the public this summer. The hotel will bring another 280 rooms and 600 square metres of dedicated conference facilities to the capital,” Mr Lamers said.
“We see these new developments as an increasing sign of confidence in Wellington’s conferences and incentives market.”
Wellington has also just gained its first Qualmark® rated five-star hotel. In June the InterContinental Wellington received this high endorsement from the New Zealand tourism industry’s official quality assurance body. Mr Lamers said 2006 has seen the bureau revamp its strategy and look at ways it can work to bring conferences to the city during quieter periods. Hotel occupancy levels during weekends are normally lower than during the week, and the months of December and January are also a traditionally quiet time.
“The convention bureau has been working collaboratively with hotel partners and conference organisers on this new approach since April,” Mr Lamers said.

“The focus is on finding a win-win solution that adds further value to the conference. It seems to be working, as hotels are beginning to secure increased conference bookings for off-peak periods.”
June brought the convention bureau a major win with the confirmation that the Beefsteak and Burgundy Club, a group of business leaders, will hold its annual conference in the city in 2010. The conference will bring 500 delegates into Wellington over four days.
“It is a coup that this key business group endorses Wellington’s reputation as a sophisticated conference destination.”
Wellington was represented by its largest contingent to date at MEETINGS in July. Convention bureau partners Te Papa, Millennium Copthorne Kingsgate, the Wellington Convention Centre, InterContinental, James Cook, the Westpac Stadium and Accor all made the trip to Christchurch. The expo also saw the first time inclusion of a Wellington primary conference organiser, Conference Online. The annual highlight on Wellington’s conference calendar, the Wellington Conference Expo, is fast approaching. The brainchild of the Wellington Convention Centre, it is the largest expo of its kind to be held in New Zealand. This year’s expo takes place on October 18 and has garnered widespread interest from exhibitors. Stands were booked so quickly that the expo had to create extra exhibition space to cope with demand.

“The convention bureau continues to give its full support to the Wellington Conference Expo,” Mr Lamers said.
“We are working with the convention centre to host the largest contingent of buyers the event has seen yet. The expo is hugely significant to Wellington, and offers a unique opportunity to showcase the city as an ideal conference destination.”
The Australian conference market has also been a focus for the Wellington Convention Bureau over the past six months. The Bureau has crossed the ditch twice this year, to make sales calls to Sydney and Canberra in April and to attend the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne in early June.
“The response on both occasions was really positive.”
“Wellington has a lot going for it – one of the main comments we kept receiving was that it’s seen as an attractive option price wise. Another major draw card is iconic events such as the New Zealand International Arts Festival and the Montana World of WearableArt™ Awards Show, which offer the perfect evening entertainment package for delegates.”
This year’s AIME also generated some key business opportunities.
“The convention bureau is following up on potential future conferences from its attendance at AIME, which could bring in excess of $3 million into the capital,” Mr Lamers said.

Southland is recognised, both locally and nationally, as an attractive region with the capability of hosting conferences and events of an international standard. No delegate leaves Southland untouched by its magnificence, according to Venture Southland conference and events marketing manager Amanda Dowling.
“With traditional southern hospitality, nothing is too much effort and that makes time spent in the south something special,” Ms Dowling said.

Southland is the most southerly and westerly region of New Zealand and boasts some of the most distinctive landscapes in the country, ranging from its stunning scenery of rugged fiords, mountains and sweeping coastlines to a wealth of flora and fauna. Invercargill is Southland’s only city and New Zealand’s southern most city. Recent upgrades to Invercargill have transformed its CBD into a vibrant, bustling city with a great café culture and plenty of attractions. These include the Southland Museum and Art Gallery – home to a world famous tuatarium – as well as the grand Civic Theatre, which recently underwent an $11.8 million refurbishment. The theatre can hold 1015 delegates with the Victoria Room suitable for 200 banquet-style, 300 theatre-style or 400 for cocktails. The Drawing Room can seat 60 at round tables, 90 theatre-style, or 100 for cocktail functions. The rooms are used for corporate launches, formal dinners, meetings, conferences, workshops, lectures, weddings and just about anything that requires a “theatrical/star” experience. Two smaller utility rooms are also available in the back stage area while the Front of House is suitable for cocktails, weddings and functions when the theatre is not in use.

“There is now real commitment within the city through the orchestrated development of facilities, attractions and events that will provide compelling reasons to extend delegate stays in the city,” Ms Dowling said.
At the bottom of the South Island and at the start of State Highway 1 is New Zealand’s oldest European settled town of Bluff. Home to the revered delicacy – the Bluff Oyster – this fishing town has a very colourful past and a number of attractions including the Maritime Museum and Fred and Myrtle’s Paua Shell House. Bluff, just a 30-minute drive south of Invercargill, is also the departure point for the catamaran to Stewart Island (Rakiura National Park). The island is one of the only places in New Zealand where you can readily see kiwi in their natural habitat. Southland also boasts the spectacularly beautiful Catlins Coast. Driving along the Catlins Coast, you’ll encounter seals, dolphins and the rare yellow eyed penguin, or ‘Hoiho’ as it is known in Maori.
The recent opening of a major extension project at Stadium Southland has also opened up a world of possibilities for sporting development and the associated tourism it generates in Southland. Officially opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark in May, the Indoor Cycling Velodrome and four court extension has firmly established Invercargill’s Stadium Southland on the national and international sports map.

The $22 million complex now contains New Zealand’s only indoor cycling velodrome, as well as four new rebound ace surfaced courts, which is a leading international tennis surface. For more information about planning a conference, event or incentive in Southland contact: info@conventions.southlandnz.com