52 globaltravelerusa.com MARCH 2019
Center Stage
Auckland prepares for a leading role in the global
business events market. BY MARLENE GOLDMAN
mice | AUCKLAND
MAIN EVENT:
Artist’s rendering of
the New Zealand
International
Convention Centre
PHOTO: © AUCKLAND
TOURISM, EVENTS
AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
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 Interna-
tional Convention Centre means Auckland is able
to be more competitive on the global stage for large-
scale 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-ence, exhibition and entertainment space in New Zealand.”
The NZICC will be five times larger than the current largest convention facili-
ties 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-