Continuing on last week’s column on the Tourism New Zealand-hosted Asian association familiarization (“famil”) tour program from May 25 to 30, 2019, the second leg of our trip took us to the vibrant harbour city of Auckland and surrounding areas.
Auckland is the most populous urban area in the country with a population of around 1.6 million (as of June 2018) and is governed by the Auckland Council. It is a diverse, multicultural and cosmopolitan city, and home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. The Maori language name for Auckland is “Tamaki Makaurau” which means “a maiden desired by 100 lovers,” referencing to its fertile land at the hub of waterways in all directions.
According to the Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development, an Auckland Council organization, the city is an ultimate natural playground and a thriving business and innovation hub, providing a multitude of world-class facilities for association MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events.
Landing in Auckland from Christchurch, it is noticeable that the city is in a construction boom. Our driver said Auckland is literally a “crane city” and counted over 90 crane machines atop new buildings in construction. Near the Sky City Grand Hotel where we were billeted is the brand-new New Zealand International Convention Centre set to open in October 2020. We got a preview of the NZICC during dinner at the Sugar Club located at the 53rd floor of the Sky Tower, the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere and the 25th-tallest tower in the world.
The next day, we visited the conference venues of the Cordis Hotel at the heart of Auckland’s lively uptown area; the Auckland War Memorial Museum where a Maori cultural group welcomed us with songs and dances; the refurbished Aotea Civic Centre for events of 20 to 2,000 people; the Hilton Hotel at the waterfront; the Auckland Zoo, a 16.35-hectare, 875+ animal zoological garden; and the Auckland Art Gallery. Yes, even the museum, the zoo, and the art gallery have conference facilities!
The following day was a two-hour drive to Hamilton, a city in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island where we visited the Zealong Tea Estate, the only commercial tea-producing estate in the country and then to Matamata for a fun visit to the Hobbiton, the scene where The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed. Yes, both the tea estate and the movie location have conference facilities, too!
The last day of our program afforded us to attend “Meetings 2019,” New Zealand’s largest business events industry tradeshow, where we met with MICE venue and service suppliers, a visit to Villa Maria, New Zealand’s most awarded winery for over 30 years, which among others, has a conference facility, too. Finally, before departing New Zealand, we visited Novotel Auckland Hotel for another site inspection and briefings from Christchurch and Auckland airport authorities.
Reflecting from our experience, I was definitely inspired—inspired by the leadership esprit de corps of the national and local governments, its agencies like Tourism New Zealand, and private organizations, all working together and heading in one direction—to attract international events to New Zealand. Kudos, Kiwis!
This article was published by the Business Mirror on June 21, 2019 and may not be reproduced without prior consent from the writer and Business Mirror.
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