Tourism NZ: Trade buyers savour Kōrero and Kai
Tourism New Zealand's innovative Kōrero and Kai networking concept was well received at a recent global business events exhibition.
More than 250 conference organisers and trade buyers were given a taste of Kiwi hospitality and manaakitanga and learnt about New Zealand's conference offerings around the Kōrero and Kai table at Get Global 2018 in Sydney.
"Trade shows can be a frenetic environment with delegates bombarded with information from hundreds of sources. To set New Zealand apart from this noise at Get Global, Tourism New Zealand sponsored the Get Happy social event and held a cocktail function around our Kōrero and Kai concept. This event gave delegates the chance to stop and talk to each other, and learn about what New Zealand has to offer in the way of business events and incentive travel in a relaxed environment," says Lisa Gardiner, Tourism New Zealand's Global Manager of Business Events.
"Kōrero and Kai is built on the notion that when a meal is shared, friendships are forged. We held the cocktail function around our korero and kai dining table that has been intricately designed and carved from ancient reclaimed swamp kauri by the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. It provided us with a focal point to share information about Māori tikanga (customs), the significance of the carving, its meaning, manaakitanga, and outline what New Zealand offers in the way of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Part of New Zealand's appeal as a business destination is our personal approach to business, ease of travel, and surrounding environment. The kōrero and kai concept allows us to promote these factors to potential business event partners and exemplify Kiwi hospitality in a boutique and personal manner amid a large, open-plan exhibition setting," says Ms Gardiner.
Get Global is an annual one day international business events exhibition whereby the industry can network and connect with Australian buyers.
In addition to the kōrero and kai social event, the New Zealand business events industry was well represented with Air New Zealand, Auckland Convention Bureau, Business Events Waikato, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, ChristchurchNZ Convention Bureau, Claudelands Conference & Exhibition Centre, Conventions and Incentives New Zealand, Cordis Auckland, Crowne Plaza Queenstown, Destination Rotorua Business Events, Heritage & CityLife Hotels, Hobbiton Movie Set, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Queenstown Convention Bureau, Real Journeys, Robertson Lodges and SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre, and Venues Wellington all also exhibiting at the show.
Business events arrivals to New Zealand have grown steadily over the past three years. In the year to December 2017, more than 72,000 international visitors stated that their main reason for visiting New Zealand was to attend a convention and/or conference (either single or multi-day). Of these, 41,000 were Australian.