MEETINGS trade show returning to Auckland in 2025 and 2026

After a record-breaking event in Rotorua this year, MEETINGS, New Zealand’s premier trade show for the business events industry, is moving back to the country’s largest city, Auckland for 2025 and 2026. Show organiser Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) has announced dates for the next two years, with the first to be held at the Auckland Showgrounds on 11 and 12 June 2025, followed by 17 and 18 June 2026 at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC). BEIA chief executive Lisa Hopkins says she is thrilled MEETINGS is heading to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland given the significant growth of the city’s business events sector and infrastructure in the last few years. “It’s been four years since MEETINGS was held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and much has changed in the city,” she says and points to new major infrastructure projects such as the NZICC, City Rail Link (due to open end of 2025) and several new hotels, including five-star product at the Horizon Hotel and Intercontinental Auckland, as well as the expansion of the Cordis Pinnacle Tower. “We are already looking ahead for MEETINGS’ 30th anniversary in 2026 and NZICC will be an exciting venue to celebrate this milestone,” Hopkins adds. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited’s chief executive Nick Hill says he is delighted MEETINGS is returning to Auckland for two consecutive years. New International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) statistics rank Auckland in the top 100 worldwide for hosting international conferences. The city has also posted its best ranking in the Asia Pacific region in 10 years, now sitting at 15th. MEETINGS was last held in Auckland in 2021, followed by Christchurch, Wellington and Rotorua. MEETINGS 2024 in Rotorua generated a projected NZ$110m (US$66.7m) worth of business over the next three years.