UK-based digital events platform HeadBox has expanded its AI-powered event platform and expert management services to New Zealand, launching in Auckland on 4 May with 120 Auckland listings already supported by its experienced Australian team.
The launch comes as New Zealand’s business events industry continues to grow significantly, contributing $925mto the economy in 2025 (BEIA) with international business event delegates outspending holiday visitors by more than 50%.
HeadBox chief executive for Australia and New Zealand, Ali Lord, who launched HeadBox in Australia in 2021, says the platform addresses a genuine gap in the New Zealand market.
“New Zealand is a key part of HeadBox’s APAC expansion, following its successful scaling across Australia and its launch into the US earlier this year. We are a trailblazing events platform for the AI generation backed by a highly experienced team of event professionals.”
Sky, KPMG, PKF, Herbert Smith Freehills and NeuroGroup are among the company’s clients that HeadBox manages business event programmes for, including venue finding and procurement, through to full event execution.
“Corporate event managers are managing complex programmes across multiple venues and suppliers… HeadBox gives them one place to manage the full process, from finding a venue to tracking spend, which saves significant time and reduces the risk of things falling through the cracks,” says Lord.
Diverse Auckland event spaces from waterfront venues and rooftop bars, to museums and leading hotels are now represented by HeadBox, including the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), QT Auckland, The Hotel Britomart, The Churchill at Four Points by Sheraton Auckland and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The platform’s features include 3D Studio, a virtual venue inspection and analytics tool that allows planners to tour venues in detail online before committing to a physical site.
HeadBox says that around 40% of transient travel programmes spend sits in business events, yet most organisations don’t have visibility to manage it strategically. (Ref: whitepaper.) For Australian travel managers, mandatory climate reporting requirements now in force for large entities mean untracked event spend isn’t just a budget problem, it’s an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting gap. HeadBox say it consolidates that spend into a single platform, giving finance and procurement teams real-time visibility and a clean audit trail.
“Many of the first roles to be cut during periods of change are in marketing and events, yet the work still needs to be done. Companies are increasingly leaning on HeadBox to fill those gaps, with the platform acting as an extension of their own team,” Lord add.
For more information visit headbox.com/nz or to list an Auckland venue for free visit https://app.headbox.com/listings/my-venues
