Spread the love

Wellington has won the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre Conference (APNIC 58) for the first time.

The conference is expected to attract more than 500 delegates from the Asia Pacific internet operations community to Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre, 30 August to 6 September 2024.

APNIC is the Regional Internet Registry administering IP addresses for the Asia Pacific. Each year, the APNIC community comes together for policy development, decision-making, education, information sharing, and networking – both professional and social.

In addition to the main conference, this event also attracts a range of side events and workshops, including the Asia Pacific Internet Exchange Association (APIX) meeting which will take place immediately preceding the conference.

“As APNIC serves a combined 25,000 members and sub-accounts across the 56 economies of the Asia Pacific, our meetings are rotated around the region in accessible and attractive locations with high-quality venues. The 2024 APNIC conference will return to the Oceania subregion for the first time since 2020 and Wellington will be a spectacular destination,” says Paul Wilson, APNIC Director General.

“New Zealand has a strong Internet operations community that is providing support, and Wellington is a great location for our Pacific community, in particular, to attend in person. This will be the first time APNIC hosts a meeting in Wellington. We are looking forward to using the new convention centre Tākina and the established events facilities the city offers.”

Business Events Wellington Manager Irette Ferreira says the win is the latest in an influx of conference business from the Asia Pacific market.

In November this year the city played host to 11 conferences from this region across a broad range of subjects and research areas including the 3rd Asia-Pacific Society for Physical Activity Conference, and the State of Australasian Cities Conference which is taking place in New Zealand for the first time in the event’s 20 year history.

Last week Wellington also welcomed the 36th International Symposium on Superconductivity, the first time the conference has been held outside of Japan. Superconductivity is a key research strength for Victoria University’s Robinson Research Institute, who are convening this conference locally.

“Many of these conferences have been secured in partnership between Victoria University of Wellington, Business Events Wellington and Tourism New Zealand,” Ferreira says.

“These wins solidify Wellington’s reputation as both a research leader and as an attractive conference destination for convening the Pacific region and beyond.”