Delegates attending TRENZ 2026 in Auckland are full of praise for the show, the upbeat mood throughout, the organisation behind it and the stunning new venue, the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).
The NZICC is just three months old. Its opening in February marked a significant achievement for Auckland and New Zealand’s business events, culture, and tourism landscape.
The NZICC is expected to attract 33,000 international visitors annually. With 33 meeting spaces, a 2850-seat theatre and the capacity to host more than 4000 delegates, NZICC is equipped to deliver everything from international summits and trade exhibitions to concerts and cultural events.
Danielle Goodall, Tourism Bay of Plenty, at TRENZ
“It’s a really fabulous venue that will help attract more visitors to Auckland and New Zealand,” said Danielle Goodall from Tourism Bay of Plenty, at TRENZ. “Our appointments and meetings have gone well; we’ve had lots of positive conversations. TRENZ is really well run and organised.”
Lucian Armstrong, national sales manager of Cross Country Rentals, said the TRENZ atmosphere this year was “really good”.
“Everyone has had a good summer, and they’re looking forward to another one. We’ve had a lot of interest from buyers – more than last year. We do everything from rentals of small cars to buses.”
2026 represented “one more year away from Covid”, Armstrong noted. There were always uncertainties, such as international wars, which could affect fuel prices going forward, but the mood at TRENZ was upbeat.
Megan Simpson, Wētā Workshop Experiences, at TRENZ
Megan Simpson, senior sales manager at Wētā Workshop Experiences, praised the “positive vibe” at TRENZ and said the venue was “fantastic”. She said TRENZ had worked well for Wētā, which is refreshing its Auckland and Wellington experiences (details to be announced).
NZICC is located in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland CBD, making it one of the most connected convention centres in the world. It’s an easy walk to a number of Auckland inner-city highlights.
Designed in collaboration with event industry experts, the NZICC is a vertically stacked, flexible, and modern building, creating a hub of innovation and positive exchange integrated into the city’s fabric.
NZICC offers:
Lucian Armstrong, Cross Country Rentals, at TRENZ
- A venue that is designed around giving delegates fast and effortless transitions between meetings, exhibition, pre-function, banquet, and performance spaces.
- A glazed facade provides delegates with an inviting and transparent connection to the city’s vibrancy while allowing views of Auckland’s natural beauty, from the Waitākere Ranges to the Waitematā Harbour.
- In close proximity to Auckland’s innovation ecosystem – universities, business headquarters and innovation hubs – allowing event organisers to tap into New Zealand’s leading knowledge centres.
- An integrated atrium and public laneway encourage networking and enhance the delegate experience in a city full of excitement and sophistication, with over 8,000 hotel rooms, dining precincts, shopping, and entertainment all within 20 minutes’ walking distance.
- Configurable spaces presenting opportunities for a wide range of events with meeting spaces on all levels, pre-function capacity for 2700 people, convention capacity for 3150 and one-off events for 4000.
By Peter Needham at TRENZ 2026 in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland – (c) 2026.
Read Time: 2 minutes.
About the Author.
With more than 35 years in travel journalism, Peter Needham has filed stories from Fleet Street to Fiji, and just about everywhere in between. As Managing Editor (Australasia) for Global Travel Media, he shapes industry coverage with the steady hand of someone who’s seen fashions come and go and knows what lasts.
Since going freelance in 1993, his byline has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review, Reader’s Digest and Qantas’ inflight magazines. He edited Inside Tourism for seven years, wrote the long-running Travel Tales column for Vacations & Travel, and even crafted copy for Tourism Australia ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
A Reuters, Guardian and AAP veteran, Peter has travelled widely from South American backpacking trails to a Saudi military hospital, gathering stories the old-fashioned way: by being there.
