New Zealand’s largest business events showcase MEETINGS opens in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, next week, where more than 600 buyers will meet over 250 exhibitors from 18 regions.
From 16-18 June at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), MEETINGS will connect influential buyers from New Zealand and international markets with regional destinations, venues, accommodation providers, and off-site experiences.
Run by Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA), the event is expected to draw over 1,500 attendees and feature 6,000 pre-scheduled appointments. International buyers are travelling from Australia, Southeast Asia, China, India, Japan and North America to meet with New Zealand’s exhibitors.
Lisa Hopkins, BEIA Chief Executive, says MEETINGS 2026 will be a landmark event for the industry at New Zealand’s newest and largest convention centre.
“This year the opening, trade show and celebration events are all being held under the one roof at the NZICC, near most host hotels, creating a totally connected experience,” she says.
“Over 105 business event organisers and media are crossing the Tasman to meet in Auckland with the support of Air New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand and Auckland host hotel partners. At least half of our buyers are new to MEETINGS this year, and are yet to experience Auckland and the NZICC,” she says.
With the support of seven regional convention bureaux and Air New Zealand, Australian buyers will explore more of New Zealand, visiting destinations of their choice before and after MEETINGS. Auckland Convention Bureau is hosting two separate tours of the city for buyers and media on Tuesday, 16 June, before the official opening that evening.
Being the host venue for MEETINGS 2026 marks a significant milestone for the NZICC.
“Hosting MEETINGS 2026, New Zealand’s premier business events showcase, is one of the most meaningful milestones in NZICC’s opening year,” says Prue Daly, General Manager of NZICC.
“After years in the making, welcoming our own industry, clients and friends to share our venue, purpose-built for connection, creativity and collaboration feels especially significant – and powerfully reinforces why NZICC was created in the first place.”
The two-day exhibition, on 17 and 18 June, is open to anyone who organises business events in Aotearoa New Zealand – corporate events, conferences, product launches, incentive experiences, exhibitions, roadshows, and team-building events. Industry Hours are between 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm on Wednesday, 17 June, and Thursday, 18 June.
Buyers and visitors can register to attend MEETINGS 2026 by visiting www.meetings.co.nz.
Edited by: Peter Needham, who will report on MEETINGS for Global Travel Media – © 2026.
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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, the Australian Financial Review, Reader’s Digest, and Qantas’ in-flight 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.
