Designs have been approved for what will be Auckland’s largest convention facility, the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).
The new centre will be six times the size of the current SkyCity convention centre and will accommodate 3,000 delegates across 32,000 sqm.
Chief Executive of Conventions and Incentives New Zealand Sue Sullivan said: "This announcement gives us the confidence to go out and talk on a new level about New Zealand as an exciting conference destination.
"International convention delegates spend twice as much as other international visitors to New Zealand, and stay longer, often holidaying with partners and family after the event. They also come at off-peak times of the year, helping to balance seasonality.”
Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said that the convention centre would be a “major new amenity for the city” and “drive a significant increase in tourism expenditure in Auckland and around New Zealand through the estimated 33,000 additional convention delegates and NZ$90 million (US$64m) annual increase in delegate expenditure.”
Auckland’s business events sector has announced targets of growing its economic contribution to NZ$430 million (US$306m) by 2023, and increasing the number of delegate days in Auckland from NZ$1.98 million (US$1.4m) to NZ$2.55 million (US$1.8m) over the same 10-year period.
