Dunedin and the University of Otago have achieved an international coup by being named as the hosts of the Screenwriting Research Network Conference in 2017.
The conference, which is being held for the first time in New Zealand, will bring more than 300 overseas delegates to the city and is expected to inject about $850,000 into the economy.
This is believed to be the largest group of people to come to New Zealand who are focused specifically on ''the craft of the screenplay'', rather than on New Zealand's film-related technical expertise and landscapes.
The conference will be hosted by the university's media, film and communication department, highlighting the humanities division's strong research culture and the city's strong arts and literary community, organisers say.
The conference bid was made by Davinia Thornley, a senior lecturer in that department, with backing from Enterprise Dunedin, Tourism New Zealand and the Conference Assistance Programme.
Dr Thornley, who will lead the conference, praised the strong backing she had received, including from Tourism New Zealand, which had supported her trip to Germany to make the successful bid.
Staging the conference was a coup for Dunedin. and she was ''very pleased'' to have gained the hosting rights.
This was an ''important gain'' for Dunedin on ''artistic, cultural and academic'' fronts.
Key links would be made between film industry practitioners and academic researchers, that would continue to lift both Dunedin's and New Zealand's image as ''creative frontrunners in the global film industry'', she said.
Tourism New Zealand's international business events manager Bjoern Spreitzer said staging such international events provided a ''huge opportunity'' to grow the value of visitors to this country.
Tourism Dunedin's business events tourism adviser Bree Jones said Dunedin's recent success in gaining Unesco City of Literature status was already creating opportunities in the business events market.
