The beauty of Queenstown and the Southern Lakes is expected to be a "powerful incentive" for international travel and tourism buyers and media to attend the $9.5 billion New Zealand tourism industry's most important annual event, from May 22 to 25 next year.
Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) chief executive Tim Cossar made the comment when the representative group announced yesterday the 2011 Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand (Trenz) trade event would take place at the Queenstown Events Centre, which would prompt a change in the expo's format, he said.
Trenz had traditionally been held in Auckland, Christchurch or Rotorua as they were the only centres with the infrastructure to host an event involving more than 1200 people.
The showcase in the Southern Lakes, described by Mr Cossar as "New Zealand's strongest visitor region", meant a raft of new features to suit the smaller capacity of the events centre.
Changes included reduced booth sizes, a dedicated familiarisation afternoon for buyers and the format of networking functions with a more prominent welcome function and more low-key farewell function.
Delegates will have the opportunity to schedule 51 business meetings of 15 minutes each during the three core days of Trenz.
Unlike previous years, the event will begin on a Sunday and finish on a Wednesday.
"This will enhance the potential for international delegates to visit other areas of New Zealand before and after Trenz," Mr Cossar said in a statement.
"We've allocated a half day for delegates to get out and experience some of the region's iconic tourism attractions for themselves.
Strong familiarisation programmes will help buyers and media get a real sense of the experiences available in the Southern Lakes.
"We're also changing the format of some of the traditional Trenz networking functions to allow delegates more time to enjoy some of the great things the region has to offer.
This will provide more opportunities for New Zealand tourism operators to invite our international delegates out for drinks or dinner, extending their opportunities for doing business during the event."
Southern Lakes chairman Dave Hawkey said in a statement Trenz was a significant opportunity for Queenstown, Wanaka and Fiordland, which "combine to offer some of the most memorable landscapes and experiences New Zealand has to offer".
"This is the first time Trenz has been held here in the Southern Lakes and we look forward to working with TIA in presenting another successful Trenz to the world."
Destination Queenstown spokeswoman Jen Andrews said in a statement yesterday DQ, along with Lake Wanaka Tourism and Destination Fiordland, was "absolutely delighted" to have been chosen to be the host region for Trenz.
"Our team has been working hard with TIA for the past few months and we believe it gives us all a fantastic chance to showcase our little piece of paradise to some key influencers around the world."
