International science symposium heading to Wellington

International science symposium heading to Wellington

A consortium of researchers led by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) has won the rights to host the 7th International Symposium on Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequence in Wellington in November 2015.

The bid was made with the support of Tourism New Zealand (TNZ), Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT) and the Conference Assistance Programme (CAP), and will bring an estimated $500,000 to the New Zealand economy.

It is anticipated that the symposium will attract up to 150 international delegates and speakers from universities, research organisations and industry, focused on all aspects of submarine landslides.

“This is the benchmark conference for submarine landslide researchers around the world,” say NIWA Marine Geologist and conference convenor Dr Joshu Mountjoy “New Zealand has a long history of research into submarine slope instability and bringing this conference to New Zealand is very exciting and offers a great opportunity to showcase our research and unique offshore environment.”

TNZ’s International Business Events Manager Bjoern Spreitzer says international events such as this provide a huge opportunity to grow the value of visitors to New Zealand.

“An important part of our work in the sectors is attracting people to New Zealand for business purposes who previous might not have visited and encouraging them to explore further and make a holiday of it."

PWT Chief Executive David Perks says hosting an international conference of this scale is a real vote of confidence for the city.

“Targeting sectors where the capital excels helped the city succeed in winning this bid.”
He says, “A lot of work goes into ensuring Wellington is seen as an accessible, unique place to do business. Our capital is compact, cultural and cutting edge – perfect for business meetings and the smart choice when it comes to hosting domestic and international business events.”

Bjoern says, “TNZ has significantly increased its activity in the business events sector in the last few years, and this result is a great example of our focus to work collaboratively with industry to grow delegate numbers and value.”

TNZ's management of the Conference Assistance Programme has seen New Zealand bid for 39 events over the last financial year, securing nine international events to date.

For more details about Business Events in New Zealand and the Conference Assistance Programme visit www.businessevents.newzealand.com.

ENDS

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