Working together to bid and secure international conferences

When it comes to bidding for an international conference, there’s plenty of support on hand to help you successfully secure your event in Wellington.

Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, in collaboration with Business Events Wellington and Tourism New Zealand, recently celebrated multiple international conference wins.

Senior Lecturer of Interaction Design and Chair of the NZ ACM SIGCHI Chapter, Dr Nadia Pantidi, talks about her experience of the bidding process.

BEW industry insights Dr Nadia Pantidi VUW

Building a successful bid

We’re excited to host the International Annual Conference on Computer Human Interaction (OzCHI), helping to raise our university's visibility internationally and providing new collaborations with academics and industry worldwide.

It’s an opportunity to bring people over and showcase the excellent and diverse research we do in the area of human computer interaction, as well as what Aotearoa New Zealand and specifically Wellington has to offer across several industries such as gaming, film, fine arts and tech start-ups.

As our bid has proven, a successful bid must persuade judging panels that our creative capital is capable of hosting the conference, and that it’s an attractive destination for conference delegates. This highlights the importance of collaboration with the likes of Business Events Wellington and Tourism New Zealand's Conference Assistance Programme.

Support on offer

The Conference Assistance Programme is open to associations or organisations, including universities, that want to bid to host international conferences in New Zealand, with a minimum of 200 international delegates.

The programme can assist with:

Helping you ascertain the real cost and revenue potential of a conference by conducting a financial feasibility study carried out by a Professional Conference Organiser (PCO). For us, this meant that we were aware of the financial implications right from the start.
Supporting you in working through bid guidelines to determine what exactly is required.
Assistance in developing lobbying strategies to help increase the chances of winning a bid.
Providing the help of a graphic designer and marketing support to create the all-important professional and tailored bid document and presentation.
Funding to cover the cost of presenting your bid to the International Committee, including international travel and accommodation.

Conferences influence change

It’s clear that tapping into the Conference Assistance Programme has far-reaching effects. Securing international conferences brings international delegates to see, explore and connect in Wellington.

Hosting conferences here also allows local experts to attend and share knowledge and research with leading international experts. They can:

Influence policy and legislative change through informed discussion and collaboration.
Provide an opportunity for professional development, networking and education.
Act as a catalyst for social, environmental and cultural change that benefits the local community.