Business Events Industry Aotearoa’s MEETINGS 2023 took to Wellington this year where H3 Group’s Business Development - Business Events team proudly represented Claudelands Conference and Exhibition Centre. Held at the newly opened Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre on 21 – 23 June, the tradeshow allows event and conference organisers from around New Zealand and Australia to experience the best of what New Zealand’s business events and tourism industry has to offer, over a full, action-packed, and memorable few days.

Claudelands Conference and Exhibition Centre were amongst 224 exhibitors from 19 regions, and with over 400 buyers in attendance, it was certainly a MEETINGS to remember.

Business Events Waikato introduced a new exhibition stand where the Claudelands team and key regional partners proudly hosted an impressive number of pre-scheduled appointments, and meetings. The mighty Waikato region was proudly represented by fellow operators, Novotel Hamilton Tainui, Hobbiton™ Movie Set Tours, Hamilton Gardens, The Red Barn, The Event Girl Company, and Business Events Waikato.

The tradeshow was an incredibly important component of Claudelands national campaign 'Meet in the Centre'. The campaign focused on strategic media placements located at MEETINGS and around Wellington city to coincide with the event. The campaign also featured digital geo-targeting, electronic direct mail, and TVNZ+ streaming ad placements.

During the tradeshow the campaign included a full-page ad in the MEETINGS Preview magazine, Phantom street-posters at six locations throughout Wellington city and nine oOh! digital signage locations. Flight is a common way buyers travel to MEETINGS, therefore Claudelands ensured their presence was well advertised at the Wellington Airport. Their digital signage at the baggage carousels welcomed buyers to MEETINGS, and their large-scale digital billboard farewelled buyers on departure.

On the final morning of MEETINGS, the Claudelands team took it one step further and set-up an activation directly outside Tākina. The activation was a key part of their ‘Experience Waikato’ giveaway the team prepared with the generous support from Novotel Hamilton Tainui, Hobbiton™ Movie Set Tours and The Event Girl Company. The activation saw the team handing out the renowned Ārepa ‘Brain Shot’ beverage, aimed at providing buyers with the energy to conquer their final day at MEETINGS. Buyers were given the Ārepa product and then encouraged to visit the team on stand 171 where they could enter the draw to win the exclusive giveaway, all of which was extremely well received.

The giveaway included a one-night stay in an executive room with breakfast for two at Novotel Hamilton Tainui, a double pass for an enchanting tour of the renowned Hobbiton™ Movie Set, a double pass to attend any 2023 event of their choice hosted at either GLOBOX Arena & Events Centre, Claudelands or FMG Stadium Waikato, and a generous $500 voucher to splurge on the incredible services provided by The Event Girl.

Melissa Williams, H3 Business Development and Sales Manager - Business Events, says the activation and giveaway were met with great excitement and interest from buyers and in return generated plenty more visitors to our mighty Waikato exhibition stand.”

Melissa shared “I’m very pleased to announce the winner of the Experience Waikato giveaway is Anna Archer – Chapter Lead Live Experience at Spark New Zealand. Thank you to Anna for taking the time to visit our stand, meet with our team and enter the giveaway with such enthusiasm – Our team and our regional partners so look forward to hosting you here in the mighty Waikato very soon.”