MEETINGS 2008 Hauls in the Business

MEETINGS 2008 Hauls in the Business

Auckland 15 August 2008 – With a completely refurbished product and a new drive for conference business, Centra Auckland Airport found MEETINGS 2008 invaluable.

The iconic hotel is about to be re-branded as Holiday Inn, a move that Rachel Leitch, Business Development Manager, says is proving very attractive for business.

“Our $10 million refurbishment and upcoming re-brand is definitely helping us secure business and MEETINGS 2008 was the perfect forum to show-off our new look and tell people about the technology we can now offer. I was very impressed with the standard of buyers and that they were there looking for specific venues (in our instance as a hotel) for specific business.

“I have been to many trade shows in other sectors where buyers seem to be information gathering without having specific business in mind, this is not the experience I had with these buyers.”

Ms Leitch says that MEETINGS 2008 generated a large amount of leads. “We are following up on approximately 10 leads that range from major conferences to multiple date small meetings. Two thirds of these are active quotes with a high likelihood of materialisation.”

Ms Leitch says she likes the Westpac Arena as a venue for the show. “It is great to have everyone in one space and on one level. The colour coding appeared to work well, buyers seemed well versed in navigating their way around. It is a shame that Auckland doesn't have a comparable venue.”

She also congratulated show organisers for the smooth flow of MEETINGS 2008 and also Christchurch for their efforts, who in her opinion are “continually the leaders, by more than a country mile, when it comes to theming”.

www.centra.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media