Convention Data Improved

Media Statement
Convention Data Improved
Friday 18 December 2009 – For immediate release

New Zealand’s convention sector is having its research base strengthened with an improved measurement system. The upgraded Convention Activity Survey (CAS) run by The Ministry of Tourism gathers high quality data online and delivers it back to convention venues and organisers.

Covering 10 regions and 133 venues the CAS covers fundamental measures such as number of events, delegates, event days and customer origin.

Eight thousand events were recorded in the first data collection quarter with 670,000 delegates attending and over one million delegate days.

“Conventions provide a substantial economic contribution to New Zealand,” says Bruce Bassett, Ministry of Tourism Research Manager. “With so much money at stake, it’s crucial to have the best data available - the improved survey will meet this need.

The CAS will be released quarterly, with contributing venues receiving personalised reports enabling them to measure their performance against national averages. As a time series builds, comparisons and trends will be able to be monitored.

“It’s great to be able to gather data from users, analyse it and get it back to those same users in a form they can really use. That’s a real advantage of the new system.

“It’s also a credit to the convention industry’s co-operative approach. Ten convention bureaux as well as Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) and the Ministry of Tourism have pulled together to work towards a common goal – better information for better decision making.

The 10 regions covered by the CAS include Auckland, Rotorua, Hawke’s Bay, Taupo, Manawatu, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, Dunedin and Queenstown.

For results from the Convention Activity Survey please visit the Ministry of Tourism research website www.tourismresearch.govt.nz/convention .

ENDS

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