Trenz will be held at resort in 2011

BY SHANE COWLISHAW

Queenstown will host a revamped version of the Trenz tourism conference next year as the international event tries to attract buyers and media without the help of its Australian counterpart.

The 2010 conference's worst kept secret was confirmed yesterday with the announcement the trade event will be hosted in the resort for the first time with the help of Wanaka and Fiordland.

This year's event, held at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland, attracted more than 250 tourism exhibitors from around the country.

Tourism Industry Association chief executive Tim Cossar said the decision by Tourism Australia to host the Australian Tourism Exchange – the equivalent of Trenz – in early April next year, had played a large part in the decision.

The Exchange is traditionally held soon after Trenz in May, meaning international visitors can combine the two conferences.

Scheduling conflicts meant holding Trenz in March or April was impossible so the decision to go alone on May 23 had been made, Mr Cossar said.

This meant the strongest location had to be chosen to attract visitors and the Southern Lakes region was New Zealand's trump card, Mr Cossar said.

But holding the event in Queenstown meant inevitable changes and multiple venues in Queenstown would be used, with visitors heading to Wanaka and Fiordland to experience the attractions, Mr Cossar said.

"You can't expect its going to be under one roof, it just can't be that way."

Instead of being held in one large centre, changes could see larger exhibitors hosting guests at a restaurant for a night or hiring a hotel lobby, Mr Cossar said.

Other possible venues included Coronet Peak and the Queenstown Events Centre, although nothing had been finalised.

It was likely the event would alternate between a North and South Island location each year and could possibly return to a large scale format every three to four years if needed, Mr Cossar said.

Southern Lakes tourism operators were generally supportive of the announcement when spoken to at Trenz by The Southland Times yesterday.

Real Journeys chief executive Dave Hawkey said it would provide an opportunity for everyone to work together and make it easier for smaller operators from Southland to attend.

Kiwi Discovery general manager Tim Barke was also thrilled and said it would give buyers the opportunity to experience the products firsthand.

Tourism Minister John Key said he believed the region would perform admirably in the task of hosting such a large scale event.

"It's a wonderful destination, one of my favourite places in New Zealand and won't it be brilliant to showcase New Zealand to international visitors," he said.

Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt did not attend the conference yesterday and was unavailable for comment but in a press release said itwas a coup for the region to hold an event that should attract 600 people to the resort just before the winter season.

- © Fairfax NZ News