Super success for
Auckland

Auckland will host one of the biggest conferences yet held in the city when the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) crosses the Tasman for its National Conference and Super Expo late next year.

The decision to hold the 2008 event in Auckland, the first time it is being held offshore in a 46 year history, was announced to delegates at ASFA’s conference in the Gold Coast early this month (November).

The plenary sessions will be held on the New Zealand Room level of SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre, while the expo and break out sessions will occupy the Auckland Room floor.

Nicolette Hughes, national conference and events manager at ASFA, says the association has a new chief executive and is looking for different strategies in the future.

‘One element of our new direction is obviously the conference and we thought it would be desirable to take it to a new environment. New Zealand is our nearest neighbour so it makes sense to trial an offshore conference there.’

Going offshore is not seen in any way as a junket and the serious business ethic of the association is being brought to this side of the Tasman.

The ASFA conference is the largest event in the Australian Superannuation industry. ‘We always go to a business city and use a convention centre, that is why we chose Auckland. It has the infrastructure which can handle our event and we have managed to secure accommodation entirely in hotels within walking distance of the convention centre.’

The delegates will still have social and networking time. Tuesday, November 11 will involve a pre-conference golf day, the Friday will include a sailing regatta after the farewell brunch and an all day winery tour to Waiheke Island has been organised for the Saturday.

The event itself, with the theme ‘Reaching New Heights’, has pre-conference workshops on Wednesday, November 12. The opening of the expo and conference programme is later that  morning, then a welcome reception is held in the evening. Conference sessions run all day Thursday and through Friday morning, while the conference dinner is being held Thursday night.

In 2006, ASFA’s conference in Perth attracted some 1600 delegates and 1800 participants. Numbers grew this year, making it a record attendance.

‘We would expect at least 1500 in Auckland next year.’

Maxine Wallis, of SKYCITY Auckland, says securing the event was a ‘fantastic result’ for the city and the venue.

She points out that the bid was put together by Auckland Business Tourism, SKYCITY and Auckland hotels, with assistance from Conventions & Incentives New Zealand.

‘The willingness of the bureau, ourselves and the Auckland hotels to work toegther was one of the factors that impressed ASFA.’

‘We are extremely proud that SKYCITY has been selected as the first venue outside Australia in more than 40 years of conferencing by the association.’

Nicolette Hughes says the expo attached to the conference attracted about 70 booths this year and a similar number is expected in Auckland. There is also likely to be some media attention as a positive spin-off, the event usually has about 15 to 20 industry and trade media register over and above local media interest.

Maxine Wallis says the ASFA National Conference and Super Expo is part of a big 2008 - 09 for  SKYCITY.