Meeting Newz January / February 2021

Twice weekly e-magazine for the travel trade. Subscribe for free at www.travelinc.co.nz By Lisa Hopkins Chief executive Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) 2021 IS IN OUR COLLECTIVE HANDS [ BE I A COLUMN voices calling for changes to alert levels. However, complacency is our enemy right now. Our ability to trade with some degree of continuity is in the hands of every New Zealander with a smart phone, to use the Tracer app consistently. Yet we hear the use of the app is down to one-fifth of what it was at its peak. If ever there was a stark reminder of how critical this is, the Northland case is it. If you have an iPhone, take a look at the BEIA website where we have uploaded a link to one of Nanogirl, Dr Michelle Dickinson’s hacks. It will show you how to set up your phone so all you need to do is double tap the back of your phone and your COVID Tracer app appears. The second issue is solely reliant on the Government, and that is the roll out of the vaccine. With Australia due to start their vaccine programme in February, New Zealanders must wait until April. While the Government and New Zealanders can be proud of the job done to date, there is no doubt that high on all our wish lists is open borders with our nearest neighbour. An aligned programme may have made better sense in order to achieve that. My hope is that this lack of symmetry is not used as a reason why we have to wait to roll out the welcome mat to the Aussies. Since around October last year, I have heard some fantastic stories about conferences, incentives and meetings being held in New Zealand and how they have opened the eyes of customers and third- party agencies (TPAs) alike to the world-class product we have at home. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which is ours to take advantage of, or squander. Typically, the TPAs will submit a two or three-destination proposal to a customer to consider for their conference or incentive if the client is looking to go offshore. My challenge to the TPAs and the RTOs is how can we ensure that at least one of those destinations is a domestic one? On the proviso that a local destination can meet the fundamentals of the brief around numbers. In speaking to the agencies, I have heard anecdotally there are still challenges around the issue of contracts being too rigid or enticements such as complimentary items are non-existent. Some agencies feel there is an inconsistency in service-level standards or an inability of a region or location to work together cohesively. In other words, can we apply what is seen as standard practice (for the most part) internationally, consistently across the country to keep more business onshore, ahead of future international travel? These comments may strike a chord with some as being true. With others, you may feel that this is already being met. Maybe it is a lack of awareness? I have almost completed a year in this role, an anniversary I share with Lynda Keene at TECNZ and Greg Foran at Air New Zealand. While we all walked into our respective roles with knowledge that COVID was happening, the impact on our sectors was still being understood. I do know that all three of us are still as passionate about what we do as we were on day one, and remain optimistic about the future. Let’s #carryonmeeting and help #MakeSummerUnstoppable Nga mihi nui, Lisa Hopkins Kia ora and welcome to 2021, a year which promises so much, yet out of the gate, our sector has been dealt a blow with the cancellation of AIME for 2021. Our best wishes go to the Talk2Media team in Melbourne who we know fought hard for this event. It is yet another example of how COVID is impacting our sector, and the introduction of new variants gives cause for that concern. While, in New Zealand, we are in a very good position compared to others, we still need to get a couple of things right. The first is completely within our control. We had a massive wake-up call, with someone in the community testing positive for COVID in Northland. All indications suggest that this person should be praised for their prodigious use of the COVID Tracer app as well as having Bluetooth activated on the app. This will help the Ministry of Health and the Northland DHB manage and control the situation, hopefully calming the [42] meeting newz [january february] 2021