Innovation and new thinking are essential for the industry's growth, and practical yet scalable ideas should be pursued actively.
"I think we’ve had some great suggestions today on just what innovative things can be brought to bear and how we need some new and fresh thinking."
A collective approach to managing and sharing data is necessary to track opportunities, measure results, and understand industry trends for strategic planning.
"The biggest challenge is we're not singing from the same songbook. We're all making it up and we're getting it from other places as opposed."
There's a need to address educational gaps within the industry, from formal training to mapping out career pathways, to ensure knowledge transfer and talent retention.
We focused primarily on retention and the team really thought that we do as an industry here in New Zealand or in Auckland, need to address the education gap."
There is a gap in collecting and utilizing comprehensive data for measuring the broader impact of events beyond economic factors, which could guide strategic decisions.
"We can't actually prove the value of events. We don't have a comprehensive report including for example... The data is quite top level. Questions are how are we using the data to tell a story to help sell the destination?"
Leveraging New Zealand's high renewable energy usage can be a compelling part of a sustainability message that should be broadcasted widely.
"What's the narrative on energy? You know, 80% of energy in New Zealand is made from renewable energy that should be screamed from the mountaintops."
Establishing an inclusivity advisory board and ensuring infrastructure caters inclusively to attendees are key to fostering an environment of belonging.
The other key topic that we spent a bit of time on was infrastructure and other gaps with Auckland's infrastructure to ensure that facilities... are able to provide the necessary access should someone of course need that."
Coherent and consistent messaging across all stakeholders is crucial when responding to RFPs, especially regarding sustainability and diversity, to enhance competitiveness in the bidding process.
"One of the things we heard was lack of information to answer bids consistently with the same message... Instead of somebody kind of saying this should be our message on sustainability... So it'll be educating the people who are sending the RFPs."
Talent attraction and retention remain significant issues, with an emphasis on the need for industry-specific education and mentorship programs.
"Talent attraction and retention. We didn't talk a lot about that, but it's certainly been an issue that keeps popping up a lot on surveys."
Closer alignment with government objectives can potentially unlock additional funding sources and support for the events industry.
"We really see as an opportunity or a way forward is to much closer align our sales that we do in the association world with government objectives."
Reimagining New Zealand's storytelling approach can help redefine its global image and enhance its attractiveness as a destination for meetings and events.
"There was a little bit about storytelling on kind of reinventing who we are as Kiwis, and someone said to be a bit more Australian. But then we want to maybe, you know, reinvent who we are a little bit or speak differently about who we are as Kiwis and what we can do."