Major Events

How WellingtonNZ works with major events

Major events are a key contributor to Wellington’s regional economy, attracting out of region visitation, generating spending in retail, hospitality, accommodation and tourism, and creating new jobs across multiple sectors.

WellingtonNZ works in partnership with the event sector to maximise the economic, reputational and social outcomes to the region.

We attract, invest and partner with major events to enable them to succeed and to drive outcomes for the Wellington region across:

• major event attraction and feasibility
• sponsorship marketing and promotion
• logistical and venue support
• feasibility studies and major event bids
• all-of-city response
• activations
• planning
• management
• risk management
• coordination.

What is a major event?

A major event is classified by the significant outcomes it delivers to the city and region. The benefits include:

• Economic impact: Drive significant out of region visitation, visitor spend and create jobs.
• Identity and brand: Tell Wellington’s story to the world and reaffirm our position as a key destination for major events.
• Social impact: Contribute to Wellington’s liveability.

Types of events WellingtonNZ looks for

We look for events which have a strategic fit with Wellington, showcase Wellington’s unique attributes, align with our people and place, and balance to the major events calendar.

Wellington Major Events Fund

We manage the Major Events fund for Wellington. This fund’s purpose is to deliver strong economic, reputational and social outcomes for Wellington.

Events we have invested in

We take a portfolio-wide approach to event attraction and investment decisions within the city to deliver significant outcomes to Wellington.

Wellington has a reputation for delivering exceptional events and experiences. We have invested in and worked in partnership with a wide range of major events; from our recurring major events such as New Zealand Festival of the Arts, World of WearableArt Awards Show, Jim Beam Homegrown and Beervana, to world-class exhibitions such as Terracotta Warriors (2019) and Digital Nights Wellington: Van Gogh Alive (2020), and international concert tours such as Eminem (2019), Queen + Adam Lambert (2020) and Guns N’ Roses (2017).

We have invested in and hosted World Cups and international Test matches with an international audience, such as the British and Irish Lions Tour (2017), FIFA World Cup qualifier match All Whites v Peru (2017), the ICC Cricket World Cup (2015) and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (2022).

More information

To view the criteria and more information, download the Wellington Major Events Strategic Framework [PDF, 1.9MB].