Trenz 2007
As you will know if you follow my blog posts, I was in Cairns last week so could not attend the Trenz trade show. But nonetheless, I had an intrepid reporter on the scene, Celia Schollum from Stray and Spaceships fame. Here is her report:
We just got back from TRENZ 2007 (Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand) and I have to say that out of the four TRENZ’s I’ve attended it has to have been the best.
This year TRENZ was held in Rotorua for the first time and they certainly put on a show. The theme was ‘Rotorua – birthplace of New Zealand tourism’ with Maori culture and the history of tourism in the area integrated throughout the week. It was great to show more of this side of New Zealand to the overseas visitors. My favourite evening function was at the Blue Baths with art deco surroundings, swimming pool, historic museum and synchronised swimming all rolled together to make a cocktail party with a twist!
There were about 450 exhibitors this year with some very impressive displays of products; as always it was great to catch up with all the operators we work with through the Stray bus and Spaceships. Everyone seemed pretty positive about the industry as a whole, with most having record numbers this summer. There were quite a few new companies exhibiting this year however there was a disappointing lack of innovation or anything truly new or creative. One company that did stand out for making an effort and trying to do something different was Hotel So - it will be interesting to see how they go once their first property opens in Christchurch in September.
It was obvious that there were fewer agents than there has been in the past (which is to be expected with the consolidation of so many agencies and the increase in web direct business); thankfully for Spaceships the lack of quantity was definitely offset by the quality of agents. Word is spreading about Spaceships and its unique features, with many agents saying that they had colleagues who had visited NZ and then on their return had insisted that someone meet with us at TRENZ. Having an actual Spaceship vehicle parked inside for the first time definitely helped to fully explain the concept and quality features and there was very positive feedback overall
The final gala night topped off a great week with a huge party. Music from the Black Seeds, Jordon Luck of the Exponents, and Spacifix got everyone (including lots of the overseas agents) dancing for hours.
Tags: Conferences, Industry