Economic summit to bring delegate dollars to Auckland

Nearly 400 delegates from China and the United States will meet in Auckland next month to network and visit tourist hotspots as part of an annual economic summit.

Representatives from Los Angeles, Guangzhou and Auckland are to meet in Auckland for the Tripartite Economic Summit on May 16 and 17, with a focus on networking, and to discuss business outcomes and generate jobs and growth among the three cities.

The summit will be hosted at the Viaduct Events Centre by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED).

“We're thrilled with where we are compared to the event held last year in Los Angeles,” said Steve Armitage, general manager of ATEED, at an Auckland Council Governing Body meeting held yesterday.

“Last year around 200 delegates took part. Before we’ve even begun our promotional campaign we have 375 delegates.”

Despite the strong attendance figures, Councillor Linda Cooper questioned the long term benefits for Auckland of hosting the event.

Councillor Cooper asked if there were any updates available on the opportunities created out of last year’s summit.

However, ATEED’s Pam Ford was unable to provide that information.

"It’s often difficult to extract quantifiable data out of these companies,” said Ms Ford. “It’s a matter of trying to build relationships.”

She argued the exposure of the large number of delegates to Auckland tourist spots such as the Matakana markets and Waiheke Island would make the exercise valuable for the city.

“The delegates' expenditure here will help make this event cost worthy,” said Ms Ford.

A key issue at last year's summit was language barriers, so this year 20 translators have been hired to ensure better communication between the delegates.

Councillor Bill Cashmore, who attended the Los Angeles summit, said the difficulties made networking a challenge.

“One of the things we learned last year was that the connectivity with the Los Angeles people was easy, but the connectivity with those from Guangzhou wasn’t.”

Ms Ford said it was a focus for the organisation of the event. “We’re bringing four translators from Guangzhou and we’ve engaged the Confucius Institute from University of Auckland.

"We’ll have 15 Mandarin and Cantonese speakers, and they will do ear to mouth translation in the breakout sessions."

Councillor Denise Krum, who also attended the summit in Los Angeles, was enthusiastic about the event. “From what we experienced last year, this is a step up. More than a step up, 10 steps up.”