Partner News: Wellington ticks all the boxes for rural health conference

Published on Friday, 1 November 2024

The Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network Conference was in record-breaking form in Wellington this year, with attendance up 60% to 512 delegates.

The conference, New Zealand’s premier event dedicated to rural health and wellbeing, also saw the number of presenters and abstracts leap to 70, from 40 previously. The sale of exhibition stands also grew, and there was a huge increase in social media engagement.

Dr Grant Davidson, CE said: “We credit the growth of attendance to consultation with a conference committee. Together we identified key issues in rural health so topics this year were really resonant: workforce, recruitment, education, equity, access, technology. This year nearly everyone attended in person, with hardly any virtual participants. Connecting in person is key, as it is powerful to have these voices together.”

“Conference Innovators, our PCO, were also integral in creating this record-breaking event. We have worked with them for many years, and they continually deliver a quality conference.”

Davidson said choosing Wellington as host city also helped, given Hauora Taiwhenua’s strong advocacy focus.

“There is no better place than Wellington if you want Ministers and changemakers to attend.

“Matt Doocey, as both the Minister for Tourism and Mental Health and Associate Minister for Health was the ideal person to open the conference, given the fit of his portfolios.” The Minister’s attendance also garnered national media interest, further sharing the conference’s message.

Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre proved a great, practical venue, with simultaneous sessions held seamlessly across six rooms. The ability to have the exhibition hall at the centre of the conference venue really worked well. Attendees were able to make the most of the easy interaction with the stands and stand holders have commented on how the design drove engagement and kept the energy of the conference high.

Tākina’s name, a metaphor of the wind taking the voices of change across the miles and generations, was fitting for an organisation whose work is generational and spread throughout Aotearoa, Davidson noted.

“Sustainability is ingrained in our organisation, so having a venue that offers sustainable credentials was important to us and our attendees” added Davidson.

Davidson says that Wellington also proved a hassle-free city to stage the conference, with the airport only a short trip away and the city being easy to get around on foot.

“Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network has a big focus on bringing family to the conference, and there’s lots of good family-friendly accommodation nearby including apartment hotels. We welcomed babies and toddlers at the conference, and attendees received discounts for family activities which were super easy to access by showing their lanyard or conference app.”

Get in touch with BEW’s business development manager in Australia, Leanne Douglass, to learn how Wellington ticks all the boxes to make planning your next conference a breeze.

Visit WellingtonNZ.com/meet to learn more, or contact Leanne at Leanne.Douglass@WellingtonNZ.com or +61 423 634 515.