Business Events Wellington strengthens Australian reach with new recruit

Business Events Wellington is proud to welcome Leanne Douglass to the team as the new Business Development Manager – Australia.

The Australian market is Wellington’s most important international market for conferences, says Business Events Wellington Manager Irette Ferreira.

“Having someone dedicated to Australia in-market is of strategic importance and reflects our commitment to this market.”

Leanne began her career in the retail travel sector, where she honed her skills in sales and customer service leading teams at Flight Centre Travel Group, before moving onto corporate travel account management in Sydney and Melbourne.

More recently she worked in Visitor Economy Development for the Tamworth Regional Council. In 2022, she joined the City of Newcastle as Business Event Specialist where she developed strategic industry engagement plans, represented the city at trade shows, and secured business events that aligned with the city’s vision.

Leanne will hit the ground running, joining the Business Events Wellington team at MEETINGS in Rotorua in her first week on the job to meet with Australian clients attending the trade show.

“I’m excited to begin my new role and start developing business opportunities that support the visitor economy and create positive impacts for Wellington,” Leanne says.

Prior to the opening of Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre in June 2023, Wellington hosted a small number of Australian conferences per year. The city has already seen a significant step change in the number and scale of Australian conferences choosing Wellington since the convention centre opened.