TRENZ 2027 runs 11–13 May at Te Pae Christchurch. Buyer criteria, seller fees, the appointment timetable, Tourism New Zealand's role and who can attend.
Cover image: Punting on the Avon River in Christchurch, host city of TRENZ 2027 (file photo) — photo by Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
TRENZ 2027 runs from Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 May 2027 at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and buyer registrations open on 12 November 2026. TRENZ, first known as Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand, is an appointment-based trade show for New Zealand tourism: operators, called sellers, hold up to 52 pre-scheduled 15-minute meetings with international and New Zealand travel buyers. Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) runs it for the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust, which owns the event, and calls it "New Zealand's largest international tourism business event".
There are no public days. Seller demand has outrun space: TIA opened 2027 seller applications on 1 October 2026 and, citing "unprecedented demand", closed them ahead of the 19 November cut-off in its FAQ and ran a waitlist, which it said would close at 5pm on 23 October. Details below are as of 1 November 2026.
Who exhibits and who attends TRENZ?
TRENZ 2026, the 32nd edition, ran from 19 to 21 May 2026 at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland. Before it opened, TIA said 379 travel buyers from 27 countries had registered to meet 315 New Zealand operators, its most buyers since 2019; afterwards it reported that 1,200 delegates held 16,000 business meetings over two and a half days.
Sellers are New Zealand-registered tourism businesses, from accommodation and transport to adventure, cultural, nature and wellness experiences, in booths grouped into regional and national areas; buyers move between appointments. Regional tourism organisations and marketing clusters also exhibit. Sellers must give buyers rates confirmed for at least 18 months after the show, and the stated industry expectation is a minimum 20% commission.
Under the latest published criteria, buyers are retail and wholesale companies, online travel agents and aggregators, inbound tour operators and destination management companies, or online B2B companies. TIA's seller pages report that 84% of sellers rated buyer quality excellent or good. Media attend by invitation, and 2026 added an International Media Marketplace with 30 international and local media.
How to attend TRENZ: buyer criteria, seller fees and media
Buyers. TIA says the 2027 buyer criteria "will be available soon". The 2026 criteria, the latest published, asked for a company that packages or sells New Zealand ground product overseas or, if new to New Zealand, has approached Tourism New Zealand's or Air New Zealand's overseas teams, or New Zealand suppliers, and begun contracting. Buyers had to sell commissionable or net-rate product, operate in markets that fit Tourism New Zealand's strategy, or open emerging and small ones, and send a senior decision maker, product manager, contract manager or retail agent. A company attending for the first time may send one buyer, and international buyers are accepted before New Zealand-based ones.
The buyer participation fee is shown only during online registration; TIA's public pages do not list it. Under the event terms it covers room-only accommodation for the four core event nights at an allocated sponsor hotel, where buyers must stay, for primary delegates not based in the host city. Flights are extra, though sponsored flights may be offered, and there are no buyer day passes. A delegate without business English needs an interpreter, arranged at the company's cost.
Sellers. Fees are in New Zealand dollars and exclude GST; the member rate needs current TIA membership.
| Package or pass | TIA member | Non-member | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard seller package | NZ$6,370 | NZ$12,740 | Booth, up to 52 appointments, one full pass |
| Shared package (per company) | NZ$3,870 | NZ$7,740 | Shared booth, up to 26 appointments, one full pass |
| Additional full pass | NZ$1,370 | NZ$2,740 | All days and the Welcome Function |
| Day pass | NZ$305 Tue; NZ$460 Wed or Thu | NZ$610 Tue; NZ$920 Wed or Thu | One day on the show floor |
| Celebration of Tourism | NZ$235 | NZ$470 | Thursday closing function |
Full payment is due by 16 December 2026; cancelling after that costs 50%, and after 10 February 2027 the full fee. Extra passes are only for staff or contractors the seller employs directly.
Is it open to the public? No. Entry is for registered delegates, from sellers and buyers to invited media and industry and government guests; the terms bar under-18s from the show floor, and the site offers no visitor tickets.
Networking at TRENZ: appointments, functions and famils
Appointments are the event. TIA says how many a buyer receives depends on buyer and seller preferencing, so buyers should complete theirs. On the 2027 timetable, appointment requests run from 2 to 23 March 2027, schedules and booth allocations go live on 13 April, and 4 May is the last day to decline a meeting.
The Mihi Whakatau, a cultural welcome, opens proceedings on Monday 10 May. Tuesday brings TRENZ Talks and the evening Welcome Function; a networking function closes Wednesday, and Thursday evening has the separately ticketed Celebration of Tourism. Buyers get host-city famils, with pre- and post-TRENZ famils on offer.
Sellers may not knowingly host buyers, sellers or media during the official programme: the terms set liquidated damages of NZ$5,000 plus GST per occurrence. Keep client dinners outside it.
What does Tourism New Zealand do at TRENZ?
Tourism New Zealand, the Crown agency that markets the country abroad, is TRENZ's official supporter, and TIA's partners page credits it with "facilitating the international buyer programme". The buyer criteria favour markets that fit its strategy, and a newcomer can show interest by having approached its overseas market teams or Air New Zealand's, so those teams are a sensible first contact for a buyer who has never attended. Air New Zealand is the premier sponsor.
Getting to Te Pae and where to stay
Te Pae is in central Christchurch, and the organiser's partners page puts Christchurch Airport 15 minutes from the city centre. Metro buses leave from the northern end of International Arrivals, beside the Novotel (Door 9): route 3 via the city centre every 10 minutes (15 at weekends), and route 29 to the Bus Interchange every 30 minutes. Pay by contactless card, Apple Pay or Google Pay; Metrocards and cash will be retired on 23 November 2026.
Buyers stay at their allocated hotel. For sellers, TIA lists partner hotels with exhibitor rates, booked direct: Crowne Plaza Christchurch, opposite Te Pae; Rydges Latimer Christchurch; Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square; Carnmore Hotel Christchurch; and The Kilmore Collection apartments.
How does TRENZ compare with TTM+ and ATE?
TRENZ works like other national inbound marts. The Tourism Authority of Thailand's Thailand Travel Mart Plus counted 429 international buyers, 428 Thai sellers and more than 15,000 appointments in June 2026, against TRENZ's 379 registered buyers and 315 sellers. For long-haul buyers, Tourism Australia's ATE27 runs at ICC Sydney from 16 to 20 May 2027, three days after TRENZ closes, and IPW is in New Orleans from 2 to 6 May. Our Asia-Pacific travel trade shows guide and travel trade show calendar list them all.
Frequently asked questions
When is TRENZ 2027?
TRENZ 2027 runs from Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 May 2027 at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, 188 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, after a Mihi Whakatau welcome on Monday 10 May. Buyer registrations open on 12 November 2026, and appointment requests run from 2 to 23 March 2027.
Is TRENZ open to the public?
No. TRENZ is trade only: New Zealand tourism businesses accepted as sellers, travel buyers approved against the organiser's criteria, and invited media. Industry and government guests also attend, but there are no consumer days, and the event terms bar anyone under 18 from the trade show floor and the programme.
How much does it cost to attend TRENZ?
A standard seller package costs NZ$6,370 plus GST for TIA members or NZ$12,740 for non-members; a shared booth is NZ$3,870 or NZ$7,740 per company. Buyers pay a participation fee shown during registration, which includes four nights' room-only accommodation for primary delegates from outside the host city, but not flights.
How do I become a TRENZ buyer?
Apply online when buyer registrations open on 12 November 2026; first-time companies can register interest on the TRENZ portal now. The 2027 criteria are not yet published; the 2026 criteria asked for a business selling New Zealand product, or starting to, at commissionable or net rates.
Where is TRENZ held?
The host city changes from year to year: Christchurch in 2023, Wellington for the first time in 2024, Rotorua in 2025 and the NZICC in Auckland in 2026. TRENZ returns to Christchurch, at Te Pae, in 2027. No 2028 host had been announced as of 1 November 2026.
Sources
- TRENZ, TRENZ 2027: dates, venue and event format
- TRENZ, Seller information and key dates
- TRENZ, Seller packages and pricing
- TRENZ, Accommodation partners and seller rates
- TRENZ, Buyer criteria 2026 (PDF)
- TRENZ, Terms and conditions
- TRENZ, Kiwi tourism on display to the world (May 2026)
- Christchurch Airport, Public transport
More upcoming Asia-Pacific travel trade shows
- 18–22 January 2027ASEAN Tourism Forum 2027Singapore, Singapore
- 15–17 February 2027AIME 2027Melbourne, Australia
- 2–4 April 2027MATTA Fair April 2027Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 16–20 May 2027ATE27 (Australian Tourism Exchange 2027)Sydney, Australia
- 25–27 May 2027ITB China 2027Shanghai, China
- 9–11 June 2027BBTF 2027Nusa Dua, Indonesia
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