NZ Marine Industry conference in Queenstown

by Caroline Gibson on 16 Mar 2011 The New Zealand marine industry will gather in Queenstown next week, 23 to 25 March, to discuss ways of boosting exports and maximising growth over the next four years.

'NZ Marine is aiming to grow our industry by 55% by 2015,' says executive director Peter Busfield. 'We expect to go from $1.71 billion this year to $2.66 billion in 2015. Our exports are also expected to grow by around 70%, from $650 million to $1.11 billion, over that period.'

Peter Busfield says the New Zealand marine industry’s 2011 conference will focus on ways to achieve and surpass those targets.

'We are a very ambitious industry,' he says. 'While we always set realistic growth targets, we are also always looking for ways to do even better.

'This year’s conference is a good example. We have arranged a very impressive line-up of speakers to share their experiences (both good and bad) with us. There will also be a number of panel discussions and forums, where members can share information and get ideas from each other and from our guests.'

Key conference presenters include Contiki founder John Anderson; Shotover Jet general manager, Clark Scott; intellectual property specialist and Icehouse manager, Paul Adams; strategic planning and change management expert, Bryan Tavers and media columnist and author Debbie Mayo-Smith.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise chief executive, Peter Chrisp Catherine Beard from Business NZ and ANZ National chief economist, Cameron Bagrie will also address the conference.

The 2011 New Zealand Marine Industry Conference, which has already registrations from more than 110 marine industry business owners and their key staff, will be held at the Heritage Hotel in Queenstown on March 23-25.

More at www.nzmarine.com