International small business conference comes to capital

Wellington has been named as the venue for the 57th annual International Council for Small Business conference in June, 2012.

A successful bid to host the conference by the University’s Centre for Small and Medium Enterprise Research and the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand was supported by Wellington City Council and Grow Wellington.

It will be the first time the conference, which attracts more than 100 delegates from around the world, has been held in New Zealand. This year it is in Seoul, Korea, followed by Cincinnati in the United States in 2010 and Stockholm, Sweden in 2011.

SME specialist and head of the College of Business management department Professor Claire Massey says Wellington makes sense as a venue. “We have a large number of universities and polytechnics with a focus on entrepreneurship and small business, so we are expecting a great deal of interest from our local academic and policy-making community.”

The council was the first international membership organisation to promote the growth and development of small businesses worldwide. It brings together educators, researchers, policy makers and practitioners from around the world to share knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. More than 100 people are expected to attend the conference in Wellington, the theme for which is Leading from the Edge.

To enable delegates to make the most of what will be a long trip for many, pre- and post-conference tour services are being offered for such things as skiing holidays and wine tours.