Major events

Auckland as a host city - Auckland Unlimited as an event partner

Partner with Auckland Unlimited Major Events Team to host a world-class event in Auckland. 

As a host city, Auckland is a star performer. With a string of accolades, breath-taking landscapes, first-rate venues, experienced experts, and an action-packed line-up including the 36th America’s Cup in 2021, we will put your event on the world stage.

From large-scale fan activations that transform the city, to the smallest details, our team will help you knock it out of the park. Our team acts by: 

• Strategic influencing: Facilitating connections at Auckland, national and international levels and ensuring approaches are aligned, co-ordinated and delivering what Auckland requires.
• Investing: Investing on behalf of Auckland Council to create additional benefits for the region and its people. 
• Event production: Taking a lead role in producing events which are owned by and important to the region. 
• Facilitation: Supporting event partners and city agencies to make it easier to put on major events in Auckland, to realise maximum additional benefits to the region while keeping it flowing and functioning.
• Activation, leverage and marketing: Identifying ways to create greater value around an event to enhance the experience of attendees, provide opportunities for business, trade and foreign investment, and/or ensuring the events most effectively contribute to and communicate the Auckland identity to desired targeted audiences.

Major Events programmes and investment

Auckland’s Major Events Strategy 2018-2025 sets out what Auckland needs from its events sector to deliver the Destination AKL 2025 strategy and what Auckland Limited’s role is in ensuring this happens.

Auckland Unlimited supports a portfolio of events that aligns with the new direction for Auckland’s visitor economy and provides additional impact that would not have otherwise happened.

This involves leading, coordinating, partnering with and promoting events. Our work is organised in a suite of well-defined programmes designed to deliver different levels and areas of impact.The Major, National and Winter programmes are all open for applications for support. Eligibility criteria and application information are included in the guidelines below. All Auckland Unlimiteds investments in events are subject to feasibility assessments, availability of funds and agreed activity-related contracts.

Major Programme

Applications are open year-round.

National Programme

There are three application rounds for the National Programme each year. You can apply during any round as long as you have completed a post-event report for the previous year’s event.

The October 2020 application round is now open for events held from January - June 2021. The first step in the application process is to schedule a pre-application conversation, so please get in touch as early as possible to discuss your application with your Auckland Unlimited Event Development Manager.

If your event has not previously been supported by Auckland Unlimited, email majorevents@aucklandnz.com to request a call back.

Elemental AKL 2021

To receive updates on the application process for Elemental AKL 2021 please join the mailing list by clicking here. 

The first step in the application process is to schedule a pre-application conversation, so please get in touch as early as possible to discuss your application with your Auckland Unlimited Event Development Manager.   

If your event has not previously been supported by Auckland Unlimited, email majorevents@aucklandnz.com to request a call back or to be added to the Major Events funding mailing list or newsletter.  

If you’d like to receive updates on any of the above programmes, news briefs about major events in the Auckland region
and other information relevant to the events industry, click the sign up link below.