A boutique two-day women's business and leadership conference run by the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce at Nelson's Trafalgar Centre on 22-23 October 2026, with a live event page, confirmed venue and a structured keynote-and-workshop programme.
The Inspiring Women Business Conference returns to Nelson on 22-23 October 2026, running from 10:30am on the first day through to 5:00pm on the second at the Trafalgar Centre on Paru Paru Road (Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce). The chamber describes it as "a boutique two-day conference exploring leadership, confidence, ambition, and the realities behind success" — pitched at women who want practical takeaways rather than inspiration alone.
The conference is organised and hosted by the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce, the region's business-membership body, which lists it directly on its own events site. Broadcaster and business leader Livia Esterhazy is confirmed as the event MC.
The event targets women in leadership, business ownership, career growth and team management. According to the organiser, the format moves beyond a standard lecture-style agenda to combine keynote speakers, panel discussions, interactive conversations, break-out workshops and "un-conferencing" sessions, built around "candid conversations, storytelling, practical insights, and inspiring speakers." A downloadable programme is published on the chamber's listing, and an exhibitor component runs alongside the main sessions.
The Trafalgar Centre is Nelson Tasman's largest multi-purpose events arena, sitting on the west bank of the Maitai River across from Trafalgar Park. Its main arena seats up to 2,300 theatre-style and caters banquets for around 700, while the Northern Extension handles smaller theatre (300) and banquet (200) configurations — flexible scale that suits a boutique conference with breakout rooms and an exhibitor floor (Nelson City Council venues). For delegate movement the centre is a 10-minute walk from central Nelson and roughly a 15-minute drive from Nelson Airport, with about 200 on-site car parks plus coach parking; central-city accommodation is within walking distance.
The conference is a rare multi-day corporate business event anchored in Nelson's top-of-the-South region, drawing a professional-development audience to a regional centre rather than the main-centre circuit. Backed by the local chamber and staged at the region's flagship arena, it demonstrates the Trafalgar Centre's utility for mid-scale conferencing and helps keep business-events demand and delegate spend in Nelson Tasman.
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