A practical guide to planning a conference in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty: real venues, hotels, transport, catering and activities.
Tauranga is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing business-events destinations — a sunny coastal city with a compact waterfront CBD, the beachside Mount Maunganui precinct next door, and a mix of purpose-built and character venues. Here's how to plan a conference in the Bay of Plenty.
Mercury Baypark pairs an arena with flexible conference rooms and is the region's largest events complex, while the Trinity Conference & Events Centre and Baycourt Community & Arts Centre handle mid-sized conferences and plenaries. For character, the Tauranga Racecourse Event Centre, Classic Flyers NZ aviation museum, Mills Reef Winery and Club Mount Maunganui all host functions. Compare them on the venues directory or filter by capacity on the capacities page.
The waterfront Trinity Wharf Tauranga (122 rooms) is the largest conference hotel, backed by the Mercure Tauranga (80 rooms), Hotel on Devonport, the Oceanside Resort & Twin Towers at the Mount, and the Hotel Armitage and Conference Centre in the CBD. Split room blocks between the city and the Mount depending on where your sessions and dinners sit.
Eleven operators serve the region. Coach lines Bayline Coaches, Royale Coachlines and Uzabus handle group shuttles; Luxury Airport Shuttles and A2B Transport cover transfers; and Elite Limousines looks after VIPs. See the transport directory.
Local caterers such as Blank Canvas Catering, Devour Catering and Bay Catering cover conference menus, while Bay Audio Visual, Alliance AV and SHOWTECHNIX handle staging and AV. For the social programme, the Bay's activities run from Blokart Heaven and Paintball Extreme to harbour cruises with Kewpie Cruises, surf lessons at the Mount, and tastings at Mount Brewing Co.
Secure your venue and hotel blocks first, then layer in transport, catering, AV and the social programme. Tauranga's twin hubs — the CBD and Mount Maunganui — are a short drive apart, so decide early which will anchor your event and build transfers around that. Browse everything on MICE.
Mercury Baypark is the region's largest events complex, combining an arena with flexible conference rooms. The Trinity Conference & Events Centre and Baycourt Community & Arts Centre suit mid-sized conferences.
Trinity Wharf Tauranga is the largest at 122 rooms and sits on the waterfront, followed by the Mercure Tauranga at 80 rooms. The Oceanside Resort at the Mount is an option for beachside stays.
Both work. The CBD is close to Baycourt and Trinity Wharf, while the Mount offers beachside hotels and Mercury Baypark. Decide based on where your main sessions and dinners are, then arrange transfers accordingly.
Options include Blokart Heaven, Paintball Extreme, harbour cruises with Kewpie Cruises, surf schools at Mount Maunganui, and brewery tastings at Mount Brewing Co.
Coach lines such as Bayline Coaches, Royale Coachlines and Uzabus handle group transfers, with Luxury Airport Shuttles for airport runs and Elite Limousines for VIPs.
The Tauranga and Bay of Plenty venues that can seat a 700-plus-delegate conference in a single room, ranked by theatre capacity.
Tasting tours, brewery and distillery sessions and hosted cooking experiences — the culinary team-building operators listed for Tauranga.
MICE lists 10 water and coastal team-building operators in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty — surfing, waka paddling, cruises and boat hire.
The Tauranga and Bay of Plenty venues that seat 150 or more guests for a gala dinner or banquet, ranked by banquet capacity.
Recreation Aotearoa's Recreation Leaders' Summit 2026 runs 18–19 November at Trinity Wharf Tauranga, themed 'Changing Tides – Ka Whati Te Tai'.
Moving conference delegates around Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty, with the 11 transport operators listed on MICE.