TRENZ Talks
Thursday 9 May, 1.20pm-3.15pm and 3.30pm-5.05pm
Friday 10 May, 10.30am-12.25pm and 1.20pm-3.15pm
TRENZ Talks is back at TRENZ for 2024. The TRENZ Talks programme will be delivered as fast-paced and energetic bursts of 15-minute TED Talk-style presentations. The sessions are designed to provide insightful, inspiring and useful content to TRENZ delegates who are not attending appointments or have a gap in their appointment schedule.
Focusing on the theme of Transformative Tourism in the context of doing business internationally, each session will take place twice (sessions from Day 1 will be repeated on Day 2).
Content will include updates and insights from Tourism New Zealand market teams and Air New Zealand, and sessions on topics including artificial intelligence, product development, and designing your visitor experience for the customer of the future. The programme will also feature case studies from tourism businesses doing great things around productivity, giving back to the community, and protecting the environment.
sarah handley
General Manager Americas and Europe, Tourism New Zealand
Sarah Handley is the General Manager Americas and Europe for Tourism New Zealand. Sarah joined Tourism New Zealand in 2019 and is based in Los Angeles. She is responsible for Tourism New Zealand’s marketing activities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany to promote New Zealand as a visitor destination. Sarah brings over 20 years global experience in consumer-led businesses and senior marketing roles for high-profile multinational companies such as Hasbro, Mattel and Electronic Arts.
Ryan O'Connell
Switched on Bikes
Ryan O’Connell started Switched on Bikes in 2015. Ryan’s working background has been in the community sector, previously working for IHC NZ and Kaibosh Food Rescue. After trying an electric bike for the first time while visiting the South Island, Ryan realised it would be ideal for visitors wanting to see the wild side of Wellington. Ryan has always had a keen interest in environmental sustainability and brings those values to Switched on Bikes. As well as rentals and guided tours, the business now imports electric bikes and is developing eBike GPS trackers for security and fleet management.
Andrew Waddel
General Manager Australia, Tourism New Zealand
Andrew Waddel took up the role of General Manager - Australia at Tourism New Zealand in 2018, bringing a wealth of marketing and business experience in various industries. Before joining Tourism New Zealand, Andrew worked for the organic syrup manufacturing sector at Soda Press Co, founded his own consultancy, and served as the Marketing Director at Red Bull Australia. Born in Wellington, Andrew’s extensive marketing expertise extends to leadership roles in the UK, South Africa, and Australia.
David Ermen
Destination Capacity
David Ermen has 15 years of experience in tourism consulting and education in New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For 7 years, he helped to build up PwC’s Tourism & Hospitality Centre of Excellence EMEA in Zurich, leading projects on tourism strategy, sustainability, as well as service quality systems and training for the hotel industry.
Since returning to New Zealand in 2020, he has supported RTOs with their destination management processes and run sustainability workshops and training online and in-person. David partnered with TIA on the Wellington sustainable tourism project and The Green Room in the Bay of Plenty, helping operators start their sustainability journey.
David has worked with the UNWTO on tourism’s contribution to the SDGs, and he is an official trainer for the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). He mentors innovative start-ups on sustainability and service design.
Gregg Wafelbakker
General Manager Asia, Tourism New Zealand
Gregg Wafelbakker is the General Manager Asia for Tourism New Zealand. Based in Singapore, he is responsible for Tourism New Zealand marketing activities across China, Japan, Korea, South and South East Asia. Gregg joined Tourism New Zealand in July 2017, following 20 years of international experience in the food and beverage sector.
Zac Watson
Maverick Digital
An accomplished tourism leader with public and private sector experience, Zac is now the General Manager of Maverick Digital, a digital marketing agency, solely focused on the visitor economy throughout the South Pacific. He is a board member for various tourism organisations and groups, a former chair of the Young Tourism Export Council (YoungTEC) and in 2022 was named as the Tourism Export Council’s Emerging Leader. Zac is passionate about the future of the industry; he believes that technology and networks have the ability to spread value through an ever-changing visitor economy.
Alex Dykman
Maverick Digital
A passionate advocate for combining technology and innovation to drive transformational change, Alex is the founder of Maverick Digital and was named Emerging Tourism Leader in the 2022 New Zealand Tourism Awards. Inspired by the rapid pace of change across both AI and its applications, Alex believes leaning into new technology is key to supercharging tourism’s positive impact on people, planet and profit.
James Howard
Tranzit
Since James Howard joined Tranzit, an award-winning transport and tourism company operating throughout Aotearoa, he has worked in a variety of driving, operations and project management roles. A bringer of new ideas, James is also part of a small team leading Tranzit’s electric bus programme, working with the energy sector to deliver critical charging infrastructure. He most recently led Tranzit’s team that introduced New Zealand’s first 100% electric bus fleet into Palmerston North, and is now researching options for a long-distance coach for the tourism sector.
Anna Wellingham
NZTE
Anna has led the Tourism Attraction Programme at NZTE since 2018. She works closely with companies/project sponsors, regional tourism operators, regional economic development agencies, and local and central government stakeholders to attract and accelerate investment into greenfield tourism attractions across New Zealand.
Anna works with a range of companies targeting high-value visitors such as hot pools, surf parks, adventure parks, resorts and luxury accommodation providers, and assisting them from feasibility through to investment.
She has over 15 years of experience in corporate finance, having worked in investment banking, professional services and within corporates before joining NZTE.
Scott Carr
Air New Zealand
Scott Carr has had a 34-year career with Air New Zealand, starting with Mount Cook Airlines in Christchurch. His career initially focused on operational areas such as scheduling, fleet network planning, and revenue management and pricing before moving into sales, which led to postings in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore.
Scott has been in his current role as GM Long-haul International since August 2022. He has a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Canterbury and an Executive MBA from the University of Melbourne Business School.
Serena Li
Xiaohongshu
Serena has more than seven years of domestic and international marketing experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), healthcare/pharmaceutical, and luxury goods sectors. Her work has spanned key markets such as China, Australia, and New Zealand and she holds a business information system master’s degree in University of Sydney.
Janice Liu
Prizm Group New Zealand
Janice is the head of Prizm New Zealand, part of a global digital marketing agency. With more than 10 years of experience in digital marketing, Janice and her team have worked with numerous New Zealand and Australian brands, launching successful social media and e-commerce campaigns targeting the Chinese market.
Since her move to New Zealand in 2011, Janice has brought Chinese culture and an interest in Māori customs to her roles. She has a PhD of marketing from Shanghai Jiaotong University and worked as a visiting scholar at the University of Auckland business school and with Boyd PR.
Chang Chen
SkyCity, Auckland
Chang is the Asian Sales & Marketing Manager at SkyCity Auckland and has over 10 years of experience in introducing multinational brands to Chinese consumers.
Raised in Beijing, Chang hold degrees in information systems and marketing. Before joining SkyCity in 2019, her experience included brand management for an investment group, and account management, winning an Effie Award in Beijing. She is developing her knowledge of the tourism trade market and a strong passion for the industry.
Karl Burrows
Tourism New Zealand
Karl Burrows is General Manager Pou Ārahi Māori at Tourism New Zealand (TNZ). As well as being responsible for relationships with Māori, supporting authentic storytelling and cultural capability building for TNZ, the Pou Ārahi Māori team is responsible for TNZ’s approach to Sustainability. Karl sits on Te Kahui Tautiaki, the Tiaki Governance Board. He uri o Taranaki maunga, no Ngati Maru, no Te Ati Awa descent.
