Marlborough
Conference
Conveniently located in the centre of New Zealand and long known for the stunning Marlborough Sounds and world famous Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough is a region of beauty, sunny skies and fabulous food and wine.
Whether you want adventure, relaxation or indulgence there are a multitude of options for convention and incentive groups.The region is internationally renowned for its award winning wines and over 40 cellar doors offer a multitude of options for sipping and sampling or wining and dining.The year- round sunshine, mild climate and diverse landscapes offers visitor an exceptional range of recreational activities on land and on the water.
Getting your delegates to Marlborough is a breeze! Marlborough Airport is located 5km from Blenheim and close to accommodation and attractions. Three airlines offer regular chartered scheduled flights into the region; Air New Zealand flies directly from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Picton receives regular ferry services from Wellington and Picton Airport has 5 of the cheapest scenic flights a day.
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Marlborough Convention Bureau
Destination Marlborough has a dedicated Convention Bureau Manager who can offer assistance and advice for those considering the Marlborough region as a conference location. Please contact us if you require further information on .
We can assist you with:
- Ideas for the your conference programme, activities, entertainment, partner programmes as well as pre and post tour options.
- Providing free use of image and AV, maps and regional brochures.
- Assistance with the coordination of familiarisations and onsite inspections of venues, accommodation and service providers helping you to reach the destination.
- Providing support for bid documents for Marlborough to be successful in hosting your conference.
- Organising an i-SITE registration desk to welcome your delegates to the region and provide them with regional information.
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Does IT Tick All The Boxes?
- Centrally located
- Access by air, sea, rail and car
- Purpose built convention centre centrally located
- World class food and wine
- Marlborough Sounds
- No local transport worries – no traffic lights to get held up with
- Good range of accommodation
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Where is Marlborough and How Do I Get There?
Located on the eastern side of the top of the South Island of New Zealand, Marlborough is close to New Zealand’s geographical centre, easily accessible by land, sea and air. Marlborough has a temperate climate, with amongst the highest sunshine hours and some of the lowest rainfall annually in New Zealand.
View the Map
GETTING TO MARLBOROUGH
By Air:
Auckland to Blenheim……………… 1 hour 20 minutes
Wellington to Blenheim…………… 25 minutes
Wellington to Picton…………………25 minutes
Christchurch to Blenheim………… 50 minutes
By Road:
Driving times ex Blenheim: To Christchurch - 4.5 hours To Nelson – 1 hour 45 minutes To Kaikoura – 1 hour 45 minutes
By Sea:
From Wellington to Picton: 3.5 hours -
Incentive Groups
Marlborough offers the perfect location for an incentive group, at any time of year. Whether you are looking for a world class wine and food event, a relaxing nirvana in a Sounds resort or an extraordinary team building adventure in the high country, Marlborough can oblige. There is no better way to say thank you to your staff or customers than bringing them to New Zealand’s indulgence capital.
Marlborough also has a range of events which provide great opportunities to build incentive and special interest group tours around, click here for our events page.
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Venues and Accommodation
The Marlborough Convention Centre is Marlborough's newest and largest conference venue. This purpose built facility in the centre of Blenheim caters for up to 750 people theatre style or 400 banquet-style. In addition Marlborough also offers numerous smaller venues, each location giving your conference that special edge with a diverse range of meeting options and recreational facilities.
Accommodation in Marlborough is varied and easily accessible. With 550 beds ranging from luxury to budget, in locations as varied as the city centre to secluded bays or amongst the vines, there is something to suit your requirements.Venue Meeting rooms Theatre Cocktail Banquet Class room Board room Accom rooms Marlborough Convention Centre 3+ 700 750 400 264 to suit - Heartland Hotel 2 150 200 120 75 75 54 The Portage Resort Hotel 3 100 150 100 50 40 41 Marlborough Vintners Hotel 2 200 250 150 100 24 16 Chateau Marlborough 3 50 50 - 20 30 45 Lochmara Lodge 1+ 40 80 60 25 25 14 Bay of Many Coves 1 20 30 20 20 20 11 Wither Hills 3 100 350 80 24 20 - Brancott Estate 3+ 200 400 300 100 30 - Mercure Picton 1+ 100 80 80 40 30 48 Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre 1 - 150 50 - 20 - Raetihi Lodge 1 40 50 35 26 26 14 -
Activities
Incorporating activities into your conference programme will help boost delegate numbers and make your event memorable; Marlborough has some fantastic attractions to help you achieve this.
- Explore the hidden bays of the Marlborough Sounds, tie up in a secluded cove for a gourmet barbeque lunch with fresh seafood and award winning local wine.
- A multi-sensory experience of WW1 aviation awaits your delegates at the Omaka Aviation Heritage.
- Delight senses on a winery tour and discover Marlborough’s most prized culinary delights. Sample the famous wines from the cellar doors, even a range of boutique breweries for beer lovers and match them with regional flavours for lunch or dinner at award winning wineries and restaurants.
- Marlborough is home to numerous walkways and bush walks including the renowned Queen Charlotte Track, and local companies can lead you on eco tours, mountain bike trails, sea kayaking, fishing, sailing, diving, golfing experiences and so much more!