Rutherford Hotel Nelson’s newest conference facility has helped turn Nelson from a good conference destination into a great one. During the 18 months the 700-seat capacity Maitai Room has been open, it has hosted some high profile national conferences and helped put Nelson on the conference circuit map.
Rutherford Hotel Nelson has, in total, six conference rooms offering a range of facilities and capacity. The Maitai Room can be split into two separate spaces holding 300 and 400 people respectively. With break-out areas that can be used for workshops and masterclass sessions, and top notch catering facilities on site, it’s hard to look past Rutherford Hotel Nelson for a successful conference. And, of course, Nelson is a place everyone wants to visit. With its local wine, food, craft beer and arts heritage, markets and boutique retail plus three national parks, the Great Taste Trail and world-class hospitality, there’s plenty to keep delegates interested in between conference appointments.
Rutherford Hotel Nelson hosted some of New Zealand’s premier conferences in 2013 and 2014, including the prestigious National Party Conference and the 500 delegate Local Government NZ (LGNZ) Conference. The NZ Marine Sciences Society Conference and the Autism New Zealand Conference each had 200 plus delegates enjoying Nelson hospitality at Rutherford Hotel Nelson. The conference machine will swing into top gear in 2015 with several 300 plus delegate conferences already booked, including the Cutting Edge Conference, Aquaculture 2015 and Rotary International Zone Conference.
So what’s so good about Rutherford Hotel Nelson – apart from its capacity and location? Manager Bevan McGillicuddy says it’s all about the flexibility that the conference space offers, the great service and excellent cuisine.
[quote by=“Malcolm Alexander, Chief Executive, LGNZ”]The Nelson/Tasman area was a fantastic region to host the annual LGNZ conference. Rutherford Hotel Nelson provided a great space for the large number of delegates and it was ideal to hold everything under one roof.[/quote]
“We have well-trained staff who are experienced in handling the conference process. We offer a relaxed environment, great executive hospitality and accommodation in a fabulous location. There’s an outdoor courtyard for delegates to relax in or enjoy a barbecue. We have two separate foyer entrances, a built-in registration area, high ceilings so delegates don’t feel claustrophobic and in-house state-of-the-art audio visual facilities.” The Maitai Room is on the ground floor with excellent access and capacity for up to 60 trade displays.
“On site we have our own Atom Café with coffee and home baking,” says Bevan, “plus two restaurants — and of course we can organise off-site activities with the region’s best tourism operators.”
Rutherford Hotel Nelson has 113 well-appointed hotel rooms and is a short walk from Nelson’s Trafalgar Street – the heart of its retail, art, market and hospitality offerings – as well as the magnificent Nelson Cathedral and historic South Street precinct.
It’s been a big undertaking developing a conference facility of this calibre, but a rewarding one. With Nelson’s world class tourism attractions and its central location it seems quite likely that Rutherford Hotel Nelson will be in high demand for some of New Zealand’s biggest and best conferences.
