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3 March 2026 | NZICC, Auckland

The office, pa & event planner show 2025

Boost your career and shape your future in the ever evolving workplace

Step into a day designed just for PAs, EAs, Executive & Administrative support teams and office managers – the engine of every organisation. The Office, PA & Event Planners Show brings together expert speakers, hands-on workshops, and a supportive community to help you work smarter, grow your career, and be proactive about your wellbeing. From the latest tech and productivity hacks, event planning tips to wow clients and colleagues to building influence and resilience, this is your space to learn, connect, and recharge.

A WORLD-CLASS VENUE FIRST

Held at the brand new NZICC

Celebrate the highly anticipated opening of the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), a landmark venue that will redefine business events in New Zealand. The Office, PA & Event Planner Show is proud to be one of the first to be held at this state-of-the-art facility, offering a unique opportunity to experience New Zealand’s largest conference space just weeks after its official launch.

NZICC

Master the modern workplace

Navigate trends, hone advanced skills, and build resilience for success in the evolving office environment.

Become an efficiency expert

Sharpen your administrative toolkit, leverage technology & innovation, and master project & event management.

Cultivate strong relationships

Gain insights into workplace dynamics and build powerful networks to elevate your career.

Promote well-being & growth

Discover strategies to manage stress, maintain work-life balance, and thrive both personally and professionally.

BE IN TO WIN

The Grand by SkyCity

Book a 1-day Show Pass or 2-day VIP Pass before 30 January 2026 & be in to win!
  • 1 nights stay for two at the Grand by SkyCity in a harbour view room
  • Breakfast for two at The Terrace restaurant 
  • 2 Sky Tower tickets

Terms & Conditions for prize draw

The Grand Sky City (4)

Work

Master the modern workplace

Learn to navigate innovation, leverage digital skills, and future-proof your career with insights on AI and automation.

Boost Efficiency & Productivity

Develop smarter scheduling, master time management, and refine your event and project management skills.

Life

Thrive Professionally & Personally

Embrace a balanced approach to your career and personal life, focusing on growth beyond your desk.

Build Your Influence

Gain the confidence to lead without formal authority and expand your professional network through effective strategies.

Wellbeing

Cultivate Resilience

Nurture your well-being with practical tips on managing stress and thriving under pressure.

Master Energy & Mindfulness

Learn to work with your natural rhythms and incorporate simple mindfulness practices into your busy day.

KEY SPEAKERS

We have one great key speaker confirmed, with more to come, be sure to book your spot as to not miss out.

Steve Griffin

Leadership Trainer, Author and Coach

TBC

A great keynote speaker to be confirmed, watch this space!

TBC

A great keynote speaker to be confirmed, watch this space!

be in to win

PLAY AND WIN

Join in on our leaderboard competition – Engage with exhibitors to earn points and work your way up the leaderboard for awesome prizes

1 of 4 Giftbox Boutique Gift Boxes

(Valued from $75- $400)

1 night stay at the Mayfair King Room

(Valued at $380)

Auckland Bridge Climb for 2

(Valued at $310)

Auckland Bridge Bungy for 2

(Valued at $420)

Add Your Heading Text Here

We are currently working on the programme and agenda
If you would like to have input into our research programme please email xxxx@brightstar.co.nz 

Venue

The location and how you can get there

Address

New Zealand International Convention Centre
101 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010

8:30

Registration and Coffee

9:00

Welcome to the Office PA & Event Planners Show

9:10

Keynote: From Support to Strategic Partner: Elevating Your Role

  • How organisations are redefining executive and business support roles

  • Framing your contribution in terms of impact, not just tasks

  • Skills that elevate support professionals into partners:

  • Anticipating needs vs reacting

  • Business literacy & commercial awareness

  • Communication and influence without authority

  • Strategic use of technology & data


9:55

Leadership at the coal face – what is the secret to good leadership in today’s workplace

Let’s face it: the workplace can be a minefield of WTF moments. Join Steve Griffin for a quick guide to spotting, understanding, and surviving the behaviours that turn professional environments into pressure cookers. Through eye-opening case studies and real-life anecdotes, this talk unpacks the chaotic world of workplace dysfunction. From game-playing and office politics to full-blown Dark Triad personalities (narcissists, Machiavellians, and psychopaths, oh my!), I will help you make sense of the madness. But this isn’t solely about addressing bad behaviour. It’s about grasping the true cost of incivility and bullying on well-being, productivity, and the workplace culture we all share. With wit, wisdom, and plenty of ‘I’ve been there’ moments, this talk provides practical tools to identify dysfunction, safeguard your sanity, and perhaps even inspire a bit of change.


Steve Griffin, Leadership Trainer, Author and Coach

10:40

Morning break

11:20

Tech-Savvy Skills: Essential Digital Skills for the Modern PA

  • Why digital skills matter more than ever for PAs, EAs and Office Managers

  • Using collaboration tools for smarter workflow management

  • Cyber Security awareness – protecting data, spotting phishing and the importance of good cyber hygiene

  • Automation hacks you can embrace to hack your productivity


11:50

The Art of Time Mastery: Smarter Scheduling and Prioritisation

  • Eisenhower Matrix & other prioritisation frameworks

  • Distinguishing urgent vs. important vs. noise

  • How to align tasks with business goals and leadership priorities

  • Handling competing priorities and last-minute changes – practical hacks to make your to-do list work for you

  • Strategies for protecting focus


12:20

Career Growth for Executive & Business Support Professionals: Pathways & Possibilities

  • The twin forces shaping careers today: organisational needs & technology disruption

  • Exploring lateral moves vs traditional progression – growing, pivoting and promotions

  • Building career capital – the skills that travel with you regardless of the role

  • The importance of networking, mentorship and asking for opportunity


12:50

Lunch

13:50

Event & Project Management Skills for the Office All-Rounder

  • Gain practical skills to plan and execute projects and events efficiently.

  • Using project management fundamentals to support planning events from small meetings to large corporate functions

  • Learn tools and frameworks to manage multiple initiatives without stress.

  • Build confidence in coordinating stakeholders, budgets, and timelines

  • Develop repeatable processes that save time and reduce errors.


14:20

Managing difficult conversations and personalities in the workplace

  • Reframing conflict from confrontation to collaboration and understanding common challenging behaviours

  • Matching your responses to personality types – how you can deescalate conflict without compromising the end goal

  • Managing your own stress response and techniques for staying composed under pressure


14:50

Networking that Works: Expanding Your Professional Community

  • The foundations of effective networking - Quality over quantity: building meaningful connections to support your career

  • Conversation openers, confidence boosters and using listening as your networking superpower

  • Turning contacts into lasting relationships and maintaining connection over time and space

15:20

Afternoon break

15:50

Balance Without Burnout: Setting Boundaries and Habits that Stick[

  • Curating lifestyle and habits for balance and wellbeing (and owning it when they no longer work for you)

  • Understanding burnout – signs, symptoms and the burnout effect

  • Practical boundary setting exercises – learning the diplomatic way to enforce your “no”

  • Prioritisation tools that can help you protect your time and energy – and things you can do to handle encroachment on your boundaries

  • Identifying your focus zones and recharge needs


16:20

Keynote: Resilience Reset: Thriving Through Change and Pressure

  • The modern workplace reality: constant change, pressure, and high demands

  • Why resilience, mindfulness, and energy management are the new core skills

  • Practical strategies to adapt and recover under pressure

  • Energy Management for Peak Performance - Working with natural rhythms instead of against them

  • Build resilience by creating sustainable work habits


Name, Job Title, Company

17:20

Summary remarks & The Office, PA and Event Managers' Networking Function

Speakers

Speakers to be announced

Freshly announced: Congratulations to this year’s CFO Awards winners

Leading AI and Digital Strategy Workshop on 23 October, 2025.

Made in NZ, trusted worldwide: New Zealand trade and exports in a volatile world

Primary Industries New Zealand Awards finalists announced for 2025

Navigating the Fiscal Tightrope: Infrastructure, Migration, Climate Change

Rethinking Safety Leadership: From Heroes to Hosts

NZ Security Agencies Urge Cyber Vigilance: “Don’t Click on Dumb Sh*t”

From Checklists to Curiosity: How Boards Are Redefining Health and Safety Governance

Healthcare’s Crossroads: Why Medico-Legal and Ethical Foundations Matter More Than Ever

The Protected Disclosures Act: Understand Your Obligations

Building Resilience in a Time of Uncertainty

Upholding Workplace Safety: Driving Governance Changes

Gold Sponsor

Umbrella Wellbeing

Silver sponsors

Umbrella Wellbeing

Umbrella Wellbeing

Umbrella Wellbeing

Umbrella Wellbeing

Exhibitors

BEIA

Urban Gourmet

Peppers Clearwater Resort – Accor Group

eCoach – Mahu City Express

Umbrella Wellbeing

Eat First

Sudima Hotels

Umbrella Wellbeing

Don't miss out on the connections and credibility boost!

Live B2B events are your chance to shine. Showcase your thought leadership, solidify your market position, and forge valuable connections with potential customers – all at once.

This exclusive event puts you in front of a highly skilled audience hungry for insights. Get ready for meaningful engagement that drives results.

Plus, we have some unique opportunities to put your company, products, and services in the spotlight.

Ready to take your brand to the next level? Contact us today to learn more or secure your spot at this leading event.

CT105

Clinics

Book a 20-minute conversation with our experts who will be able to guide and inform you on some key elements to ensure you are thriving both at work and at home. 

Experts to be announced, view the topics below.

Life and financial advice

Great financial habits for life; preparing for retirement; achieve your goals whilst enjoying life.

Legal Advice

Navigating the legalities of life – relationships, property, blended family, asset protection, wills, understanding the complexities of aging parents.

Wellness and Lifestyle Advice

Integrating great wellbeing into your everyday life; focusing on great habits and understanding how to mitigate the bad.

Career Development

Unlock your career potential with a check-in on next steps, skills development or new opportunities.

Workshops (4 March 2026)

AI in Action:
Smart Tools for
Smarter Support
  • Why AI matters for support roles today
  • Busting myths: AI as a helper, not a replacement
  • Real-world examples of AI in admin, scheduling, and office management
  • Key tools relevant to support staff (ChatGPT, Copilot, scheduling assistants, transcription tools, etc.)
  • Ethics, privacy & company policies: what to watch out for
  • Practical use cases and demonstrations
  • Drafting professional emails & reports in minutes
  • Smarter meeting prep: agendas, summaries, and action lists
  • Diary & travel planning with AI assistance
  • Managing information overload (note-taking, research, task tracking)
  • How you can use AI to elevate your role – from support staff to strategic partner
  • Tips for ongoing learning & keeping up with new tools
Influence Without Authority: The Hidden Power of Support Roles
  • The unique position of support professionals
  • Influence as a “superpower”
  • The psychology of persuasion & trust
  • Identifying your personal sphere of influence
  • Techniques for assertive yet diplomatic communication
  • Handling difficult conversations (with senior leaders, peers, or vendors)
  • Moving from task-doer to strategic enabler
  • Framing ideas so they land with decision-makers
  • Building credibility & visibility in your organisation

Want to join this conference?

Register your interest, we will be in touch when tickets are available.

BE IN TO WIN

The Grand by SkyCity

Book a 1-day Show Pass or 2-day VIP Pass before 30 January 2026 & be in to win!
  • 1 nights stay for two at the Grand by SkyCity in a harbour view room
  • Breakfast for two at The Terrace restaurant 
  • 2 Sky Tower tickets

Terms & Conditions for prize draw

The Grand Sky City (4)

Tickets

Pre Sale
2-day VIP Pass

$1399
$ 799 + gst
  • Full Show Access
  • Networking function
  • 2 deep dive workshops (4 March)
  • Exclusive clinics with life & wellbeing experts
  • Eligible for Prize Draw
  • For valid ticket/s, payment by 3 October, 2025.

Early Bird
1-day Show Pass

$999
$ 799 + gst
  • Full Show Access
  • Networking Function
  • Eligible for Prize Draw
  • For valid ticket, payment by 30 January, 2025.

Early Bird
2-day VIP Pass

$1399
$ 1199 + gst
  • Full Show Access
  • Networking Function
  • 2 Deep Dive Workshops (4 March)
  • Exclusive clinics with life & wellbeing experts
  • Eligible for Prize Draw
  • For valid ticket, payment by 30 January, 2025.


Taster Ticket

$ 199 + gst
  • Limited show access from afternoon tea
  • Networking function
  • For valid ticket, payment by 3 March, 2026.

Double Pass - come with a colleague!

DOUBLE PASS

$ 799 per person rate + gst
  • Must be from same organisation and book at same time. For valid tickets, payment by 3 March, 2026.
Registration Conditions

Ticket Terms
All prices are in New Zealand dollars ($NZD)
A surcharge of 2.5% + GST applies to credit card payments on top of the total amount.
Pre-Sale Tickets are valid only for the specific event for which they were purchased and cannot be transferred to other events. To remain valid, Super Saver and Early Bird tickets must be paid by date quoted.
Group ticket options are valid for registrations from the same organisation, booked at the same time.
By selecting any special pricing offer for classes of organisation, sector, or individuals or using any promotion code, you are asserting to the organiser your right to claim any such pricing offer, and acknowledge the organiser’s right to audit such claim and, if in the opinion of the organiser using its sole discretion the conditions for special pricing are not met, reject any registration.

For full terms & conditions, please visit https://www.brightstar.co.nz/terms-and-conditions

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Got questions? Write to us.

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