Hawke’s Bay Will Host the 2026 Great Wine Capitals Conference

Wine tourism professionals from around the world will gather in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, from October 18 to 22 for the 2026 Great Wine Capitals International Annual Conference, an event that organizers say will focus on business development, sustainability and the changing demands of wine travelers.

The five-day conference will bring together wineries, travel companies, destination managers and other industry participants in one of New Zealand’s best-known wine regions. The meeting is organized by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, an association of 11 international cities linked to major wine-producing areas in Europe, the Americas, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

According to information released by the organizers, the program will combine technical winery visits, conference sessions, networking events and buyer meetings. The event will open with a traditional Māori welcome in Hawke’s Bay and activities in Napier, the nearby city known for its Art Deco architecture.

A central part of the conference will be its “Knowledge Day,” which this year will be held under the theme “Social Terroir: Breaking New Ground.” Organizers said the sessions will examine how sustainability, community engagement and authentic storytelling are becoming more important in wine tourism. The stated aim is to address how destinations can build visitor trust, create value for local communities and remain competitive over the long term.

Among the announced speakers are Jessica Vandy, a sustainability consultant to the Global Destination Sustainability Movement; Meagan Littlejohn, program manager of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand; and Duncan Darroch, founder of Electric Executive and winner of the 2026 Best Of Wine Tourism Award for Sustainable Practices. Organizers said the speakers will present practical examples tied to environmental management, visitor expectations and destination planning.

The conference will also include themed technical tours of wineries and tourism businesses in Hawke’s Bay. Those visits are expected to highlight award-winning experiences as well as projects related to sustainability, innovation and local storytelling. For many delegates, these site visits are one of the main attractions of the annual meeting because they allow direct contact with producers and tourism operators in the host region.

Business meetings are also planned through optional B2B sessions with hosted buyers from key wine tourism markets. Organizers said these appointments are intended to help wineries and destinations develop international commercial relationships. Another scheduled event is an international tasting featuring wines from all 11 Great Wine Capitals members, a format designed to showcase different regional identities within a single professional setting.

The conference will close with a gala dinner and the Global Best Of Wine Tourism Awards, which recognize wine tourism initiatives considered innovative by the network. The awards have become one of the most visible parts of the Great Wine Capitals calendar because they give member regions a platform to promote new visitor experiences tied to wine, food and local culture.

Hawke’s Bay’s selection as host reflects its growing profile as a wine tourism destination in the Southern Hemisphere. The region is one of New Zealand’s oldest wine-producing areas and is known for red blends, syrah and chardonnay. It has also built a broader tourism offer around cellar doors, restaurants, cycling routes and coastal landscapes. For organizers, that mix makes it suitable for a conference centered on how wine regions can diversify their appeal beyond tastings alone.

The event comes at a time when many wine destinations are trying to adapt to shifts in traveler behavior. Industry groups have increasingly emphasized sustainability standards, stronger links with local communities and more distinctive visitor experiences as competition grows among regions seeking higher-spending travelers. In that context, conferences such as this one serve both as promotional platforms for host destinations and as working meetings for businesses looking for new partnerships.

Registration for business delegates is currently open. Organizers said those who register before July 31 can access an early bird rate of NZ$3,000, compared with a regular price of NZ$3,450. The registration fee includes the full five-day program, technical visits, networking events, Knowledge Day sessions, the international tasting and the gala dinner.

A selection of official hotels has also been arranged for delegates at negotiated rates during the conference period. Organizers said those properties will be served by shuttle buses for evening functions, an effort to simplify transportation between accommodations and official events.

The Great Wine Capitals network said it expects the Hawke’s Bay meeting to draw participants interested not only in promotion but also in practical responses to current pressures on wine tourism. Those pressures include environmental expectations from travelers, rising interest in place-based experiences and the need for destinations to show economic benefits for local residents as well as producers.

For Hawke’s Bay, hosting the conference offers an opportunity to present its wine industry and tourism infrastructure to an international audience of buyers, consultants and destination leaders. For delegates, it offers access to one of New Zealand’s leading wine regions at a moment when global wine tourism is placing more weight on sustainability claims, cultural authenticity and direct business connections.