SMAANZ 2025 - Conference Announcement

SMAANZ is pleased to announce the awarding of the hosting rights for the 2025 SMAANZ Conference to Auckland University of Technology. The conference activities will be hosted at the AUT City Campus, with the HDR Student Session, and SMAANZ Board Meeting hosted at AUT Millennium from December 4 - 6, 2025.

SMAANZ would like to express its gratitude to the numerous bids that responded to the Expression of Interest (EOI) to host the SMAANZ conference in 2025. SMAANZ President, Dr Ashleigh-Jane Thompson acknowledged the significance of returning to New Zealand for our SMAANZ community, following the resounding success of SMAANZ 2019 in Christchurch:

"SMAANZ looks forward to returning to New Zealand and working with AUT to deliver an exceptional conference in 2025. The AUT bid team leverages a wealth of experience with SMAANZ hosting, cultural engagement, and the bid is well positioned with AUT’s City and Millenium campuses. The organising team is also exploring a range of optional social activities to further enhance delegates’ conference experience"

Dr Mel Johnston, the conference chair, will be supported by the AUT Sport Leadership and Management team and said:

"AUT (Auckland University of Technology) look forward to welcoming the sport management community back to Auckland, New Zealand, for the 2025 SMAANZ Conference. The theme of the conference is “Whiria te tāngata”, a Māori saying, meaning ‘weave the people together’. The theme represents the importance of engagement and collaboration within sport management scholarly activities. Alongside a full programme of scholarly and industry presentations, you can expect many social opportunities to connect with your colleagues and experience the attractions of Auckland. We look forward to seeing you in 2025"

More details on the conference will follow.

FUTURE SMAANZ CONFERENCES

• 2024: Geelong, Deakin University
• 2025: Auckland, Auckland University of Technology
• 2026: EOI will open early 2024