Event will be city's icing on the cake

Lesley Martin, left, and Dorothy White will be showing off all sorts of examples of "sugar art" this weekend. Photo / John Stone

A conference enticing hundreds of visitors to Whangarei will be the icing on the cake after a busy week of events in the city.

The pulling power comes not from a street parade or international rugby league clash but "sugar art", a craft that usually flies under the radar.

More than 300 people will be in town this weekend for the 2014 New Zealand Cake Decorators Guild conference, being held in Whangarei for the first time and hosted by the Whangarei and the Northern Wairoa Cake Decorators guilds. It coincides with the Whangarei Guild's 25th anniversary, says founding member and administrator Dorothy White.

Cake decorating has seen many changes in fashion over the years but has always been at the "social occasions".

The guild's name slightly misrepresents the artform, as "icing" is a limited description of what is involved, Ms White says. What everyone agrees on is that the aim is to create edible elements to make cakes more visually exciting.

During the conference, displays, demonstrations and sales stalls will be open at the Old Library from 9.45am-4pm tomorrow and 9.45am-1pm on Sunday. Meanwhile, international experts will be holding seminars for conference-goers at Forum North, including Robert Haynes, the owner of Sugar Flower Studios in London, and Handi Mulyana, from Australia.

The guild conference has given the Whangarei promotion sector a bit of a sugar rush, too.

"This kind of association conference activity often goes under the radar, but member association meetings and conferences create real economic value for local businesses," said Paul Davis, Whangarei District Council's promotion and tourism manager. "While here these delegates spend money on shopping, food and beverage, accommodation and sightseeing."

Mr Davis says members of associations can help local businesses by pitching at annual conferences they attend elsewhere to bring their next conference to Whangarei.

"We can help with resources to do that."