Queenstown · New Zealand

Ski
Commerce
2026

Where the people building the future of commerce swap the boardroom for the bottom of a chairlift.

Wed
26
Thu
27
Fri
28
August2026
Get tickets Limited spots
MountaineeringSocial EngineeringCommerce Engineering MountaineeringSocial EngineeringCommerce Engineering
01 — The Event

Ski by day.
Scheme by night.

Ski Commerce brings ambitious commerce businesses, and the partners that power them, to Queenstown for three days. It's our chance to get the people we work with out of the office and onto the mountain. Ski the best snow of the season by day. Trade the ideas shaping the next decade of commerce by night. No trade-show carpet. No death by slides. Just good people, a mountain, and the conversations you actually came for.

01

Innovation

The next wave of commerce and AI, unpacked by the people actually building it.

02

Fun

Powder runs, après drinks and a closing party. Work hard, ski harder.

03

Forward-thinking

Three days pointed at what's coming, not a recap of what already happened.

04

Unique

There is nothing else like it. A boardroom at the bottom of a chairlift.

Why here

Queenstown

New Zealand · 45° South

There's no thrill like this back home. Queenstown in late August is the best snow of the season and the quietest the town gets all year. The adventure capital of the world, with a mountain, a lake and a runway all within arm's reach.

Best Snow

Late August is peak season on the Southern Alps. Bluebird days, deep base.

Smallest Crowds

No school holidays. The lowest-visited month of the year. The mountain to yourselves.

Adventure Capital

Bungy, jet boats, alpine everything. The most beautiful office on earth.

45'

Easy To Reach

Direct from most AU east-coast cities. Runway to first run in under an hour.

02 — The Programme

The Agenda

Three days, three tracks. Ride the mountain in the morning, dig into the content in the afternoon, and connect over food and drinks at night. Draft programme below, subject to a little change.

Track 01

Build

AI, operations and agentic engineering. How the next generation of commerce businesses actually get built and run.

Track 02

Grow

Marketing, brand and customer. Winning in AI search, retention and the channels that move the needle now.

Track 03

Connect

The mountain, the meals and the after-hours. The relationships you came up the hill to build.

Wednesday
26 August · Arrive
Connect
From 2:00pm
Connect
Arrivals & check-inSettle into the Hilton or Holiday Inn, collect your gear and your chairlift challenge envelope.
5:00–9:00pm
Connect
Welcome drinksHosted lakeside at the Hilton, Kelvin Heights. Food, drinks, a short welcome from Ben & Simon, and the whole room meets.
Thursday
27 August · Build
Build
8:30am–3:00pm
Connect
Mountain daySki, ride and tackle the group challenges on the chairlift. Deep-thinking prompts on AI, commerce and the year ahead.
From 12:00pm
Connect
Spa & saunaOptional, for the early finishers. Warm up before the sessions kick off.
4:00pm
Build
Welcome back & the day aheadSharp 4pm start. What's on, and why it matters.
4:15pm
BuildBen McIntyre
Keynote — $0 to $100k/month in 3 monthsHow we scaled a brand-new venture using AI to run operations, with a live demo of our Premade Ops platform. The "this is actually possible now" session.
5:00pm
Build
Agentic engineering, unpackedA working session on what agentic systems can run today, where they break, and how to build them into a real business.
5:45pm
Break
RefuelCoffee, snacks, and a chance to corner the speakers.
6:00pm
Build
Panel — Building with AIOperators on what's actually working, what they'd never do again, and what's coming next.
7:00pm
Connect
Dinner & drinksLong table, good food, no agenda. The best conversations happen here.
Friday
28 August · Grow
Grow
8:30am–3:00pm
Connect
Mountain dayLast laps and the final round of challenges. Usually the best snow of the trip.
4:00pm
GrowBen McIntyre
Why ChatGPT Recommends Some Brands and Not OthersBen's gold-rated keynote from iMedia, and exactly how to become one of the brands it picks.
4:45pm
GrowHosted by Hamish McKay
Panel — Retention, post-purchase & CXHosted by Hamish McKay (Order Editing). Keeping customers, the moments after the sale, and the experience that brings them back.
5:30pm
Break
RefuelStretch the legs before the final stretch.
5:45pm
Grow
Growth roundtablesSmall-group problem solving with peers and partners. Bring your biggest challenge, leave with answers.
6:30pm
Connect
Closing remarks + the next destinationWe wrap the week, and reveal where Ski Commerce goes next.
8:00pm+
Connect
Closing partySend the week off properly.

Draft programme — sessions, speakers and timings will firm up closer to the event.

03 — On the Mic

Speakers

Operators and founders who've actually done it, sharing what's working right now. More names dropping soon.

BM
Ben McIntyre
Founder, Kia Ora Digital
HM
Hamish McKay
Order Editing · Panel Host
SS
Simon Small
Co-founder, Ski Commerce
JS
Jackson Sharp
Founder & Operator
+ More speakers to be announced
04 — Where To Stay

Base Camp

The Hilton on Kelvin Heights is our home for the week. It's where the sessions happen, where the welcome drinks kick off, and where our own office, Kia Ora Basecamp, sits right on-site. Stay here to be in the middle of it, or pick one of our partner hotels nearby.

Base Camp · Preferred Stay · Sessions Here

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa

Kelvin Heights · Home of Kia Ora Basecamp

Right on the lake and the heart of the whole event. All our content sessions run here, the welcome drinks kick off here, and our office, Kia Ora Basecamp, is right on-site. Stay at the Hilton to be in the middle of everything.

  • Home of our office, Kia Ora Basecamp, on-site
  • All content sessions held here
  • Private Spa & Sauna On-Site
  • Lakeside, with a water-taxi to downtown Queenstown
Book the Hilton
Other accommodation partners

Holiday Inn Queenstown

Frankton

Smart, well-priced and minutes from the airport. A great-value base, close to Frankton's cafés and an easy run to the slopes.

Sudima Queenstown

Frankton

Modern and comfortable in the heart of Frankton, handy to the shops, eateries and a quick trip up the mountain.

+ More partners

Rates to follow

We're lining up more partner hotels and group rates across Queenstown. Details coming soon.

05 — Get In

Tickets

Spots are strictly limited. Book early and pay less. Leave it late and pay the powder tax. When they're gone, they're gone.

Early Bird
$890
First release · limited
  • Three-day event access
  • Welcome drinks
  • All content sessions
  • Chairlift challenges pack
Grab it
Best value
The Full Send
$1,290
Event + the extras
  • Everything in Early Bird
  • Collector's-edition merch
  • Spa & sauna access
  • Friday closing party
Full send
Last Call
$1,590
Final release · powder tax
  • Three-day event access
  • Subject to availability
  • Don't leave it this late
  • Seriously, book earlier
If any left
06 — Good To Know

FAQ

The things people usually ask. Can't find your answer? Get in touch and we'll sort you out.

Who is Ski Commerce for? +
Founders, operators and leaders from ambitious commerce businesses, plus the partners and tech companies that power them. If you're building something in commerce and want to be in a room of people doing the same, this is for you.
Do I need to be good at skiing? +
Not at all. We'll have all levels, from first-timers to seasoned riders, and the mountain is entirely optional. There's a spa, the town and plenty of non-skiing ways to spend the day if powder isn't your thing.
What's included in my ticket? +
Three days of the event: welcome drinks, all content sessions, the chairlift challenges, dinners and the closing party. Accommodation, flights, lift passes and ski hire are organised separately, and we'll point you to preferred rates.
What's not included? +
Flights, accommodation, lift passes and ski or snowboard hire. We've lined up preferred hotel rates and there's gear hire right by the Hilton, so it's all easy to sort.
Where should I stay? +
The Hilton on Kelvin Heights is our Base Camp, where the sessions and our office sit on-site. We also have partner rates at the Holiday Inn and Sudima in Frankton. Have a look at the Base Camp section above.
How do I get to Queenstown? +
Fly straight into Queenstown Airport (ZQN), with direct flights from most AU east-coast cities. From the airport you're minutes from Frankton and a short trip to Kelvin Heights.
What's the snow like in late August? +
August is peak season in the Southern Alps. Expect a deep base, bluebird days, and the smallest crowds of the year since there are no school holidays.
How many people will be there? +
Small on purpose. We're capping it at 25 to 50 people so the room stays genuinely useful and everyone actually meets each other.
Can I bring my team or a plus-one? +
Yes. Plenty of brands bring two or three people. Get in touch about group tickets and we'll look after you.
My company would love to sponsor or speak. Can we? +
Absolutely, that's a big part of the event. Reach out about partnership and speaking opportunities and we'll send through the details.
What's your refund or transfer policy? +
Tickets are transferable to a colleague if your plans change. Full terms are shared at checkout.
The Merch

Queenstown 2026.
Made once.

Collector's-edition beanies, jackets and hoodies. Made for this trip, this year, never again.

See the drop
Next Stop

Switzerland, January.

Same format, the Alps, the quiet season. The Queenstown crew gets first dibs on the package.

Join the waitlist