Christchurch top spot for convention-goers
Christchurch City is New Zealand’s king of
conventions. In the nine months to February the city’s
convention facilities, including the City Councilowned
Convention Centre and WestpacTrust
Centre, have been host to about half the
corporate conferences
and international
association conferences
that have been held in
the country. From July to
September Christchurch
hosted three
quarters of all people
coming from overseas
to a conference in this
country. The numbers were
helped by the city
hosting three large
international conferences
which drew
more than 10,000
international visitors. Those meetings and the spinoffs from them are
estimated to have generated at least $35 million. “These figures prove the economic wisdom of
having international purpose-built convention
facilities,” says Mike Kelly, Executive Director of
venue manager NCC (New Zealand). “Christchurch is the only city in New Zealand
that can offer the venues needed to attract these
international association meetings, and the
numbers, supplied by Ernst & Young, speak for
themselves.” Since the Convention Centre opened in 1997,
Mr Kelly says its positive economic impact each
year has been in the $50m to $70m range. Auckland, Taupo and Rotorua get the lion’s
share of big New Zealand company meetings
because most head
offices for big
companies are in the
north. Christchurch,
however, is strong in
another area of the
convention business. “The association
market for medical,
scientific, educational
and government sector
business is our core
focus, particularly from
Australia,” Mr Kelly says. “Association business
represents the biggest
conferences and
greatest potential
income, with high
delegate and visitor numbers, extended before
and after conference stays, and strong
accompanying trade shows.” The Christchurch Convention Centre
is owned by the Christchurch City Council,
and managed by NCC (New Zealand) Ltd.
It has no annual operating subsidy. The
adjoining Christchurch Town Hall receives
a subsidy, which over the past five years has
halved to $600,000. |