City event venues are crowd pullers

More than 400 tourism products, services and attractions were exhibited at the Westpac Centre for Sport and Entertainment in May as part of TRENZ, New Zealand’s largest annual international trade show.

TRENZ brings together international tourism buyers and the best of what New Zealand has to offer in tourism, including several first-time South Island exhibitors.

The 2005 show will also be held at the City Councilowned Westpac Centre in Addington. Cathy Hemsworth, sales and marketing director for venue manager NCC New Zealand, says Christchurch works hard to make the event special. “We even briefed the taxi drivers and transport providers so anyone involved with TRENZ would get a great welcome to the city,” she says.

The Westpac Centre has the country’s largest expanse of flat floor space and is successful at hostingb international tradeshows and exhibitions. It, along with the city’s Convention Centre and Town Hall have more than 250 events booked over the winter (May-October), involving more than 100,000 people. The business they attract is good for the city, with accommodation, transport providers, restaurants, retailers and the entertainment and tourism sectors all benefiting from the visitors. A major show on at the Westpac Centre this month is MEETINGS, a get-together for buyers from all over the world in the meetings industry. And in sport, on 10 July the Tall Blacks national basketball team hosts the Australian Boomers.