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.