'All positive' for Christchurch conferences as convention centre build progresses

Thursday, 26 July 2018

Drone footage shows the emerging shape of Te Pae, the Christchurch Convention Centre. (Video first published in July 2018)

Christchurch's under-construction convention centre should have an operator by the end of the year.

The $475 million Colombo St anchor project, which features a 1400-seat auditorium, 14 meeting rooms and an exhibit hall, already has two significant conferences scheduled for 2021, with others in the pipeline.

Ōtākaro chief executive Albert Brantley said construction was nearly 20 per cent complete. Work was on track to have the centre hosting events in the second half of 2020.

The Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre's auditorium will be able to hold 1400 people.

He said the last big concrete pour for the exhibition hall was complete, with steel framing to go up from September.

**READ MORE:

All of the concrete has been poured for the exhibition hall's foundation.

* Christchurch convention centre now known as Te Pae

* Christchurch's under-construction convention centre on track and already taking bookings

Ōtākaro CEO Albert Brantley says the convention centre is about 20 per cent complete.

* Christchurch's new convention centre 'becomes real' with first concrete pour**

'Once you see the size of the building's footprint you can appreciate how Te Pae will be able to hold multiple events at the same time.'

An artist's impressions of the Christchurch Convention Centre from Victoria Square.

The auditorium and meeting rooms are further advanced - concrete walls and and steel roof struts hint at the building's final shape. Workers will begin on the roof in August, aiming to have it on by the end of the year.

Brantley said a recent call for parties wanting to run the facility had received a pleasing response from domestic and international convention centre operators.

ChristchurchNZ destination manager Caroline Blanchfield says its 'all positive' for Christchurch conventions.

'We now have a shortlist of interested parties and expect to appoint an operator around the end of the year.'

A hotel is planned for the southern side of the site. Ōtākaro was looking for someone to build and run the hotel, hoping to have an agreement in place about the end of the year.

ChristchurchNZ destination manager Caroline Blanchfield said it was 'all positive' as there was net demand for conferences in the city.

'We continue to bring conference buyers in daily on the famil [familiarisation] programs. Everyone is blown away by the progress christchurch's made, and they're keen to come back here.'

She said the Convention Centre, from 2021 onwards, was the big focus. However, there were other international conferences scheduled for Christchurch, starting with a conference on open-source operating system linux at Canterbury University next January and the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons in March.

The convention centre could have a big impact on the Christchurch economy. A Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment report from March 2017 estimated each international conference attendee stayed in New Zealand for six nights on average, about four of which were in the region of the event. They spent $334 per night – almost double the average spend of all international visitors.