Conference & Meetings World (CMW) caught up with Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre’s Ross Steele, to find out a little more about Christchurch, the phenomenal success the venue has had since opening in December 2021, and what 2023 has in store.
- What sets Christchurch apart from any other city?
As New Zealand’s second-largest city, Christchurch is in a unique position of having the heritage and culture of a much older city, but with the infrastructure and technology of a modern, contemporary destination. It’s a blend which is really appealing for delegates who want to be immersed in the culture of their destination, but also have all the mod cons during their visit. Aside from that, there are many other great aspects to the city, from its safe, compact and walkable inner city, which is still close to the international airport, to its location in New Zealand’s “food bowl” and status as the gateway to the many incredible treasures of New Zealand’s South Island.
- How has 2022 been for the Te Pae Convention Centre since you’ve opened?
Since covid restrictions eased in April we’ve gone from 0-100 in no time flat. With a number of events rescheduling due to covid and moving dates to later in the year we’ve noticed a real compression of business which has absolutely outstripped any projection we might have made for the year. Delegate numbers are also up on our projections, which just goes to show that people have really been missing that face-to-face connection.
- Did plans have to change much during the covid years while the centre was being built, to adapt to the new norm of health & safety.
We were fortunate to be in our pre-opening period when covid hit, which meant we could adapt our operational plans. That being said, we already had a large focus on health and safety so there was not a need for massive changes.
We were also guided by our parent company ASM Global, who developed the industry-leading VenueShield hygiene and sanitisation programme which we implemented, and by our fellow ASM Global APAC venues who were navigating the changes in real time while we were still in pre-opening, and could therefore provide some great advice when we became operational.
- What is your favourite success story from your organisation from the past 2 years?
Our opening! Seeing our values and Manaaki o Te Pae (our hospitality) being brought to life, intertwined with the architectural and cultural narratives of our beautiful building from the meaning behind our name (Gathering Place) to the influences behind our design was truly amazing. It’s these stories that set Te Pae apart from your usual convention centre.
- Te Pae Convention Centre was at IMEX America – what was the main reason for being at this event ?
With borders reopened and flights resumed it’s timely for us to restart conversations with our key international markets. It’s been wonderful to have had the support of local and national clients over the past few years, but now it’s time to put Christchurch back on the world stage and showcase the city as the world-class conference destination that it is.
- Tell us more about the importance of sustainability for the Te Pae Convention Centre and how are you shaping your sustainability agenda?
Sustainability is a huge focus for us and has been since we began our journey three plus years ago. There’s a number of reasons for this, but essentially in today’s world it comes down to the fact that sustainable practices are like electricity – businesses just need to have them, or at the very least a plan for managing any potential environmental impacts. We also know it’s an important consideration for our clients and their guests.
It’s why we chose to align ourselves with New Zealand’s Toitū Enviromark programme – for which we recently received Gold recertification and a nomination for Exceptional Achievement in Environmental Management – and with Qualmark, New Zealand tourism’s official quality assurance organisation.
- Which aspects of the events industry do you think should be reinvented or reconsidered?
It’s not surprising given the challenges of the past decade, but I do believe there can be a disproportionate emphasis on financial support for events. Cities are spending to outdo each other and it is unsustainable in the long term. A destination’s attributes and how well they align with an organiser’s vision for an event should be the key factors in choosing a conference location.
- You’ve worked with a number of convention centres during your career, how do you think the visitor profile changed or evolved in recent years?
We’ve noticed a few changes post-covid: there is definitely an increased desire to meet face-to-face and with that, a desire to spend more time networking and connecting with each other and with the destination. We’re finding delegates are more environmentally conscious and want to know what sustainability measures are in place before they arrive, and they are also seeking more ROI, which is leading to increased demands on organisers and the venue.
Given the events of the past two years, we are also noticing a reluctance to commit until very late, which again impacts organisers and flows through to the venues.
- What’s the future for the centre looking like? Any big wins for the next few years?
It’s looking good! We have a solid event calendar again for next year and some really exciting international events coming to Christchurch, including the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium (ICCWS) and the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) Conference, both in 2026.
- What one piece of advice would you give yourself back in early 2020, knowing what you now?
Don’t open a convention centre in the middle of a pandemic! And if you do, surround yourself with a team that share the same values, and provide them with the resources and support to make a difference to their city and country.
In this case, we were very fortunate to have the support of the ASM Global team to help us get through this time and to where we are today.
