New Christchurch convention centre 'unaffected' by recent terror attacks

Te Pae, Christchurch’s new convention centre, set to open in 2020, has not experienced a decrease in business enquiries following the March terror attacks in the city.

Venue construction is now 50% complete, with more than 70 events secured, with opening on track for October 2020. Speaking to CEI at this year’s IMEX Frankfurt, where construction progress was revealed, Ross Steele, general manager of the venue, said that enquiries to host events at the venue were unaffected by the terror attacks and that levels of security had been enhanced to go beyond expected standards.

“In the aftermath of the events in March, New Zealand showed what a compassionate place it is and there has been no negative knock-on effects in enquiries at the venue,” he said. “We had robust security in place and we have since improved this with enhanced CCTV.”

Steele added that the venue has also been built with the best urban design and technology in mind, and that it ‘would withstand major earthquakes’.

The venue is looking towards the associations sector as its target market but is also exploring ways to attract an increasing number of corporate events from across Asia and beyond.

Te Pae, located in Christchurch’s city centre, is 15 minutes drive from the airport. It will feature around 28,000sqm of space, including 3,600sqm of exhibition space, 24 breakout rooms, a 1,400-seat plenary hall and a banquet hall seating up to 1,000.