Te Pae Christchurch Reaches Significant Event Milestone
20 September 2022
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre has reached a significant milestone, hosting 100 events in the four and a half months since its first conference in May.
The 100th event, held over the weekend, was the Take Charge Christchurch Expo hosted by the Christchurch City Council.
The free public expo featured more than 50 electric battery vehicles in and around the Centre, and attracted close to 9000 visitors.
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre General Manager Ross Steele said given the support from the Ōtautahi Christchurch community since the Centre began operations, it was only fitting the 100th event was for the public.
“We’re delighted that our milestone 100th event was one that supported our city and the community, particularly given that Te Pae Christchurch was built as a regeneration project for Ōtautahi Christchurch,” Mr Steele said. “It’s been fantastic to attract and host so many events that we can see are having a direct and positive impact on businesses across the city.”
Event organiser, Christchurch City Council Resource Efficiency Manager Kevin Crutchley said it was great the Take Charge Christchurch Expo happened to be the 100th event held at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, particularly with it being a free community event.
“Te Pae offered an excellent facility for a public event, with the exhibition hall large enough to house the 56 battery electric vehicles on display. We were grateful to have the facility infrastructure that Te Pae offers as well as their friendly staff support for the event,” he said.
Of the 100 events so far, Te Pae Christchurch has hosted 36 multi-day conferences, including two international events; 30 banquets, 27 meetings and seminars, six exhibitions and one live entertainment event.
More than 40,000 guests have attended events at Te Pae Christchurch, resulting in 42,000 room nights in the city’s hotels and almost $30 million in direct economic value for the wider city.
Mr Steele said for the Centre to have already held 100 events so soon after opening was quite remarkable.
“Business to date has absolutely exceeded our expectations. While some of this can be attributed to the impacts of covid condensing this year’s event schedule, it also speaks to the interest and pent-up desire for Ōtautahi Christchurch as a destination for business events.”
Photograph supplied by Christchurch City Council.
