Business events: Te Pae General Manager, Ross Steele

Since opening in May 2022, Te Pae Christchurch has hosted almost 450 events, driving significant economic benefits to the city and wider region.

With direct international flights almost back to pre-Covid levels, we’re attracting visitors from all around the world to our city for business events.

In November, Te Pae Christchurch held the Asia Pacific Seed Congress, hosting 1100 people from the international seed industry for a five-day event. Delegates came from 45 countries, forging new relationships and facilitating lucrative seed deals. This is particularly beneficial for our regional seed industry which produce 65% of the world’s radish seeds and 40% of the world’s carrot seeds.

The event was a huge success for the venue, attendees, and the local seed industry, placing the spotlight on our region as a world leader in seed technology.

In a successful end to the year, Te Pae Christchurch was awarded the Skal International Sustainability Award in recognition of the important work we are doing in this space. We were also awarded ‘Medium Venue of the Year’ and ‘Rising Star of the Year’ (Marzena Orlecka) at the 2023 Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand (EVANZ) Awards. These awards celebrate our capability, and place our city firmly in the national and international spotlight for hosting conferences.

Looking ahead, we are optimistic about the future of business events in Christchurch, with several international multi-day conferences confirmed for Te Pae Christchurch, from the virtual-reality, agri-tech, aerospace, and earth science sectors.