The Influencers: John Bridgman

New centre opening

Christmas has come a little early at Ōtākaro as we get to open Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on December 17.

At close to $450m, this facility represents the Government’s single biggest contribution to the regeneration of the central city, and we are excited about letting people inside.

With capacity to host 2000 people, Te Pae Christchurch will attract large events that our city hasn’t been able to host in the past. It also has the flexibility to hold multiple smaller events simultaneously, with 24 meeting rooms, a banquet hall and a soundproof dividing wall in the auditorium to hold concurrent 700-person sessions.

Many other big event venues are vast shapeless, boxes located on the outskirts of cities. Here we have created this state-of-the-art, purpose-built venue, right in the heart of our city centre.

Located within walking distance of hotels, shops, bars and restaurants makes this very attractive for an event organiser.

At the moment, Te Pae Christchurch has 100 confirmed events that will collectively bring more than 128,000 people into the city. Even allowing for the impact of Covid-19 on the travel and meetings sectors, it’s anticipated that Te Pae Christchurch will inject about $60m a year into the local economy.

We’ll be holding a public open day at Te Pae Christchurch in the new year, and I encourage you all to come and have a look.