The Influencers: Ross Steele

Onwards and upwards

Opening a convention centre, a place designed to bring people together, during the middle of a pandemic probably sounds like a bad idea. While during the pandemic, at times it has felt an uphill climb, here we are, having opened Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and we have found the opposite to be true.

It certainly has not been without its challenges, but we have been humbled by the support of our community and the business events industry at a time when they themselves are facing restrictions and uncertainty.

Built as a cornerstone regeneration project following the seismic events of 2010 and 2011, our opening now serves another purpose, to regenerate our city and our industry following Covid-19.

It has been well reported that Te Pae Christchurch will generate around $60 million in economic benefit per year to Christchurch’s economy, but there are also numerous social and legacy benefits that come from being able to exchange knowledge and ideas in person.

Although a number of upcoming events have been affected by the change in setting, in most instances our clients have opted to postpone their events to later dates and keep their events in Christchurch. There also remains a solid forward programme leading into 2023 and beyond.

An unintended casualty been our Public Open Day, postponed until gathering limits increase. Our team looks forward to the day we can properly welcome our community through the doors and into New Zealand’s newest gathering place.