Christchurch Convention Centre took prime position at AIME 2018

Friday, March 23, 2018

 Christchurch’s new convention centre will be in prime position on the new 100% Pure New Zealand stand in the premium zone at AIME 2018 in Melbourne.

General Manager, Rob McIntyre says construction work on the new convention centre is well underway and a live webcam is allowing everyone to watch the progress being made.

The NZ$475m convention and exhibition centre is scheduled to be completed in early 2020, with the first conferences held later that year.

“The design and location of Christchurch’s new centre set it apart from anything else in this part of the world. It’s a stunning venue in the centre of New Zealand’s newest city, and at the centre of the South Island,” he says.

Spanning two blocks of prime land in the central city, the main entrance opens out to Christchurch’s picturesque Ōtākaro Avon River. Its design reflects the fluid curves of the South Island’s braided rivers, and complements the green spaces, heritage square and gardens surrounding it. Stories of the local Māori culture are interwoven through every aspect of the design.

“Christchurch’s impressive city centre is right on the doorstep, with brand new hospitality and shopping precincts, plus excellent hotels all within a few minutes’ easy walking distance,” Mr McIntyre says.

The Centre will host up to 2,000 people, and the tiered 1400-delegate auditorium can be split to host two 700-delegate events simultaneously. A 3,600sqm exhibition hall, and 1,600sqm of meeting rooms overlooking Victoria Square will allow seamless flow and plenty of flexible space.

The design of the Centre ensures three events can be run concurrently with no delegate crossover. The main auditorium is complemented by break-out space in meeting rooms – from boardroom scale to large flat floor plenary sessions. The purpose-built banqueting area has separate capacity to host the total number of convention delegates.

An exhibition hall supports the exhibition component of conventions, while public circulation space allows for informal meetings and comfortable pre-event gathering spaces. Support infrastructure includes dedicated offices for professional conference organisers, a hospitality lounge, boardroom, crew room and speaker preparation rooms.

« Back to Page

• Melbourne Edge Event Series returns to AIME 2018