Over 2,600 delegates are expected to attend seven large conferences from late August to late September.
The conferences will convene communities of paediatricians, physiotherapists, aeromedical specialists, engineers and aerospace experts.
The current boost caps off a strong business events period for the city, with the ChristchurchNZ business events team working to secure 20 large events with attendance of around 9,000 delegates between April and September. These events are thought to be worth NZ$16 million to the economy.
Following a broader trend in New Zealand, business events visitors in Christchurch are at their highest during what is considered the visitor off-season, with 83 per cent of delegates travelling during low season, compared to 62 per cent of leisure travellers.
“The wider impacts of successful conferences are incalculable,” said ChristchurchNZ’s head of visitor economy, Kath Low.
“As well as providing a major boost to the regional economy and increasing off-peak visitation, it gives locals an opportunity to participate in world class events, share knowledge with industry leaders and promote their products and services to a national and international market.”
Upcoming conferences include the international Aeromed Conference 2024, which is expected to draw 250 attendees from New Zealand and around the world, and the New Zealand Aerospace Summit, for 700 delegates.
These events follow the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) 2024 which saw 1,300 delegates from around the world gather in Christchurch in July. The economic impact from this event alone was estimated at NZ$2.8 million.
Christchurch’s young convention centre, Te Pae Christchurch, which opened in 2022, is the host of all three of these events.
“With Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre already well-established, and One New Zealand Stadium set to open in 2026, Christchurch’s superb new infrastructure is driving more and larger conference business to the city,” said Low.
“Combined with increased air connectivity and new hotel capacity, Christchurch is set to attract an exciting series of events well into the future.”
Christchurch Airport is expecting an additional 10,000 passengers in 2025 arriving for conferences.
“Largely skewed to our off-peak months, demand to participate in conferences are an effective way of helping us smooth the seasonality impact of tourism to the South Island,” said Christchurch Airport CEO, Justin Watson.
“A real boost for our Tasman airlines for next winter.”
Tourism New Zealand estimates business events were worth NZ$403 million to the nation’s economy in 2023.
