ChristchurchNZ Business Events is championing the network for the city, with the bureau’s Claire Hector-Taylor co-chairing the alliance.
Other founding cities in the network include Lausanne in Switzerland, Houston in the USA and Seoul in South Korea.
The initiative was announced at the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Congress in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Looking to advance aeronautics, space and astronomy, the Space Cities Network will work to boost collaboration across those working in the space industry within universities, research bodies, government and industry, including the private sector.
The space industry is highly valued with an expectation that it’ll be worth US$1.8 trillion by 2035.
“Space is the mirror of humanity and of our community – a quest for tomorrow,” said Hector-Taylor’s Space Cities Network co-chair, Gerald Howard, from Lausanne Montreux Congress in Switzerland.
“A world of exploration and innovation impacting a future that needs support and guidance. Our community, working collectively with space experts can be one of the keystones of it, and the Space Cities Network is there to help facilitate that.”
The alliance is being backed by the destination marketing organisations of the four founding cities, who will work to support space sector event bids and bring more space conferences to their cities.
“Cities will play an integral, legacy role as hubs for events supporting the space community, hosting conferences, summits, and meetings that bring together industry leaders, researchers and policymakers,” said Hector-Taylor.
