the aim of making it easier for our customers
to plan and deliver their events,” she adds.
venue that works for them and helps them
host a successful event.”
“We conducted extensive research into
the wants and needs of our customers and
mapped out every stage of interaction each
different customer type has with our business.
It became apparent that there were areas
within our business that we could change to
better meet the needs of our customers.
Extensive research in the design stage helped
shape every touch point of the NZICC, with
the goal of designing a choreographed end-toend experience for users, according to Mallett.
“This brought about a new internal
organisational structure at MCEC and the
creation of a new team to manage end-to-end
process for our customers.”
In New Zealand plans are afoot for a number
of new convention centres, with the much
anticipated New Zealand International
Convention Centre (NZICC) the biggest of the
venues set to come online in the next few years.
“The NZICC have placed people at the
heart of their mission,” says Callum Mallett,
NZICC’s general manager operations.
“The innovative design has harnessed smart
technology and thinking to focus on how best
to make the NZICC not just a convention
centre, but an experience.
“Every touch point in the design process
was an opportunity to put our customers
at the core, to keep us true to delivering an
authentic experience every time. Hopefully
this will mean that everything we deliver will
be relevant and ‘future proofed’ when we
open in 2019, giving our customers a great
“The results are evident – from incorporating
into the design of the building the ability for
direct truck access off the street on to the
exhibition floor, to increasing the weight
bearing capacity of our lifts for service
suppliers, to the way we create and share
information with partners,” he says.
“The opportunities for technology that are
burgeoning in the horizon are immense and
exciting; however answering the needs for
our customers is more exciting. The creation
of our interactive building model is a great
example of future planning for the NZICC.”
Architects Warren & Mahoney brought
an experienced design company into the
NZICC project early on, where the team
asked professional conference organisers,
delegates, audio-visual producers, caterers
and members of the Auckland public, what
they looked for in a building, in a conference
experience, in a city experience, and what
would make it good for them.
“This is particularly important in the case of
international visitors – what would help make
them fly halfway across the world when they
could potentially just catch the speakers on
14 Convention & Incentive Marketing, Issue 7, 2016 www.cimmagazine.com
the internet?” says Mallet.
“PCOs were really clear with us about what
they wanted, which resulted in large spaces
that can then reconfigure in to smaller
spaces easily and quickly. Having a central
circulation spine along with well thought-out
access and entry points over the four levels
allow our event organisers to plan how they
can have concurrent sessions and move
people from space to space with ease and
without losing precious time.”
The project team has also focused on making
the NZICC an accessible, open, peoplefriendly space for all.
“Continued collaboration throughout the
design as it develops means we are on track
to achieving a welcoming building that is
going to work for people,” he says.
“We know that people want to experience the
city around when they arrive in a new country
for a conference, and that, along with being
walking distance to the knowledge hubs,
universities and businesses HQs in the area
for networking is a great aspect people are
loving about the NZICC. Gone are the days of
remote and unconnected convention centres.”
Christchurch is also building a new
convention centre, with the team bringing in
leading convention centre design specialists
from around the world to give a global
perspective on what is happening outside of
the Asia Pacific region.