AUSTRALIA ’ S HOTTEST DESTINATION
Rob McIntyre , general manager of Christchurch Convention & Exhibition Centre , concedes it is getting harder to predict future trends .
“ But as long as you acknowledge that the future is going to look very different to today you can design flexibility into your venue to allow adaptation and changing to future trends much easier ,” he says .
“ I don ’ t think [ the needs of future delegates ] have changed so much as become more refined , and there ’ s a greater awareness of
Opposite page from left : Rob McIntyre , general manager of Christchurch Convention & Exhibition Centre ; artist ’ s impression of the new centre in Christchurch ; aerial view of Adelaide ’ s Riverbank Precinct .
what will and won ’ t work . There is so much choice for delegates they won ’ t accept a subpar venue anymore .”
Designing the centre to allow several events to happen at once without crossover or even delegate awareness of other events happening at the centre at the same time was a key element in the design process . Technology was also a major factor , however acknowledging that the “ state of the art ” system you put in today will be obsolete tomorrow and not pretending that it won ’ t be
is critical , according to McIntyre .
“ It is crucial to recognise that the core infrastructure needs to be designed with the key understanding that over its 25 to 30 year life cycle it will remain largely unchanged , but the applications , technologies and systems its supports are likely to change up to five times based on a typical technology refresh cycle being between five to eight years ,” he says .
“ Things as simple as ensuring that server rooms are sized in a way to accommodate possible increased space demand . Thinking through all aspects of delegates ’ needs now and what possible changes could eventuate in the decades ahead , so the Centre can be best adapted with the least cost to allow it to keep up . Without question there is a large element of crystal ball gazing required , but you have to do it and push the boundaries at design stage to allow you be even remotely relevant in 25 to 30 years ’ time .”
Again a whole of city approach is critical to attracting significant international conferences .
“ In many ways the actual convention centre is only the last piece of the puzzle that attracts conferences ,” he says . “ The region , the city and its people are the real drawcard . Convention centres need the city behind them first and foremost to be even remotely successful .”
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AUSTRALIA ’ S HOTTEST DESTINATION
The Hobart Convention and Exhibition Centre is part of the prestigious Hotel Grand Chancellor . Situated in the heart of Hobart ’ s historic waterfront precinct , HCEC is Tasmania ’ s premier conference venue .
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Ph + 61 3 6235 4564 cesmsales @ hgchobart . com . au www . hcecgrandchancellor . com
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www . cimmagazine . com Convention & Incentive Marketing , Issue 7 , 2016 15