Opposite page from left : Outdoor adventures in Queenstown ; artist ’ s impression of NZICC in Auckland ; Hobbiton .
At the Waitomo Caves , Discover Waitomo is adding a new , in-cave dining experience – where up to 20 guests will be wined and dined inside the Aranui Cave . This will be a fitting experience for the incentive market , says Graham . Discover Waitomo also offers the Waitomo Glowworm Caves Performance Package , which includes live opera in the Cathedral Cave , famous for its acoustics , a cave tour by boat all followed by dinner .
Wellington is also on a roll and reporting good forward bookings , with Canberra a particular focus for promotion , says Wellington Business Events and Partnerships manager Jessica Beyeler .
“ The arrival of Singapore Airlines providing direct services to Canberra has sparked a flurry of enquiries out of the Canberra market . In December our trade team will host a dedicated event in Canberra to capitalise on this interest and opportunity ,” she says . Two new hotels , Sofitel Wellington and the Park Hotel , have come online bringing more “ much-needed ” beds in Wellington to accommodate larger-scale conferences . A 134-room airport hotel , to be managed by Rydges , is due to open in late 2017 .
Meanwhile in August , city councillors approved a striking new exterior design ( along with its extra $ 15 million price tag ), for the proposed new Wellington Convention Centre and Movie Museum . The 1100 seat convention centre , with its radical design based around Maori mythology and Wellington ’ s marine location , is due to open in 2019 .
International business events are locking into Christchurch as well with work on the new Christchurch convention centre underway , new air services announced and new international hotels continuing to open . The Christchurch Centre , due to open in late 2019 , has already booked two major events , expected to bring a total 900 biology and engineering experts to New Zealand . Christchurch & Canterbury Convention Bureau manager Caroline Blanchfield says these exemplify how Christchurch is playing to its strengths .
Five new international hotels with 800 brand rooms will open in Christchurch within the next two years . These include AccorHotels ’ new-build 200-room Novotel at Christchurch Airport , which will encompass function and meeting space , and a new 78-room Sebel hotel complex , near Victoria Street . IHG ’ s 204- room Crowne Plaza , adjacent to the new convention centre , is due to open in mid-2017 and a 120 room Holiday Inn Express will open in Gloucester Street in late 2018 . Distinction Hotels is redeveloping the 179-room former Millennium Hotel building in Cathedral Square , to be named Distinction Christchurch .
In other developments the massive Christchurch Adventure Park ( 358 hectares of mountain bike trails , rock climbing , zip-line , with restaurants and purposebuilt accommodation in the city ’ s Port Hills ), is due to open in December . With the world ’ s first high-speed chairlift for bikers and their bikes ( 1.8km long , climbing 430m ), the park will appeal for off-site activity and
team building adventures .
Another city with plenty of activities on offer is Queenstown , which is becoming so popular that Australian conference and incentive groups are advised to book their events in the quieter shoulder seasons of April / May and September / October , says Queenstown Convention Bureau manager Regan Pearce .
“ There is also an industry wide shift to longer lead in times , [ with ] Australian business already locking in events for 2018 / 19 ,” he adds .
Easy air access is helping drive the business , with four airlines offering year round direct flights from Sydney , Melbourne , Brisbane and the Gold Coast . “ The commencement of the new Jetstar MEL-ZQN night flight this year has seen a huge increase in arrivals from Australia . Domestic connectivity with a night flight addition from Auckland has also been a great success .”
The conference activity is also set to rise once the new
600-delegate Convention Centre Remarkables Park comes online , with resource consent for the proposed expected any day now .
Meanwhile Skyline Queenstown has announced a massive $ 60 million redevelopment program , which includes near doubling its capacity for conferences and events to cater for up to 770 delegates . Skyline also proposes to replace its existing four-seat gondola system with a state-ofthe-art 10-seat gondola ; expand Stratosfare Restaurant from 330 seats to 650 with multiple dining options ; replace and double the size of the Skyline Luge chairlift and more than quadruple the size of the viewing deck .
Hotel development includes the addition of a QT boutique hotel at Rydges Queenstown . The new QT will offer 69 rooms , three new conference rooms and its own entrance and reception . Completion is planned for Feb 2017 . Meanwhile Rydges Queenstown is undergoing a full refurbishment .
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www . cimmagazine . com Convention & Incentive Marketing , Issue 7 , 2016 17