Clever ideas and free advice at Canterbury Expo

Clever ideas and free advice at Canterbury Conference Expo 09

Hotel Grand Chancellor, 15 September 2009 9am-4pm
Free entry and prizes
Register at www.conference-expo.co.nz

Hosting successful meetings and conferences in the heart of the South will be top of the agenda at Canterbury Conference Expo 09 on Tuesday, September 15 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor.
 
Christchurch & Canterbury Convention Bureau (CCCB) has organised the event and is urging local businesses to show their loyalty and host their conferences, meetings and incentives here.
 
With the theme “Canterbury - Your Meeting Place”, the free one-day event is set to showcase the diverse and high quality options available in the heart of the South Island and offer plenty of creative ideas for event planners.
 
Forty exhibitors, including hotels, venues, staging, themeing, team building, and transportation companies will be showcasing their places, people and talents, while a series of free seminars will provide valuable insight into the industry.
 
Registration is free at conference-expo.co.nz and all attendees will go in to win a luxury weekend for two in Canterbury, as well as a string of mini-prizes drawn on exhibitor stands during the day.
 
For those interested in learning how to organise a meeting, event or conference, a free educational seminar will cover key aspects of meeting planning, from venue selection, menu management and budgets, to group travel coordination.  Millennium Hotels & Resorts will be sponsoring this event, and giving away copies of their new, comprehensive guide to organising meetings, “Where to Start – and How to Finish like a Star”.
 
The international bidding process and funding support available will be outlined in a seminar presented by Alan Trotter, chief executive of Conventions & Incentives New Zealand (CINZ).
 
The expo venue, Hotel Grand Chancellor is the largest in-hotel conference centre in the South Island. Located on level 14 it is a completely dedicated and self-contained venue with nine different conference rooms and the flexibility to cater for 10 to 1000 delegates with ease.
 
“Novice meeting planners and experienced conference and incentive organisers are all set to discover a lot more about the new Christchurch, and some of the hidden secrets of our vibrant and surprising South Island destination,” says CCCB manager, Leonie Ashford.
 
The show will be a one-stop-shop for Christchurch business people to explore the options available to them on their doorstep for conferences, meetings, events, exhibitions or incentive travel.
 
“This is a chance to discover our vibrant South Island destination, explore venues, meet the people and update knowledge all in one spot,” she says.
 
“It’s easy to overlook what’s on your doorstep. The expo gives us a chance to showcase Canterbury’s conferencing prowess with a wide range of venues, extraordinary activities and attractions, pre and post touring options and high level incentive products.  We know we are able to provide a quality delegate experience and our message is that Christchurch city and Canterbury is a premier world destination – and it’s right here.
 
“Here we can deliver a superb New Zealand conference experience, which certainly competes well with any Australian, Asian or South Pacific destination,’’ Leonie Ashford says.
 
“We have world-class conference and convention facilities in Christchurch which companies and organisations from around the globe rave about.  We are urging local companies to take advantage of these facilities because not only does it make good economic sense for them, it is also a way of showing support for our high-quality venues and service providers,’’ she says.
 
CCCB has more than 100 business partners throughout the region and 40 venues and support services from as far north as Kaikoura and as far south as Aoraki Mt Cook will be exhibiting at the expo.
 
A large slice of Christchurch’s meeting market _41%_ is local in origin and the conference market is worth in excess of $63.5 million per annum for the Christchurch city and Canterbury region.
 
“This is a lucrative sector of the tourism industry, capable of drawing visitors during traditional shoulder and low seasons of the leisure travel sector with an average daily spend of more than three times that of an international leisure visitor,” Leonie Ashford says.
 
Christchurch & Canterbury Convention Bureau is a division of Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism and offers support to those staging a meeting in the city or region. The service includes free advice on how to make the most of the destination for conferences, introductions to relevant venues and support services, plus complimentary marketing collateral.
 
To register and for programme details go to www.conference-expo.co.nz or contact Canterbury Conference Expo 09 event manager, Debbie Dunlop debbie.dunlop@christchurchnz.com.
 
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