NEW ZEALAND - The chairwoman of Positively Wellington Tourism, Glenys Coughlan, is to head a new over-arching body to operate the City Council’s major venues.
She takes up the post of Chief Executive of Wellington Venues Limited at the end of January 2011, but has meanwhile issued a call for a new purpose-built convention centre in Wellington. The call from the capital comes as the government considers submissions for a national convention centre in Auckland.
Wellington Venues Limited will be formed from the merger of Wellington Convention Centre and the St James Theatre Trust and, in all, brings six venues under a single new management structure.
Coughlan said that while the city was a leading destination in the leisure tourism market, increased focus was needed on attracting business events, including getting a facility to hold major conferences on a single site.
“Various options have been discussed and top-line numbers have been done, but I think the city has to now start focusing on firming up the case for a purpose-built conference facility,” she said.
Wellington has the theatre capacity for conference presentations, and arenas for exhibiting products, but there is no single venue to allow a major convention to take place on one site.
Positively Wellington Tourism Chief Executive David Perks told EW a ‘one site’ venue for large conferences was definitely on the tourism industry’s wish list.
“As the seat of New Zealand’s government, coupled with the city’s growing reputation as the coolest little capital in the world, Wellington has the potential to become a real player in the international convention industry,” Perks added. “We’ve got everything going for us - a compact downtown, natural attractions surrounding an urban hub and world-class innovators. But we’re a destination that won’t over-promise, and right now we have limitations around large scale events requiring flat floor exhibition space. That’s something we’re keen to see resolved.”
Caption: David Perks
