Christchurch benefits from second Conference Assistance Programme bid win
Thursday 14 June 2012, 6:09PM
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Tourism New Zealand and the Science Communicators Association of New Zealand (SCANZ) have secured another international conference for Christchurch, supporting the city's economic re-build.
The Public Communicators of Science and Technology (PCST) Symposium 2013 will be held in Christchurch in late February.
Around 150 international delegates are expected to join a further 100 delegates from New Zealand.
The bid was won with the support of the Conference Assistance Programme (CAP) managed by Tourism New Zealand on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Development.
President of SCANZ Phil Johnstone says the proposed theme of Natural Disasters, Public Communication and Engagement highlights the unique advantage New Zealand now holds over other nations.
"New Zealand has experienced a number of both natural and man-made disasters in recent times.
"Ironically, this puts us in a unique position of now having a significant cohort of experienced people here with expert knowledge around the communication and engagement issues that arise from these sorts of events."
The conference win is Tourism New Zealand's fifth since it took over management of the CAP one year ago and the second event to be won for Christchurch City.
In 2016, around 700 delegates will arrive in Christchurch for the International Federation of Surveyors Working Week. The CAP supported bid for the working week was won thanks to the city's ability to provide a dynamic environment for delegates to experience and learn in, given the re-planning and re-building of the city post-earthquakes.
CAP is available to any association or organisation that is in a position to formally bid for an international conference of over 200 delegates to be held here in New Zealand.
The CAP Programme can help by providing a financial feasibility study of the conference, producing customised bid documents, assisting with strategic marketing and air travel and providing collateral to promote New Zealand as part of the bid.