Christchurch and Canterbury was in the spotlight recently, delighting a number of PCO’s attending a famil from around New Zealand, with a region that has much to offer and is geared up and ready for action in 2014.
The famil group was hosted by Christchurch and Canterbury Convention Bureau with Collective Concepts being given the opportunity to showcase a taste of what we have to offer by way of presenting a decadent picnic style champagne breakfast at Greendale Reserve on Monday 24th of March.
Prior to their arrival at the breakfast, the group were taking a first light hot air balloon tour of the Canterbury plains courtesy of Ballooning Canterbury so we needed a ‘wow’ factor that had impact when viewed from above. The large open space of the reserve with a single, beautifully laid out guest table offered that. Canterbury turned the weather on providing us with a stunning morning for the ultimate alfresco dining experience. Given the remote location all equipment and food for the set-up and styling of the breakfast was required to be transported to the venue.
Collective Concepts welcomed the opportunity to work with the Christchurch and Canterbury Convention Bureau on this famil. Our clients often require us to think outside the box in order to deliver a unique experience for their guests and this is just one example of how we can do that. Seeing a large open space like Greendale Reserve and imagining what it would look like to our guests from the sky as they sailed above it is the truly exciting and creative aspect of being an Event Manager!
The famil ran from Sunday 23rd to Tuesday 25th March and included other highlights such as a CBD tour London style in a roofless double-decker bus, surprise helicopter flights, jet boating, a pop-up lunch at the Restart Mall and a spectacular themed dinner at the transitional Cathedral including cabaret style entertainment. The group also overnighted in Hanmer Springs where they were pampered with spa treatments and therapeutic hot pools.
Based on what the NZ PCO’s were treated to there is no doubting that the Christchurch and Canterbury area is bursting with opportunities for the events and conferencing sector. You can quite clearly see the momentum of the rebuild happening and the infrastructure to support the sector is growing. With such fantastic suppliers able to deliver a very Cantabrian experience, this region should not be overlooked for your next corporate event or conference.
