ICMSA Launches New Zealand Office In Ōtautahi Christchurch

Emma Bowyer, ICMSA Owner and Managing Director explains why they are excited to be in New Zealand, and why Christchurch is the place to be.

Major Growth Ahead

“ICMSA is adding to the pie and adding to the conversation with a future pipeline of new business.

It has been a long-held goal for the company to move beyond Australia and, with confirmed future business in New Zealand, now is the right time. We want to put Australasia firmly back in our name.

“Co-opetition, and collaboration amongst our business events industry colleagues means that we are adding to city life and business for the city and the country, not taking away.”

We see major growth ahead. Our current clients have been asking for New Zealand, and already we have several major international conferences to bring here.

We don’t do anything by halves, and before we opened our next office, we wanted to get all our ducks in a row and find the right people, and the right centre.

The company is 57 years old and built from within. We are going through a wonderful growth phase. Most of our 30 staff have been with us 10 years or longer, and we kept all of them on full time during Covid, which meant we were ready to hit the ground running as soon as borders opened.

Having Karen Hamilton, our New Zealand Director based in Christchurch is a bonus. She was a natural choice for us, having started her career with ICMSA in Australia, and she knows our business well. We will be employing new staff in Christchurch to support Karen.

Our New Zealand story starts in Christchurch and it’s an ideal city for large events. A congress of 1,500 delegates can own the city for the time they are here, not get lost in it. The fact the city is walkable is amazing.

“The city embraces and understands the value of events. Everyone in a city the size of Christchurch knows there’s a large international event in town, and everyone gets behind us.”

Christchurch has great infrastructure, including New Zealand’s first next-gen convention centre, Te Pae Christchurch, and fantastic air connectivity and support services. New and newly refurbished hotels are within easy walking distance too.

The quality of relationships is amazing — we have known many of the people here for many years — and there’s an excellent network of local suppliers, all working in a collaborative community with the support of ChristchurchNZ Business Events, and Tourism New Zealand Business Events.

Our strategy has always been that the convention centre is the heart of the conference and then we look to adorn the limbs through activities and experiences beyond the host venue. In Christchurch we can see so much opportunity for street nights, walking tours, and lots of unique social and cultural activities that enhance every aspect of the delegate experience.

“We wanted to offer our clients a real point of difference in the Southern Hemisphere for large international conferences, and we have found a natural affinity with Christchurch and its values, and vision.”

The pillars that Christchurch operates from perfectly align with ICMS Australasia’s values. These pillars, including the high level of expertise within a range of industry sectors, also fit with many of our clients’ specialist areas of interest. They include aerospace and future transport; food, fibre and agritech; health, tech and resilient communities, and high-tech services. As one of the five gateway cities to Antarctica, and with strong links to climate research, is also another plus for Christchurch and for us.

In late March, seven directors of the company met in Christchurch to explore the city — and to discover for themselves the beautiful landscapes, ocean, mountains and countryside on Christchurch’s doorstep.

Cycling the city centre and exploring nature and green spaces gave them the opportunity to experience the city through the eyes of a delegate.

Their visit included meeting at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, a Masterchef challenge at Riverside Kitchen cooking school, and gin tasting at the Juniper Collective. A day trip to the historic French settlement of Akaroa on Banks Peninsula was followed by a cocktail function hosted by Venues Ōtautahi with beautifully prepared, locally sourced fare at Christchurch Town Hall, then a superb dinner at The George hotel.

“We are so excited to be in the city and see this vision come to life.”

At ICMSA we do things differently and we recognise times have changed. Our first question to a client is: why are you hosting this meeting?

Our clients include leading professional bodies and associations, government agencies and private enterprises. They are telling us face-to-face networking and chances for longer in-person discussions are now more important than ever. It is clear that over the past few years they have missed the social nuances that events provide.

“They want to build connections and create purposeful, meaningful events.”

Christchurch gets this and the whole city can come to life for delegates —the open-air spaces, the restaurants, cafes, the food producers and activity providers all have a part to play.

New Zealand is all about quality, not quantity. It’s a more cerebral market. Here you understand the value of business events and how you can add to them, helping them to leave an impact for the future.

ICMSA Christchurch will open in April 2023 with the first conference to be held in the city in the first quarter of 2024.