Christchurch Town Hall has welcomed its first business event back to the venue since its reopening in February.
The 52nd international meeting of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, combined with the Australia and New Zealand Association of Paediatric Surgeons and the NZ Society of Paediatric Surgeons, took place in March over four days.
With an anticipated attendance of 250, organisers were pleased to welcome more than 400 delegates, who gathered to discuss the latest in paedeiatric surgery.
Spencer Beasley, acclaimed paediatric surgeon and 2019 conference convenor, said the conference received positive feedback from attendees.
“We attracted well over 400 of the most eminent paediatric surgeons from the Pacific rim countries – and beyond – to four days of an intensive scientific program,” he said.
The event was held in Christchurch Town Hall’s new auditorium, which Beasley described as having an “impressive design and wonderful acoustics”.
“On the final day, we ran a concurrent workshop on neonatal thoracoscopic surgery, one of the more challenging areas in paediatric surgery,” he said.
“It was held at the new simulation centre at Christchurch Hospital, again giving us an opportunity to showcase Christchurch, its new facilities, and the quality of the work done here.”
Karena Finnie, ChristchurchNZ head of major and business events, said the conference marked a turning point for the central city.
“As more and more venues open in Christchurch, our city increases its capability to host large-scale business events, which is very exciting for the industry,” she said.
