Associations wanting to host conferences in Christchurch may be eligible for funding support through the Christchurch & Canterbury Convention Bureau (CCCB).

In a cooperative initiative between CCCB and the Christchurch City Council, financial support in the form of ‘seed funding’ bridging finance has been made available to incorporated societies who choose to conference in Christchurch.

“Associations respect Christchurch as an attractive destination for annual conferences, and with 50 per cent of delegates meeting in Christchurch originating from the association sector, we take their business success very seriously and will support their endeavours, from the bid process to maximising delegate attendance, in any way we can,” said Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism CEO, Christine Prince.

Interest free loans or bridging finance are available to not-for-profit events, assisting in professional pre-event management, venue deposits and preliminary marketing of a conference.

The national body, Conventions & Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) already offers a Conference Assistance Program (CAP) for New Zealand organisations bidding for international conventions. Specifically for conducting destination feasibility studies and bids, CAP can support the cost of travel and items such as multi-media presentations to help in the bidding processes.