In Ōtautahi Christchurch, event planners thought Sir Russell Coutts was joking when he suggested running one of the world’s biggest sailing events in its port four years ago. It has now hosted the SailGP event twice, attracting tens of thousands of spectators, some threatened dolphins and criticism for high-profile race delays . But there was praise for Lyttelton as a venue, none more enthusiastic than that from Black Foils skipper Pete Burling who after this year’s event texted a ChristchurchNZ boss.
“S*** that worked out well. Epic day. Thanks again for all the help.
Pass on my thanks to everyone in the team. Best day in SGP history,” Burling texted ChristchurchNZ’s general manager of destination and attraction, Loren Aberhart. The council-controlled organisation is in the midst of a debrief and working on the serious business of making it a regular event.
The city launched a major events strategy as part of its post-earthquake tourism recovery strategy and while the programme has its critics, ChristchurchNZ and operators say it’s now paying big dividends. After the earthquakes of 2010-11, facilities were destroyed and the supporting infrastructure needed to be rebuilt . Christchurch had to think creatively to get the events it did in the interim and planners are now confident more big gatherings are firmly back on the calendar as part of a national strategy that puts their value at close to $700 million.
The city is making up for lost time and opportunities t.
