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People in Disasters Conference 2016

24 - 26 February 2016

People in Disasters Conference 2016

  • 370 delegates
  • Venue: Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Diverse Voices

People from many backgrounds were present, including emergency services, mental health, social sciences, psychology, engineering, education and government.

Local, national and international groups all gathered and interacted in a collaborative and participatory way to ensure the many voices were heard.

The content included the reporting of academic research and practical lessons from response and recovery work. The perspectives and the methodologies were varied, the sessions had mixed professional groups and community representatives, and the discussions were rich and inspiring.

The team at Christchurch & Canterbury Convention Bureau were very supportive, as well as Tourism New Zealand. Vbase staff were great to work with and Air Force Museum of New Zealand were also helpful and open to our suggestions.
Cathy King, Canterbury District Health Board

Why Christchurch?

The conference was held to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the major Christchurch earthquake of 2011, when 185 people died and many were injured. The previous conference organised in Christchurch city by Eventuate Ltd happened to be held on the day of the earthquake, at the badly damaged Hotel Grand Chancellor which has since been demolished. It was a significant milestone for the Eventuate Ltd team to bring their first event back to the city exactly five years later.

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

  • 1,500m2 Conference & Events Hall
  • Variety of break out areas fit for 10 - 130

The conference was held at the Air Force Museum located at the former RNZAF Base at Wigram, 15 minutes from the city centre. The nearby Wigram Base also provided additional breakout rooms and the Aircraft Hall was a stunning venue for the conference dinner function.

 

The venue at Air Force Museum of New Zealand is managed by Vbase and provides comfortable and spacious surroundings - staff and services were both professional and a delight to work with. As a PCO, we found that the service networks including Christchurch & Canterbury Convention Bureau were exceptionally supportive to ensure a successful event.
Dave Treeby, Eventuate
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