New stadium scores its first win

Dunedin City Council botanic garden team leader Alan Matchett (left) and Dunedin Venues...
Dunedin City Council botanic garden team leader Alan Matchett (left) and Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive David Davies at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, which will host the 2013 Global Botanic Gardens Congress. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium has a date for its first major international conference - the 2013 Global Botanic Gardens Congress.

Dunedin fended off a strong bid from Hawaii to secure the conference, which is expected to bring up to 500 people to the city during the Dunedin Botanic Garden's 150th anniversary year.

The conference is expected to pump almost $3 million into Dunedin's economy.

Mayor-elect Dave Cull said yesterday it was always known the stadium would be able to host conferences, although there was "scepticism" about its multipurpose claims.

"It's reassuring to know, to have the evidence, that it can."

Dunedin City Council botanic garden team leader Alan Matchett attended the fourth Global Botanic Gardens Congress earlier this year in Dublin, Ireland, where he presented Dunedin's bid to host the fifth conference.

Yesterday, he said that had been successful.

The congress would place Dunedin "firmly on the world map" as a destination for international conferences and horticultural and botanical research, as well as for garden tourism.

While an exact date had not been set, it was expected to begin in late September, Mr Matchett said.

Mr Matchett said the stadium had helped attract the congress, as it could accommodate the large numbers of people involved.

The botanic gardens congresses cover everything from biodiversity conservation to climate change, sustainability, environmental education and collections management.

Council community and recreation services manager Mick Reece said the Dunedin conference would involve plenary sessions where researchers would "show off their work", but he expected visitors to travel around the region while they were here.

Attractions Dunedin people took for granted, such as the Orokonui Ecosanctuary and the royal albatross colony, and being able to travel to the top of Mt Cargill in minutes to view sub-alpine plants, would amaze those attending, he said.

Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive David Davies said the "cross-agency" work that had been done showed what Dunedin could achieve if it harnessed its resources.

The stadium would be "a backdrop" to the four-day conference, and would use the technology that would be introduced for the Rugby World Cup.

There were large areas on floors two and four of the south stand that would be used for the congress, and areas that could be broken up into rooms that could house anything from 40 to 300 people.

Mr Davies said he expected the grass growth under the stadium's roof to be a topic of conversation at the congress.

Dunedin's bid for the congress received $7000 from the Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) conference bid fund.

This bid was the first international bid in five years to receive funding from CINZ, and the first from Dunedin.

Previous congresses had been held in North Carolina, in the United States; Barcelona, in Spain; and in Wuhan, China, with the latter attracting nearly 1000 delegates from 67 countries.

The council would be expected to cover the estimated $800,000 cost of hosting the event, but would aim to make a small projected profit of $15,000 thanks to sponsorship agreements and subscription payments from participants, Mr Matchett said in August.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz

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