New team building concept for Christchurch highlights iconic landmarks

Team building experts Exclusive Events New Zealand has rolled out a new team building concept based in Christchurch.

Taking its lead from the latest Dan Brown bestseller ‘Angels and Demons’, the company has launched a team building experience that highlights many of the garden city’s iconic landmarks.

The new Angels and Demons programme starts under the well-known statue of angels in the city’s renowned Cathedral Square, and then takes groups on a journey of mystery and intrigue as they decipher clues designed to make participants feel like Robert Langdon himself.

During the fun challenge, teams discover some of Christchurch’s prominent historic landmarks, taking part in a number of diverse activities along the way.

The Angels and Demons team building challenge ends at a secret location within the imposing Christchurch Arts Centre, with the option of finishing with a celebratory cocktail and canapés or going the whole nine yards to finish with a fully themed dinner.

“We love developing new team building concepts and initial reaction to this has been exceptional,” said Meagan Kelly of Exclusive Events Christchurch.

“We recognised that Christchurch needed some new team building product, so we thought outside the square to develop Angels and Demons, a contemporary initiative with historical and fun elements that sum up the range of activities on offer in the city.”

Angels and Demons was ‘road tested’ in September by a group of keen Christchurch industry representatives who gathered in Cathedral Square not knowing what they were letting themselves in for.

Exclusive Events director Liam Taylor said it was a “huge” success with attendees being treated to their own magic show and post event drinks and nibbles by Continental Catering.

“Launching exciting new product like Angels and Demons to our own industry peers with the amazing reaction received is a true benchmark of success,” he said.

Janelle Brooking of Vbase, Christchurch, described it as an “amazing experience.”

“We thought it was amazing and have been raving about since,” she said. “We loved the whole product, then to be spoilt with such beautiful food and beverages at the end was just the icing on the cake.”

Continental Catering spokesperson Martin Tunley said the company was delighted to work in partnership with Exclusive Events.

“Innovative ideas and great new product, married with Continental's experience and superb new menu concepts, drive the kind of successful results we’ve always had working with Exclusive Events,” he said.

Survey points to Labour weekend opportunity for value-based offers

We get around, but not as much as we want to – according to the Fly Buys/ Colmar Brunton Mood of the New Zealand Traveller, a new quarterly survey released by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) and launched today by the Prime Minister at the Tourism Leaders Symposium in Wellington.

The survey found that over 2.6 million Kiwis spent at least one night away from home for leisure in the past six months, and 80% said they’d spend more nights away if they could (money was their biggest barrier). It also found that 22% of Kiwis were still considering their options for Labour weekend.

Fly Buys CEO Andy Symons said tourism operators should look at Labour Weekend as an opportunity to offer a deal.

“If you’ve still got capacity for Labour Weekend there’s a definite opportunity there – almost a fifth of Kiwis are open to an offer, and 80 percent say money is the biggest brake on their travel. That suggests that targeted value-based offers might be the biggest opportunity this Labour Weekend – maybe including partial use of loyalty points or value-based packages with other operators,” he said.

The Fly Buys/Colmar Brunton Mood of the New Zealand Traveller surveys 1000 New Zealanders aged 18 and over. The New Zealanders interviewed were sourced from Colmar Brunton’s Fly Buys panel. The survey will be repeated each quarter. The survey aims to give tourism operators an insight into New Zealanders’ motivations for travel, what encourages them to travel and prevents them from travelling more.

The survey showed that the internet continues to grow as a planning tool for travellers, with 35% saying they planned their trip online.

Harry Pappafloratos, Chief Executive Officer of Colmar Brunton, said he hoped the insights in the survey would help tourism operators better serve the domestic market

“At Colmar Brunton we define our purpose as helping businesses understand their customer’s needs and desires to be able to deliver outstanding customer experiences. With about 15 million domestic trips for personal or leisure purposes there are lots of opportunities to create unique travel experiences for New Zealanders,” he said.

TIA Chief Executive Tim Cossar said the Fly Buys/ Colmar Brunton Mood of the New Zealand Traveller survey will be a valuable new source of information for tourism operators.

“TIA and its members are seeking better consumer information and this survey will assist us with up-to-date, topical and relevant information. It is a first for New Zealand and we are delighted that Fly Buys and Colmar Brunton agreed to support TIA in our efforts to grow New Zealand tourism and increase its contribution to the economy.”

Further findings

The Fly Buys/ Colmar Brunton Mood of the New Zealand Traveller Survey found that, of the 2.6 million New Zealanders who travelled in the past six months:

2% were lucky in love and found a romantic partner (46,000 New Zealanders)
6% travelled to get away from someone (129,000 New Zealanders)
5% did something they never expected on their trip (100,000 New Zealanders) – this ranged from sleeping in the street to taking a helicopter flight over a glacier
25% couldn’t escape work while they were away and kept in touch with the office (662,000 New Zealanders)

Favourite international destinations
1. Australia; 2. USA; 3. United Kingdom; 4. Fiji; 5. Thailand.

Favourite New Zealand destinations
1. Wellington; 2. Auckland; 3. Christchurch; 4. Queenstown; 5. Nelson.

Tourism Award winners inspire excellence

The winners of this year’s Tourism Industry Awards include a Rotorua nature park, an entrepreneurial young leader and man who was involved in the transformation of tourism from a ‘bit player” in the New Zealand economy into one of its most valuable industries.

Managed by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand*, the Award winners were announced at a special event in Wellington today. They are:

· DOC Conservation in Action Award: Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park, Rotorua
· Horwath HTL Sir Jack Newman Award: Tony Staniford, Paraparaumu
· PATA Young Tourism Professional Award: Bryan McChlery,Te Anau

“Our winners are an inspiration and a reflection of the depth and quality of New Zealand’s tourism industry,” says TIA Chief Executive Tim Cossar. “In today’s challenging trading environment it is more important than ever that the industry and New Zealand recognise the excellence, innovation and dedication they represent.”

DOC Conservation in Action Award: Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park, Rotorua

Regarded as ‘nature’s wonderland’, Rainbow Springs delivers an exceptional tourism experience that promotes conservation and educates visitors about New Zealand’s natural heritage. The Rotorua attraction has the only kiwi conservation centre in the world which gives visitors a close-up and personal look at the work being done to save New Zealand’s national icon from extinction. This includes hatching over 700 kiwi for release back into the wild. The site currently has over 13 native or endemic animal and bird species on site and over 90 native plant species.

Throughout the year, the team at Rainbow Springs participates in pest trapping, weed control and tree planting onsite, and through external volunteer programmes in their local community. It facilitates courses to teach the correct handling of kiwi eggs for DOC staff, and involves schools and local organisations in conservation initiatives such as worm growing (for kiwi food) and tree planting.

Horwath HTL Sir Jack Newman Award: Tony Staniford, Paraparaumu

Tony Staniford provided outstanding commitment to the tourism industry for more than 30 years, including leading the Tourism Industry Association’s predecessors for over two decades, at a time the industry matured into one of New Zealand’s most valuable foreign exchange earners and a major employer.

During his distinguished career, Mr Staniford advanced domestic tourism as a serious component of the industry; championed the need for robust research to underpin the growth and professionalism of the industry; developed training and education programmes; and effectively lobbied Governments of the day on behalf of the industry.

PATA Young Tourism Professional Award: Bryan McChlery,Te Anau

The entrepreneurial Bryan McChlery is a successful young businessman who has developed and manages three quality tourism businesses in Fiordland, with plans to open a fourth later this year. Under his management, Te Anau’s Top 10 Holiday Park has expanded significantly and developed new and related tourism activities. These include the Top 10 Milford Sound Coach and Cruise business (rebranded Go Milford) and a partnership in Driftaway Rental Campervans. He also has plans to open a retail sightseeing shop in Te Anau.

Mr McChlery is innovative, has strong business acumen, and is widely respected by his peers. A future goal is bringing the status of holiday parks up to the level of top hotels and resorts.