Australia’s oldest professional congress organiser (PCO) has
opened its first office overseas.
ICMS Australasia (ICMSA), which was established 55 years
ago, now has a base in Christchurch, New Zealand adding to its offices in
Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
Karen Hamilton, who has been working in the New Zealand
business events sector for the past 16 years, has assumed the role of director
New Zealand.
She will join ICMSA owner and managing director, Emma
Bowyer, and fellow directors at the company’s first Directors’ Meeting in 2023
in Christchurch later this month.
Bowyer said it had been a long-held goal for the company to
move beyond Australia and, with confirmed future business in New Zealand, now
was the right time.
“In recent years we have been approached by our clients -
particularly associations – to manage their events in New Zealand,” Bowyer
said. “With a dedicated New Zealand office that now becomes more realistic.
“The opening of Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, the
Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre coming online this year,
and excitement building for SkyCity’s New Zealand International Convention
Centre bodes well for a strong business pipeline.”
ICMSA has already been confirmed as PCO for the Australasian
Polymer Conference in New Zealand in 2024 and the 62nd Annual Meeting of the
International Forensic Toxicologists in Auckland in 2025 and Bowyer said there
were further opportunities on the way.
ChristchurchNZ head of business events, Megan Crum, said she
was thrilled ICMS Australasia had selected Ōtautahi Christchurch as its New
Zealand base.
“ICMSA has recognised the significant advantages in
infrastructure and natural assets this region offers for international events,
and we are excited to have them join our dynamic and collaborative business
events community,” Crum said. “The arrival of ICMSA here brings a new level of
high-profile event opportunities and boosts Christchurch’s reputation as a
fantastic place not only to host business events but also to do business.”
Hamilton said: “I have had a long association with ICMSA
and am looking forward to embarking on this new chapter.”
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
