12 April 2006

Event Centre exceeds all expectations

It’s a case of “build it and they will come” for Manukau City’s TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in its first year of operation.

Opened in April 2005, the centre has exceeded booking and revenue expectations and revenue is expected to increase further when other neighbouring developments are completed. Restaurants and retails stores open in the middle of the year. A 140-bed Novotel hotel will open in mid 2008.

Sir Barry Curtis, Mayor of Manukau, is delighted with the result. “Revenue was $3.4 million which was nearly double the $1.8 million budgeted. Projected attendance was set at 200,000 but once again this exceeded all expectations with over 280,000 people visiting.

CEO of the Counties Manukau Pacific Trust, Richard Jeffery stated, “We were always quietly confident as the venue was designed around a well-researched business plan that clearly showed Manukau needed a facility to showcase our success stories.”

As with many new ventures the Events Centre was expected to make a loss in its first year. The Trust which administers TelstraClear Pacific had forecasted a $450,000 loss for the first year of operation; however the centre posted a profit of $20,000.

Sir Barry Curtis says, “The Trust, under the guidance of Richard Jeffery, has achieved a tremendous outcome in its first year.

“I would also like to pay tribute to Noel Robinson, Chairman of the Trust, and his fellow trustees who have driven this project from the beginning.

“There were many carping critics who said that the project was doomed but this first year result has proved them wrong. Thanks to the foresight of the Trust, Manukau now has a wonderful world class facility for art, culture, business and leisure which we can all be extremely proud of.”

ENDS

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