News | 13 June 2023
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Tākina off to a great start just one week on

Just over a week after opening, visitor numbers to Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Jurassic World by Brickman exhibition are already exceeding expectations.

Taking blessing ceremony with Kura Moeahu

The first week saw 11,200 people visit the Jurassic World by Brickman LEGO® exhibition – 6,200 of them on the opening weekend alone – and ticket sales for future sessions are also strong.

Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre

Opening weekend also saw 2,800 people attend WellyCon at Tākina, and last week Festival for the Future, a leadership, innovation and impact summit had 1,400 attendees each day over its two-day event. 

Also, now open is Zephyr café and bar, nestled on the ground floor of Tākina. Providing a comfortable and stylish place to refuel and recharge, Zephyr is open every day from 7am to 5pm for handmade food, beverages and world class service.

 

Commercial development manager David Perks says initial estimates Tākina would host half a million visitors in its first year now look to be easily achievable.

 

“Together with the organisers we were proud to host 1500 delegates at Aotearoa’s biggest leadership and innovation summit, Festival for the Future, the first conference in Tākina.

 

“It’s great to see the building now operational and the feedback we have received has been really positive both from our convention clients and the visitors to Jurassic World by Brickman, and generally people just coming in to see Tākina.

 

“We estimated 500,000 visitors contributing $44 million a year to the local economy, so these early numbers are exciting and show we’re definitely on track to achieve this.”

 

Lego exhibition with two dinosaurs made up of lego infront of a red curtain.

There are already 118 multi-day conferences and events on the calendar, with the internationally acclaimed interactive LEGO® brick exhibition Jurassic World by Brickman open until October, when it’ll be replaced by another major world first-exclusive exhibition.

 

Tākina is hosting a public open day on Saturday 15 July to allow people to see through the whole building, especially to the levels usually reserved for conferences and events. Come and see Wellington’s newest civic building, go behind the scenes, hear from the experts, and enjoy exploring the design, construction and the story of Tākina.