Dunedin Venues’ new Tech Hub to open with Virtual Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Coming out of the Covid lockdown, Dunedin Venues management team recognised that the world had changed. People were going to be reluctant to travel nationally, and unable to travel internationally. Working with their audio-visual supplier, family owned Dunedin based company Strawberry Sound, they swiftly came up with a plan: the Shanghai Studio.

The Shanghai Room, so named in acknowledgement of Dunedin’s sister-city relationship with the Chinese metropolis, was transformed into a virtual boardroom space,  the Shanghai Studio. The room features 4K cameras, two display TVs, multiple microphones and an onsite technical support team available to design and produce a custom livestream. The Shanghai Studio team also work with any off-site members to ensure they are correctly setup. As New Zealand’s ‘GigCity’, Dunedin has one gigabit per second broadband services, placing the city on the map as one of the most connected in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kim Barnes, Marketing and Communications Manager, has already made use of the room, “As soon as it was up and running, we used it for our board meetings. I have also attended a mini-conference myself and we have connected a guest speaker. The ease of use and quality was fantastic.”

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The official opening is planned for early October, with virtual ribbons set to be cut simultaneously in both Dunedin and Shanghai following the two cities’ regular mayoral meeting. The event will be attended by local dignitaries and the business communities in both locations

Dunedin Venues Business Development Manager, Kim Dobbs, is currently establishing links with similar facilities in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch and looking for partners in other New Zealand regional centres as well as across Australia, “We want to establish nationwide and international connections for conference organisers. Engaging through multiple ‘Tech Hubs’ results in groups of participants in different locations feeling like they are part of one experience.”  

If you are a venue or a conference organiser who would like to be involved you can contact Kim on kim.dodds@dunedinvenues.co.nz

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