Fanzones for Auckland’s non-stop summer   19 Dec 2014

Auckland will turn on a range of free activities this non-stop summer, with the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines Festival and Fanzone, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Fanzone and Fan Trail and the Volvo Ocean Race Auckland Stopover (VORAS) Village.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown says today’s announcements are fantastic and will provide opportunities for Aucklanders and visitors to enjoy the family-friendly summer events action.

“Major events play an important role in helping Auckland to become the world’s most liveable city. I’m encouraging locals and visitors to experience the stellar line-up of sport, art, culture and music events,” says Mr Brown.

The Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines Festival and Fanzone will be at Aotea Square from Friday 30 January to Sunday 1 February. The events will kick-off on Friday with an opportunity to meet 288 players from all 16 NRL teams.

“The Nines Fanzone will have a strong league feel with activities and live entertainment throughout the weekend. It will be the next best thing to being at the event at Eden Park,” says Mr Brown.

This is another great announcement coming hot-on-the-heels of the NRL confirming that its 2015 season launch will take place in Auckland for the first time in the event’s history.

A family-friendly ‘urban village green’ at Takutai Square will play host to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Fanzone, featuring a range of interactive activities and live match coverage on the big screen.

A walking Fan Trail from the city to Eden Park will be activated for all three Auckland pool matches, with an adopt-a-second team and street dressing programme to engage town-centres throughout the region, in the lead-up to and during the tournament.

“It will be a privilege to host the world’s best cricketers here in Auckland and our aim is to bring the tournament to life across the region for everyone to enjoy,” says Mr Brown.

When the Volvo Ocean Race Village opens, Auckland’s Eastern Viaduct, Te Wero Island and Halsey Wharf will be transformed in anticipation of the fleet arrival for the 17-day stopover.

The packed programme of activities includes live music and entertainment, all match races on the big screen and the ‘Have a Go’ programme giving people a free opportunity to experience sailing.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says he expects this summer to be the biggest on record for events in Auckland.

“We’re on track to reach one million events-related visitor nights since the launch of ATEED’s Major Events Strategy three years ago,” says Mr O’Riley.

These headline events are part of ATEED’s 2014/2015 Major Events Portfolio, which includes 35 events that will generate substantial return on investment for Auckland.

Auckland will host four ICC Cricket World Cup matches, which are projected to inject 95,958 visitor nights and $18.86 million into the Auckland economy. The Nines is forecast to generate $4.9 million in GDP and 37,980 match-related visitor nights, and VORAS is expected to contribute 16,720 visitor nights and $6.66 million to the region’s economy.

ATEED says major events have far-reaching benefits beyond bringing new money into the regional economy.

“They provide a golden opportunity to encourage investment through business leverage, by matching investors with companies in a wide range of industries, such as food and beverage, ICT and commercial and residential property development. This non-stop summer we’ll be working to leverage these events for broader business benefits to Auckland,” says Mr O’Riley.

ATEED’s non-stop summer page - www.aucklandnz.com/events/non-stop-summer-of-events

ENDS

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