Rugby World Cup 2011 – international quality Corporate Hospitality showcased

Outstanding food and wine, exclusive menus, international quality guest speakers and premium entertainment will all be wrapped around a true New Zealand rugby experience for businesses and corporates hosting clients and guests at Rugby World Cup 2011.

Corporate hospitality packages go on sale from today (February 1) with New Zealand-based corporate hospitality organisation, Hospitality NZ 2011, also providing access to accommodation as well as travel services for local and international visitors.

“Rugby World Cup 2011 corporate hospitality will meet, and hopefully exceed, what the big international companies expect when they go to events like the Olympics, Wimbledon, or an F1 Grand Prix,” says Experience Group Managing Director Warren Barclay.

Experience Group, Eden Park and Auckland Rugby formed the Hospitality NZ 2011 consortium that was one of just two successful bidders for an Official Corporate Hospitality Agency (OCHA) for Rugby World Cup 2011.

“We are New Zealand based, we operate hospitality around international rugby in New Zealand year in and year out and we’ll use our local knowledge and expertise to showcase New Zealand, provide a unique New Zealand experience and encourage clients to experience corporate hospitality in New Zealand at a level not seen here previously,” says Mr Barclay.

“We’ve already booked millions of dollars worth of accommodation and we’re partnering with experienced New Zealand in-bound tour operator Seasonz Travel to make sure we cater for companies and executives who want to take in the best of what New Zealand has to offer while they are in our country for the rugby.

“If that means side trips to Queenstown, Nelson or Rotorua, golf, skiing, helifishing or bungee jumping or relaxing and enjoying an award winning wine at a vineyard we can offer that experience to our international visitors.

“But we are also making sure that New Zealand businesses and corporates can do something special for their clients. I don’t think we’ll see Rugby World Cup back in New Zealand in my lifetime so our aim is to make this a once-in-a-lifetime experience, regardless of where the games are being played.

“We’ve worked at most of the grounds hosting Rugby World Cup 2011 matches and understand the uniqueness that venues as diverse as Invercargill, Whangarei and Palmerston North, as well as the bigger city stadiums, offer to visitors and rugby fans alike”

Single game hospitality packages will start at around $700-$800 per head with the top end hospitality package featuring the big three games, including the final at Eden Park, going up to around $2,000-$3,000 per head per game. There will also be up to four levels of hospitality packages at different venues ranging from a Corporate Box at the ground to a purpose built, luxury structure on the No. 2 field at Eden Park and off-site hospitality packages for venues that don’t have enough available on-site hospitality facilities to cater for the demand.

At the top end of the hospitality scale guests can expect international quality menus, superior food matched to award winning wines, top entertainment, international guest speakers and the best hospitality service available.

“We have to be realistic and recognise that we are competing with the biggest and best international sporting events with what we offer to the business audience coming to New Zealand,” says Mr Barclay. “It’s also the biggest sporting event ever held in this country and perhaps the last large-scale major international sports event we’ll see for many, many years.

“As a proud Kiwi we’ve got a great chance to showcase New Zealand, and I’m excited that we have the opportunity to host such a prestigious global tournament.”

The Experience Group has been working in the corporate hospitality and sports marketing sector in New Zealand for more than a decade and undertakes the major corporate hospitality around rugby throughout the year. The corporate hospitality programme around the 2005 Lions’ Tour to New Zealand was successfully managed and run by Mr Barclay.

Mr Barclay said the partnership with Eden Park and Auckland Rugby had been a key to the bid’s success with Rugby World Cup organisers.

“Obviously we’ve developed a strong relationship with them through our years of work with Auckland Rugby at Eden Park but having both organisations on board as partners gave us that edge when it came to sealing our rugby credentials with the Rugby World Cup organisers. That rugby credibility and expertise will also be invaluable in working with provincial host unions and venues.”

ENDS

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