Paradise Week 2007 Attracts Record Crowds in Tokyo

Nearly 17,000 people flocked to the New Zealand Paradise Week 2007 events, held at central Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills district last week. A record 10,000 people attended on one day alone, marking a new attendance record on a single day to the food and entertainment district. Meat & Wool New Zealand served about 2,300 portions of barbecued New Zealand grass-fed beef, while ANZCO served over 4,000 New Zealand lamb chops.

The event showcased New Zealand culture, cuisine, people and lifestyle, and comprised two main events—a VIP Gala launch at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and a two-day outdoor event last weekend.

Leading up to the event, Meat & Wool New Zealand offered visitors a special discount via their mobile phones. A Quick Response (QR) code (or two-dimensional bar code) was imbedded in a print advertisement, allowing mobile phone users to scan it into their phone. When presented at the Meat & Wool New Zealand booth at the event, visitors received two servings of New Zealand grass-fed beef for the price of one. The same offer was also promoted through Meat & Wool New Zealand’s Japan website at www.newzealand-beef.jp (Japanese-only).

Meat & Wool New Zealand designed T-shirts for those working on the stand at New Zealand Paradise Week 2007 and they proved extremely popular. Featuring the different cuts of beef outlined on a sketched Kiwi cow, the T-shirts were in demand and organizers are looking at making them available for purchase through the Meat & Wool New Zealand Japan website.

Meat & Wool New Zealand Representative-Japan, John Hundleby said, “It was most encouraging to witness Japanese customers’ enthusiasm for New Zealand and New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb. Japan is New Zealand’s third largest international market for beef in terms of volume and New Zealand’s second largest market in terms of value. The past four years have seen a threefold increase in New Zealand beef exports to Japan and, based on the positive feedback at the weekend’s festivities, I believe that prospects are good for continued growth. New Zealand beef and lamb proved so popular that we had long queues throughout most of both days, and had to rush in an extra order of beef on the Saturday. During the two days, we sold all the approximately 240 kilograms of beef we had arranged for the festival. ”

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New Zealand Paradise Week 2007 marked the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Japan and the highlight of the event was the two-day outdoor event held at the Roppongi Hills Arena, part of the Roppongi Hills complex in downtown Tokyo, on the weekend of 17-18 November. New Zealand Paradise Week 2007 was organized by Tourism New Zealand, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo, with funding from sponsors and the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage's cultural diplomacy international programme. The arena was transformed into a New Zealand-themed environment, featuring its own forest with a suspension bridge and waterfall.

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