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With ticket sales for the 2011 Rugby World Cup set to kick off at the end of the month, business owners are being told the economic benefits of the event could be bigger than predicted.
The cup is expected to bring around $290 million to the economy, but a series of talks beginning in Auckland will show local businesses how they can make more from the event.
Michael Barnett from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce says with 60,000-85,000 visitors expected to spend more than $267 million businesses across the country stand to gain.
Barnett says 85,000 credit cards in the country offer opportunities for businesses to wine, dine, entertain and sell product and service.
He points out that 48 games of rugby played over 45 days in 13 destinations represent about 100 hours out of approximately 1000 hours of visitor time. That leaves about 900 hours, says Barnett.
Fan zones present many opportunities for small businesses, Barnett says - citing security, lighting, staging and banners through to catering.
And he says with three cruise ships carrying up to 8000 people, Auckland effectively has an extra village at the bottom of town. He says these people will want to be entertained and it is up to the imagination of businesses to cater to their needs.
Barnett says smaller areas will also benefit as people look for places to visit between games, using various modes of transport to see the rest of the country.
He says something needs to be done at Queens Wharf to make Auckland attractive and build its good reputation.
"When those people leave...they need to look back at Auckland as having been good hosts," says Barnett.
He says Auckland needs to leave a good impression as being able to host major events.
