Hot demand for All Blacks RWC tickets
03 Jun 2010
Strong demand for tickets has Rugby World Cup 2011 organisers in New Zealand in a positive spin.
Fans from around the world have applied for a whopping 600,000 tickets during the first of three major ticketing sales phases for Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011).
This was a great start and clear evidence that local and overseas fans would strongly support the rugby tournament, according to Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 2011) chief executive Martin Snedden.
Not quite three months off the one-year out deadline on 9 September, Snedden said last week that New Zealand would provide a rugby environment that couldn’t be paralleled anywhere else in the world.
Applications for venue and team pool packs, which closed on 21 May, totalled 125,000. In addition, 40,000 applications were received for the quarter-final weekend packs in Wellington and Christchurch, and the bronze final.
All Blacks in hot demand
Matches featuring the All Blacks and seats at Eden Park - the centrepiece venue for the tournament - are the hottest items with demand exceeding the places available.
"There has been oversubscription for the Eden Park venue packs and also the New Zealand team pack. As well, there has been some specific seating category oversubscription within some other venue and team packs," Snedden said.
It would not be possible to satisfy demand from all phase one fans, he said. Where possible unsuccessful applicants would be offered second chance packs.
RNZ 2011 is currently processing applications.
In cases where demand exceeds availability, a randomisation process will determine success.
Successful applicants will have credit card payments deducted over the next month. All applicants - successful or otherwise - will receive written advice on the outcome of their applications by early July.
Popular team pool packs
International demand has been strong with the most popular team pool packs (aside from New Zealand), being England, Ireland, France, South Africa and Australia.
"Fans are realising how special this tournament will be in New Zealand and this bodes well for future ticketing phases and for the event itself," Snedden said.
"There has also been strong demand for quarter-final weekends packs in both Wellington and Christchurch. Demand for tickets at venues aside from Eden Park, has been solid and in line with expectations."
Second phase ticketing
The second phase of RWC 2011 ticketing, involving the sale of individual match tickets, which will include All Blacks matches but exclude the semi-finals and final, is likely to begin in September. Details of this phase will be confirmed in July.
The third phase - a ballot for tickets to the semifinals and the final - will take place in early 2011.
Travel agent ticket sales
Ticket sales to travel agents for Rugby World Cup 2011 have already outstripped the 2003 event, 16 months before the opening match.
David White, chief executive of Rugby Travel and Hospitality (RTH), which sells tickets directly to official travel agents and hospitality package providers, confirmed last week that RTH had sold 85,000 tickets since the start of February.
That was 3000 tickets more than were sold to agents for the entire event in Australia in 2003, and was 15% ahead of the 2007 event in France at the same point before the tournament began, White said.
White expects they will eventually sell 120,000 tickets through the travel programme.
About 10% of tickets have been bought by Europe-based travel agents, with strong interest reported from European fans for "top-end hospitality packages".
RTH is aiming to sell 75,000 hospitality packages, up 50% on the 2003 event.
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