“The Fifa World Cup matches have provided an uptick in trade among many hospitality venues, especially those who are screening the games,” Phillips said.
“We’ve heard from many of our members, particularly sports bars, that have been fully booked during the screenings, and changing up their normal operations to encourage guests to be out in full force, enjoying themselves and supporting their teams.”
Hospitality New Zealand has observed an uptick in trade across venues during the World Cup. Photo / Alyse Wright
Cunningham explained that keg sales had been positive both for early-morning fixtures and those later in the day, while the tournament has helped to boost sales compared to their usually quieter winters.
“Winter is a period in New Zealand generally sees a lower level of sales versus a summer period, but when there are events on such as World Cups and the All Blacks, Warriors games, these really do help bridge that gap through winter, particularly when teams like the Warriors and the All Blacks are playing really well.
“It’ll draw out more crowds into venues, more people in venues, more consumption happening, equals more sales and for us, that is particularly in beer.”
The Warriors and the All Blacks kickoff within half an hour of each other in Auckland on Saturday – and while it might cause trouble for supporters heading to the stadiums, Phillips expects venues to be packed around the city.
“We’d expect a big sporting weekend in Auckland to have a positive flow-through to hospitality and to see lots of people getting out into venues either before or after games, or to watch the games in a social setting in the city or throughout the country,” Phillips said.
“The All Blacks test especially is also likely to bring in some out-of-towners, which is positive for tourism.
“It’s great to have these sorts of events in the calendar, especially over the winter period, and this reinforces the importance of events to hospitality across the country.”
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