Bank details business tips for RWC

Graham Turley, ANZ's commercial and managing director. Photo / Supplied

It is plain that tourism, hospitality and retail industries will benefit from the Rugby World Cup, but the wider business community also needs to be awake to opportunities, ANZ says.

To help businesses be ready, ANZ has come up with some tips.

"We believe that the profile and business development opportunities offered will bring benefits to New Zealand for many years to come," ANZ's commercial and agri managing director, Graham Turley, said

For some businesses, such as those in the tourism industry, the benefits were easy to identify, he said.

"Outside those sectors the opportunities may be less obvious but nonetheless very real," he said. "It's also important to think about how you can incorporate a 45-day sporting event into your business' long-term growth strategy."

ANZ's tips include:

* Know what's happening in your region.

* Think about your relationships - you may not be an international operator but your customers may be. How can you collaborate so you all achieve success?

* Use RWC not just as a short-term cash injection but as a long-term sustainable growth opportunity.

* Make sure your marketing strategy works for international customers and adjust if not. Think about where national team fans will congregate.

* Have a follow-up plan for the contacts you make to convert one-off sales into regular customers.

* Be prepared to adapt your plans according to economic developments that might affect visitor numbers and how much visitors spend.

* Know how you are going to fund short-term opportunities while minimising the impact on longer-term cash cycles.

The tournament, which will host 85,000 international visitors, starts on September 9 with New Zealand versus Tonga in Auckland.