The towering Burton, 42, is here fleetingly and seems pleased with events so far.
"The way New Zealanders have embraced the tournament, the excitement has been building. It just feels like about a week before Christmas."
Companies like Fletcher Building have paid about $424,000 to host customers and it is Burton's business which co-ordinates contractors and agents to sell the tickets, put on all the food and drinks, provide dedicated seating and generally ensure things run smoothly and everyone has a fine old time of it.
Rugby Travel put up the Eden Park Pavilion - a temporary marquee able to host up to 3000 people.
It held 640 revellers last Friday, offering fine pre- and post-match dining, entertainment from Australian Peter Fitzsimons and Andrew Mehrtens, big screens showing Party Central and live crosses to the park and crowds outside.
The quietly spoken Burton, himself a former rugby player, is an extremely imposing figure with a gentle manner, whose main corporate entity is Mike Burton, his father's eponymous business, although he produces five business cards to explain wider roles in Europe.
Amongst rugby followers, Mike Burton is a British rugby great, a former Lion, and a prop for Gloucester. Now 65, his autobiography Never Stay Down tells of a tough childhood in post-war Britain and his determination to succeed in the face of almost impossible odds.
Here, the business is not a household name but in Europe it is a big cheese in rugby, tennis, soccer and multi-sport events. It is involved with corporate hospitality, business and incentive travel, sports travel packages, event management and player management.
A Burton/Sodexo joint venture, Prestige Ticketing, has won the contract to provide hospitality for next year's London Olympics and for more than two decades Mike Burton has managed the Chase Bridge Hospitality Village at Twickenham and is now looking towards the Lions tour of Australia in 2013 and the Lions returning to New Zealand a year later.
You name the big sporting event, Mike Burton is bound to be behind the scenes, in London about to plant a three-level marquee 70m from the stadium so it can can host thousands wining and dining and hoping their country walks away with the golds.
"We're already appointed to Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and 2019 in Japan," says Burton, a former Cheltenham Town lock, "but a frustrated back row forward" who speaks fondly of his father, here next month for the semifinals.
"He's chairman of the business which he started in 1981 with very humble beginnings from a small office in Gloucester.
"He was one of the pioneers in the hospitality area and over the last 20 or 30 years, the business has evolved."
As to how Andrew came to own half of Mike Burton with an annual £26 million ($50 million) revenue, he says: "I acquired those shares some years ago."
Burton's siblings, Nick and Claire, do not work in the business and his explanation is "because I'm probably the most talented child".
Asked about his biggest challenge in organising this tournament, he points to New Zealand's size and lack of choice in service providers compared to Europe, although he quickly emphasised our businesses are of a world-class standard, more-than able to fulfil expectations.
"New Zealand is a relatively small country to host such a big event which has benefits and challenges. Rugby World Cup is a big logistical challenge in terms of the tournament running seven weeks at 12 venues with 48 matches and 20 teams."
However, the Olympics was far more testing, with multiple venues and more than 600 ticketed events.
Kiwis demand a few one-off products too, he explains.
Cup hospitality packages were created for small- to medium-sized businesses, offering Auckland deals which start at The Langham and Rendezvous, from around $1795 each, then move on to Eden Park for the matches.
As for Auckland's opening day fiasco, Burton reckons his customers triumphed.
"In reality, it did not affect people who purchased hospitality whether it be the Sky Box or Eden Park Pavilion because it's important they arrive early to enjoy their evening so they avoid all that unnecessary congestion which to be honest, I've seen before - not quite as bad as that on Friday - but France in 2007 for Rugby World Cup in Marseille."
Andrew Burton
* Chief executive, Mike Burton, Gloucester, Britain.
* Chief executive Rugby Travel & Hospitality, Auckland.
* Director, Lions Rugby Travel, Gloucester.
* Director, England Rugby Travel, Gloucester.
* Chief executive, Prestige Ticketing, London.
