Tourism Outlook: Paint city green for Cup

How can local businesses capitalise on Rugby World Cup 2011 opportunities?

A few weeks ago the Irish Consulate Office was looking for a co-ordinator in Rotorua to create excitement and hype around the Ireland vs Russia game, scheduled for September 25. The challenge is to "paint the town green", getting the local community and businesses involved and creating an atmosphere encouraging large numbers of Ireland supporters to Rotorua to attend the match.

When we talk about Ireland supporters, we're not limiting this to those who've travelled from the Irish homeland. We're also looking to encourage Kiwis from around the region to adopt Ireland as the country they support - when the All Blacks aren't playing - and bring them into town as well.

Although there are no resources or funding available, Stay and Play Rotorua decided to accept the challenge. We could see the opportunities around the event had the potential to bring more visitors to town, producing a financial return for local businesses and creating news stories and gaining media attention.

By creating a festival atmosphere leading up to the game, we're confident locals and visitors are going to celebrate and have a time to remember.

With minimal promotion to date, we've been thrilled with the level of support offered by local businesses. Some have offered to donate prizes, others have come up with creative special offers and deals and there are others who are really getting into the theme by hosting events with a touch of Irish included. Several businesses will be distribution bases for green flags and wet weather gear, provided by the Irish consulate for supporters. With only a few weeks to go until the Rotorua games, some smaller accommodation providers have reported their rooms are filling up well, but there are still hotels and motels with vacancies and they are using this opportunity to increase their occupancy.

Other promotions we've been involved with have been limited to tourism-related businesses but this time it's really rewarding to be working with retailers, restaurants and cafes, as they are seeing the potential and simplicity of the opportunity. With Ireland's national colour being green, it won't take much effort to dress up shop-fronts and encourage staff to wear the colour.

Businesses taking part are obviously doing so with the expectation of increasing their sales around the Rugby World Cup and having a good time in the process. By using a collective approach and combining the resources of a wide range of businesses, the costs to participate in the promotions have been kept to a minimum, allowing a wide range of large and small businesses to take part.

We hope that similar promotions will be undertaken by the other teams' supporters to create a truly international carnival for Rotorua. Rugby World Cup 2011 will be an event to remember, not only for the rugby played, but also for the business generated and good times to be had by visitors and locals together.

- Kay Clarke is managing director of Stay and Play Rotorua Ltd, providing promotional and representation services to local businesses