Over seven and a half thousand people have visited Tourism New
Zealand's Rugby Ball venue in London and many more have seen New
Zealand's message through media coverage of the event.
The Ball will be dismantled today after being installed in the
high profile Potterfields Park by the London Tower Bridge for one
week.
In that time the venue has been visited by the Queen, Prince
Phillip, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Prime Minister and
Minister of Tourism John Key. A number of functions have been
hosted there including the International Rugby Board pool draw.
The Ball has attracted an even greater audience through media
coverage with over two hundred media attending the pool draw alone.
As a result of the Rugby Ball installation, stories about New
Zealand have been written by most of the London-based daily
newspapers including the Telegraph, the Observer
and the Times. The Ball has also been covered by many
international television channels including Sky News and
the BBC.
The purpose of the ball was to highlight New Zealand's trade,
immigration and tourism and the fact that New Zealand will host the
Rugby World Cup in 2011 and Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive
George Hickton says the event has done its job.
"Putting an inflatable rugby ball up in one of the most visited
areas of Central London just had to create attention. Many curious
people - particularly with some interest in New Zealand - are drawn
to the Ball and once they have seen the audio visual show inside
they come out talking about booking their ticket."
The Rugby Ball was the final activity in the first phase of a
new Tourism New Zealand campaign in the UK called 'What Do You Say
UK?'
"The inflatable Rugby Ball is edgy, it makes New Zealand stand
out and it's different from the ways other national tourism
organisations promote their destinations. Competition is getting
more fierce and we have to stay ahead of the game when it comes to
promoting our country," George Hickton said.
The IRB's decision to use the Ball as the venue for the Rugby
World Cup pool draw provided a strong link to New Zealand as the
next host of the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
"New Zealand has promised a stadium of four million when we host
the 2011 Rugby World Cup and we are well down the track of planning
for an event that will be the best New Zealand can deliver for
rugby fans," George Hickton said.
Read
more about the Rugby Ball venue
Read more about the Queen's visit to the Ball
See latest footage of the Ball on YouTube:
Haka Workshop in the Ball
Laser projections on the Ball at night
For more information please contact:
Sue Allen on 029 917 5466