NZAEP Events Update February 2017

EventsUpdate FEBRUARY 2017

editorial@nzaep.co.nz ­— New Zealand Association of Event Professionals, c/o P O Box 3798, Auckland 1140 ISSN 1179-3678 — Subscription is a member exclusive benefit — contact info@nzaep.co.nz for details

CALL TO MOVE AUCKLAND NINES EVENT — See page 4

ETF17 DATES AND VENUE CONFIRMED — See page 3

EVENT PROMOTERS FUMING OVER ONGOING TICKET SCALPING — See page 9

FROM THE CHAIR

Mark ETF17 in your diaries now!

Welcome to 2017, no doubt many members are well into peak events season and are wondering how it can be February already! NZAEP also have a full agenda for this year and anticipate some exciting announcements to members in the very near future. In the meantime, we’re excited to give you some information on this year’s conference, and important staff changes for our Association: ETF17: We are pleased to announce the annual Eventing

the Future Conference will take place on 2 & 3 August in New Plymouth. As always, the ETF17 programme promises world-class speakers and targets a broad spectrum of event professionals (see the ETF announcement on page 3).

Vicki Watson’s Resignation: We are sad to announce that NZAEP’s CEO, Vicki Watson, has accepted a new role as CEO of the NZ Leadership Institute. We’re very sorry to lose Vicki, she has achieved amazing

things for the Association in her 2.5 year tenure, but we wish her all the very best for this new step. Under Vicki’s watch NZAEP’s growth has accelerated; membership has doubled; a very successful awards programme has been relaunched; we’re delivering more benefits for members than ever before; and our financial stability, credibility and recognition has increased significantly. Vicki is leaving us in very good stead and we are so grateful for her commitment, drive and all she has done for NZAEP.

New Events Manager for Tauranga Tauranga City Council have appointed a new Manager: Strategic and City Events, Gareth Wallis. Gareth is originally from Tauranga and is looking forward to returning from Auckland to contribute to the city.

Gareth is currently the Manager, Business Development for Regional Facilities Auckland Limited (RFAL) and was responsible for the management of RFAL’s Production Investment Fund

from inception, including achieving a 120% commercial return on investment in the first 14 months of operation.

His role also requires undertaking all contractual and commercial negotiations to secure large-scale concerts and festivals for RFAL’s stadia group.

Prior to Gareth’s current role with RFAL he held several management positions within Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd

(ATEED), including the role of Leverage and Legacy Programme Manager for Rugby World Cup 2011.

Gareth will be joining Tauranga City Council on 1 February 2017 on part time basis through until to 31 March 2017. He will officially be in a full-time capacity with Tauranga City Council from 3 April 2017.

The Board are looking at the best way to structure the CEO role going forward, and we expect to advertise for a replacement after our March Board meeting. In the meantime, Wendy Wilson and Andrea Fouhy will hold the fort and we don’t foresee any disruption to the year’s key projects.

Wishing you all the best for the busy events season, Andy Scotland Chair, NZAEP Board.

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COVER: Fans enjoyed the footy and weather at Eden Park on Saturday. CREDIT: Stuff.co.nz

Events Update, February 2017

Page 2

ETF 2017 Venue and Dates Announced

2nd and 3rd August, New Plymouth

and Americana to name the most well-known.

Boasting some iconic events and event venues, New Plymouth is a significant contributor to NZ’s event profile with WOMAD, TSB Bank Festival of Lights, the NZ Tattoo and Art Festival,

“Returning to a region is a commitment made by ETF organisers to provide an opportunity for the event sector to experience our thriving regional centres and their events, venues and attractions – an initiative strongly endorsed in the post conference evaluations of the past two years.” says coorganiser, Anne Hindson.

Taranaki was recently voted “the second best region in the world to visit in 2017” by travel bible Lonely Planet due to its unique natural environment, activities, and cultural and natural attractions including; • The renowned Govett Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre • The Bowl of Brooklands- a unique event venue • Pukekura Park • Puke Ariki - New Plymouth’s Waterfront Museum • Yarrow Stadium - voted the 3rd best venue in world to watch rugby!

• The Forgotten World Highway - an abandoned rail route through magnificent scenery, explored by rail cart or rail bike • The variety of walks on Mt Taranaki with its Wilkies Pools sacred water source and pristine alpine environments.

The 2017 ETF programme will feature greater interaction, refreshing ideas, exciting trends and developments and networking opportunities with the industry’s best.

Make this one of your personal and business goals for 2017 and commit by

Events Update, February 2017

Considered Mentoring?

Mentoring is a great way to share the benefit of your experience, contribute to our wider industry and help an up and coming professional achieve their potential.

NZAEP would like to connect potential mentors and mentees through our membership.

Please contact info@nzaep.co.nz to feature here:

Mentor Opportunity Wellington: An intermediate level event professional is looking to connect with a Wellington-based mentor with several years’ experience in a variety of event sectors. Seeking advice and support in current role and guidance around career progression.

If this sounds like you, please email info@nzaep.co.nz

Where can I get great Guidelines?

securing your flights now!

ETF 2017 is the National Conference for Event Professionals, so don’t miss out!

Further details will be updated regularly on the website www. eventingthefuture.co.nz

Page 3

Auckland Nines ambassadors call for event to be moved SOURCE: Excerpts from Stuff. co.nz, 4 & 6 February 2017 Auckland Nines ambassadors Johnathan Thurston and Shaun Johnson have called for the NRL pre-season tournament to be moved away from New Zealand, possibly as far as Asia, due to a dip in crowds.

The short-term future of the event - which has been held at Eden Park since its inception in 2014 - is under a cloud after NRL boss Todd

Greenberg couldn’t guarantee next year’s event would be held in New Zealand’s biggest city.

2018 is the final year of the five-year agreement between the NRL, Duco Events and Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (Ateed).

Greenberg said on Saturday that he would have discussions with Duco and Ateed about next year’s tournament.

“This is the fourth year in a row we’ve been here and we’ve got a huge amount of respect for two key partners, which is Duco and Ateed,” Greenberg said.

“You’ve got to remember the history here, these two partners came to us when this was never heard of.

“We’ve got a strong five-year agreement with them and we’ve got to talk to them about what we do in the last year of that.

“They’ve been good to us and the game, we’ll have those discussions, we’ve started them and what we do for 2018, we’re open to.

“At the moment the fifth year is committed with both Duco and Ateed,” he said.

Jonathan Thurston, who became a paid nines ambassador this summer, was the most adamant about taking the concept away from Auckland next year after a poor crowd turnout.

While previous tournaments have usually been sellouts over the two days, it’s estimated that around 25,000 spectators - half the stadium’s capacity - attended on Sunday to witness the Sydney Roosters lift their first title.

“It’s a great way to kick off the year, playing in the nines,” Thurston said after North Queensland were bundled out in the quarter-finals. “(But) I’m pretty disappointed at the turn-out of the crowd. If that’s the type of crowd that’s going to show up I reckon we should be taking it elsewhere.

“Maybe even Asia, get over there for a week and try and grow the game. You can see it’s a great spectacle and if it’s going get a turnout like this then let’s take it elsewhere.”

Fans enjoyed the footy and weather at Eden Park on Saturday. CREDIT: Stuff.co.nz

Events Update, February 2017

Page 4

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Events Update, February 2017

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NZ-born duo help event organisers increase ticket sales Source: Excerpts from Scoop. co.nz, 2 February 2017 Audience Republic, an online platform that helps event organisers increase ticket sales, announces today that it has closed a $AUD525,000 seed investment round.

Founded by Auckland-raised former concert and festival promoter Jared Kristensen, 27, and Palmerston Northborn former CTO of GoCatch Jason MacLulich, 37, the two Sydney-based co-founders say they’ll use the funds raised from the round towards accelerating customer acquisition and also towards product development, in order to bolster customers’ data and analytics capabilities.

Launched in October 2015 and formerly known as Ticket Squad, Audience Republic is a global software-as-aservice platform that helps increase ticket sales for events. Event organisers pay to use the platform to create online campaigns that drive increased ticket sales

to their existing ticketing providers, such as Ticketek, Ticketmaster or Eventbrite.

demonstrated by our first customers being outside of Australia.”

More than $2 million worth of ticket sales from tens of thousands of event goers have been delivered

by Audience Republic to organisers to date. Festivals that it’s boosted ticket sales for in New Zealand and Australia include: Rhythm & Vines, Electric Gardens, Pitch Festival, and Days Like This. It’s also been used on concerts for Sticky Fingers, Broods and Rufus. But it’s not just festivals and concerts: it’s helped with ticket sales of conferences and special events too.

In order to increase event ticket sales, Audience Republic’s campaigns leverage social media and rewards – such as access to exclusive tickets, discounts, and prizes – to gamify the process of a ticket-buyer inviting friends to purchase tickets too.

“More than 85 per cent of events don’t sell out,” says Audience Republic chief executive officer and cofounder, Jared Kristensen.

“And with the live events sector being worth $3 billion alone in Australia and $100 billion globally, that’s a huge opportunity for us. We’re very much focused on being a global business. This is

The more friends a user refers that buy tickets, and the more social follows they complete, the more points the user gets and the better chance they have to get rewarded. Through the process, event organisers collect data, including their music tastes, so they can learn more about the people who buy tickets to their event.

Platforms supported include Facebook and Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Spotify and SoundCloud.

On average, Audience Republic says it’s delivered a 76 per cent uplift in pre-sale

registrations for events, with 203 per cent being its record achieved through the virility of social shares.

For event promoters, Kristensen says the data it can provide is invaluable.

“With data collected through Audience Republic, promoters will be able to meet the people behind their ticket sales,” says Kristensen. “We deliver insights like their highest spending, most loyal, and most influential customers. And at a broader level, we provide insights around age, gender and location, as well as interests, preferences and music listening history.”

As a former promoter, Kristensen says a key insight he learned was that if people knew their friends were attending an event, they were 10 times more likely to buy a ticket. “And that’s the foundation our platform is built on: leveraging the power of small groups,” Kristensen says.

Entries well up for new Kathmandu Coast to Coast event SOURCE: Stuff.co.nz, 19 January 2017 In its first year under a new three-year sponsorship the Kathmandu Coast to Coast is attracting more entrants and a younger age group.

Race organiser Richard Ussher has a lot riding on its fortunes because three years ago when he was a contestant he said it needed a fresh approach after 35 years.

The number of entrants this year is close to 700 which compares with 600 last year and 500 the year before, each paying about $900 depending on category.

Trojan Holdings, owned by the Rich List Davies family in Queenstown, bought the race from founder Robin Judkins and supported it last year in Events Update, February 2017

the absence of a sponsor.

“It won’t be paying Trojan millions of dollars but gives it a cross-branding opportunity with its guided walks and other attractions,” Ussher said.

Securing Kathmandu sponsorship had been a “massive” learning curve for Ussher and his three-person team, which swells to more than 300 on the race weekend on February 11.

It was a case of making the event relevant for today’s market and lifting participation.

“Because Kathmandu is not an alcohol brand like the former Speights sponsorship we can now target schools and we have close to 60 students this year.

“If your headline sponsor is an alcohol brand you can’t go into schools. It just doesn’t work.”

New initiatives included embracing digital technology and social media to allow spectators to see videos of the race as it happens rather than watching a group of people disappear off into the bush and reappear hours later.

There’s also the safety factor for competitors and the several hundred people who volunteer to help.

Under modern occupational health and safety rules they all sign contracts to ensure they understand requirements and when to take breaks. They are partnered with new volunteers so knowledge is

passed on.

The number of race categories has been increased to entice more competitors.

“We want to be more inclusive.

Not everyone has to be a super hardcore mountain man, although you couldn’t do the main three-day course without the necessary training.”

New recreational tandem categories, often comprising family groups, can choose two and one-day races, and whether to do the biking and kayaking as well as running.

It’s a far cry 1982 when Judkins and 11 mates pioneered the same 243km course used today, attracting 79 entrants.

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Nelson’s Evolve Festival cut short after wind causes ‘carnage’ at campsite SOURCE: Nelson Mail, 23 January 2017 The strong winds that buffeted Nelson last month caused “carnage” at the Evolve Festival campsite, forcing the cancellation of the final day of the long-running annual event.

Organiser Chai Deva said about 60 people had to be evacuated into buildings when the campsite was “wiped out” by the wind.

“It was carnage at the campsite,” Deva said. “We ended up having to cancel Sunday.”

The weekend festival, held at Founders Heritage Park, had been running for 26 years, the past six years as Evolve.

The drug and alcohol-free festival, which was billed as a celebration of health and wellbeing, was attractive to families. In previous years, it drew close to 3000 attendees.

Deva said the event had gained an international reputation. “We’re getting on the worldwide map.”

About 80 performers had applied for 18 positions and there was a waiting list of about 35 for people wanting to hold workshops. About 75 workshops were offered in 2017.

Most of the entertainment acts and about 30 per cent of the 100-odd exhibitors were new, to keep Evolve fresh.

Close to 500 people were involved with the event as stallholders, musicians or volunteers.

Despite the weather, there had been a lot of positive feedback about the 2017 event and plans were unfolding for the 2018 festival next January, Deva said.

“It’s got a really good ethos around it,” Deva said. “It’s a very heartfelt thing.”

The bad weather also affected the Nelson Summer Kite Festival.

Damage to the campsite at Founder Park Nelson after high winds forced the early closure of the Evolve Festival. CREDIT: Bex Deva Organiser Ted Howard said he had never seen anything like it in 26 years of the colourful event.

“It was a washout,” he said.

“It was very disappointing and very frustrating to have worked so hard to put on this event.”

Visiting kite flyers arrived at the Neale Park site on Friday and did a little bit of flying.

Saturday was the warm-up day and participants had about four hours of flying

before the rain arrived.

On Sunday morning, the organisers were met with a sodden Neale Park that also had some damaged trees and debris from the strong wind.

“It was pretty wild weather yesterday morning,” Howard said. “We were hoping the rain would ease off by noon-1pm.”

However, it did not clear and “with the rain, there was just no way”.

Currently Seeking Volunteers volunteernet.org.nz Oxfam Trailwalker 2017, 24 to 26 March 2017, Whakatane.

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Karapoti Classic, 18 February 2017, Upper Hutt Based in Wellington’s rugged Akatarawa Ranges, 10k north of Upper Hutt City, the Karapoti Classic is the Southern Hemisphere’s longest running mountain bike event. This event needs general volunteers who can handle a variety of roles.

Events Update, February 2017

Sovereign Tri Kinloch, 12 February 2017, Kinloch, Taupo With multiple exciting areas you can to help out with, this event needs happy, helpful people who to be part of this great event!

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Winter Games on target to become annual event after fifth biennial installment Wells, who are from Wanaka, are all expected to compete.

In another change to this year’s event, all Winter Games related events will be held at the various venues, rather than in the Queenstown or Wanaka townships.

The opening ceremony, which will include an alpine slalom night race, will be held at Coronet Peak on August 25.

Need

guidance on managing Japan’s Raibu Katayama competes in the snowboard World Cup Halfpipe finals during the 2015 Winter Games at Cardrona. CREDIT: Camilla Rutherford SOURCE: Stuff.co.nz, 17 January 2017 New Zealand’s largest recurring sports event is on track to become an annual event.

Winter Games chief executive Arthur Klap is “highly optimistic” the event will switch from biennial to annual after this year’s installment, which will include events in Queenstown, Wanaka and Naseby from August 25 to September 10.

Klap had originally hoped to confirm the change before Christmas, but said it was now likely to be confirmed by the end of next month.

“Most of the key funding is in place,” he said. “We’re just waiting for one final part of that puzzle before the board can have enough confidence to go straight ahead.

“We’ve put our business plan together right through until 2021 . . . If I was a betting man, I would say we will go annual.”

This year’s event, which will

Events Update, February 2017

for the first time incorporate events at Treble Cone, as well as Snow Farm, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and the Naseby curling rink, will be the fifth instalment of the event.

It’s one of the world’s top five winter sports competitions, and the only one in the southern hemisphere.

It attracts Winter Olympic, para athletes and X Games stars across events such as the freestyle skiing, snowboarding, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and halfpipe and slopestyle competitions.

Discussions for the Winter Games to become an annual event have been on-going since the 2015 event, particularly after chairman Sir Eion Edgar raised concerns another southern hemisphere country might step in and take over the games if it remained biennial.

In addition to being confident the event will become annual, Klap said he was

volunteers?

“super confident” this year’s instalment would attract the best athletes in the world.

“We’re such a critical part of the qualifying process for the Winter Olympics [in South Korea], which are only about five months after our games,” he said.

Crucial qualifying points will be up for grabs at the Winter Games, which will host four freeski and snowboard world cup events, two para alpine skiing world cup races, a raft of alpine and cross-country continental cup events and a Big Mountain skiing event.

“If athletes want to compete in the snowboard halfpipe competition at the Olympics, there is only three halfpipes before in which they can qualify for it, and we’re one of those three,” Klap said.

“It would be wise to compete in our one if you’ve only got two others left to get qualifying points.”

Kiwi brothers Jossi, Byron, Jackson and Beau-James

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Page 8

Event promoters fuming because of ongoing ticket scalping tickets on the website on behalf of [or as agent for] third parties.”

“They claim there are brokers who buy 100 tickets for a hot show early on, intending to use them to go to the show.

Then, this broker suddenly finds that they can no longer go so they sell the tickets on the open market,” said Magan.

Ticket resale website ‘scalping on an industrial scale’.

SOURCE: Excerpts from Stuff. co.nz, 22 January 2017 New Zealand event promoters are demanding that the Commerce Commission act to protect the public from “greedy” ticket resale sites.

The New Zealand Entertainment Operators Association (NEOA), a collective organisation of promoters, are specifically concerned about the rise of Ticketmaster Resale, a website that allows people to sell their tickets at vastly inflated prices.

Ian Magan, head of the NEOA, has described the process of buying tickets and then reselling it via Ticketmaster as a “huge con”.

“We think it is shocking because it is taking advantage of the public’s lack of knowledge of the ticketing process and it’s based on pure greed.”

United States company Live Nation Entertainment, Inc, one of the world’s largest producers of live music, is the holding company of Ticketmaster NZ which operates Ticketmaster Resale.

Live Nation also operates major Auckland venue, Vector Arena, and is behind Adele’s upcoming record-selling New Zealand concerts.

Events Update, February 2017

In 2015 secondary ticketing sales generated $1.2 billion in revenue for Live Nation.

Reports in Italy alleged last November that Live Nation had direct dealings with a range of secondary ticketing partners who resold tickets at inflated prices.

However, Roberto de Luca, managing director of Live Nation Italy, publicly stated that it only issued: “a very limited number of tickets on other sites”.

“On the resale site they could be selling them for whatever amount and you as the promoter have no control of that. It’s dodgy,” said Magan.

“Live Nation own the ticketing agency, they own Ticketmaster outright, they condone the setting up of Ticketmaster Resale, they manage Vector Arena... It gives them a huge conflict of interest as the world’s largest promoter of gigs.”

“We believe these brokers don’t exist. We believe it is the agency lifting tickets from our manifest we’ve set up for the concert. They’re holding them, then reselling them closer to the concert’s date at a much higher price. That’s when it becomes scalping.”

Commission said ticket scalping isn’t illegal in New Zealand, aside from events the Government specifically designates as being ‘major events’ such as the 2011 Rugby World Cup. “It’s not something we specifically police”.

“Apparently more than 100,000 tickets have been sold to Adele’s concerts - if that’s not a major event I don’t know what is,” said Magan. ​ epeated attempts to contact R Live Nation Entertainment, Inc, for comment were unsuccessful.

HOW DO RESALES WORK?

Leading New Zealand promoter, Manolo Echave, described it as “a rort”.

- The promoter is the person who pays for the concert and takes on any financial risk.

“I don’t think the Commerce Commission has grasped the seriousness of it yet,” he said.

- The ticketing agency has a contract with the venue, where the concert is being held.

“People are being ripped off,” Echave said. “There’s consumer legislation to protect the public for nearly everything but nothing has been done in terms of the entertainment industry.”

Magan agreed: “We don’t think we should be the ones policing our own industry.”

When approached for comment, the Commerce

- To stage a show at the venue, the promoter must sign a contract with the ticketing agency the venue is contracted to. (In New Zealand this is mainly Ticketmaster or Ticketek.)

- From this point, it’s the ticketing agency, not the promoter, who has control of the ticket manifest.

A spokesperson for Ticketmaster Resale said the company “provides a platform for fans to sell unwanted tickets and a safe purchase option for events that might otherwise be sold out.”

But, on its own website, Ticketmaster Resale admits to reselling the tickets: “We may, on occasion, place

Resource Bank

Adele’s tickets have been snapped up by fans and overseas ticketing sites alike. CREDIT: Getty Images

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From the summer of 1979 to 2017: a look back at Wellington’s Summer City events SOURCE: Stuff.co.nz, 17 January 2017 It was the summer of ‘79 when Wellington City Council first organised a series of outdoor music concerts and activities for the city.

At the time, the council used the summer series as an opportunity to employ outof-work artists, students and others to entertain residents over the warmer months.

David Daniela, now the senior adviser for city events, moved to Wellington from Rotorua that same year and was employed to perform in the early summer festival program.

This year’s 2017 Meridian Gardens Magic at the Wellington Botanic Garden Soundshell is proving popular once again.

But that wasn’t always the case, Daniela said.

“At the beginning it was

pretty experimental, wasn’t necessarily family friendly.”

Daniela performed in a string duo with his former girlfriend Alison Isadora.

The performers were often free-wheeling, alternative musicians, with avant garde costumes thrown in, he said.

“In the old days there was a lot of stuff - you didn’t know what you were going to get, the audience might not be receptive.”

The genesis of the Summer City events goes back to 1978 when city councillors brought together all the city’s summer events to provide holiday entertainment and offer job opportunities to assist the unemployed in the city.

The summer student employment program ended in 1982, but that did not stop bands lining up to play at the event.

There were more than 200

Wellington Botanic Garden Soundshell concert in 1990.

CREDIT: Wellington City Council entries from bands, musicians and performers for the 2017 concert, events coordinator Delia Shanly said.

Compared with the experimental music of the early days, choosing the music for 2017 was a little different, she said.

“I just try to put on the goggles of ‘I am this type of rate payer and this is the kind of music I like’.”

Shanly said she tried to fit in as many varied acts from the niche communities of Wellington as possible for the three week event.

The lineup includes folk tunes, country rock, chamber music and old and new performers including Jesse Sheehan, The Warratahs, The Maori Sidesteps and Shaun Preston.

Mud festival part of big 2017 events line-up SOURCE: Excerpts from Rotorua Daily Post, 14 January 2017 Rotorua’s inaugural mud festival looks set to be one of the highlights of an actionpacked events calendar for the city in 2017, with locals and visitors spoilt for choice.

Destination Rotorua consumer marketing manager Tom Worsp said as the perceptions of Rotorua continued to improve and visitor numbers grew, so too did the number and quality of events being hosted and created in the city.

“Because of this Rotorua’s lineup of events is stronger than ever in 2017.”

Mr Worsp said events were great for the region because not only did they bring in a large number of visitors, they helped to promote some of the things which made Events Update, February 2017

Rotorua great.

“The recent announcement of a 10-year contract extension with Crankworx International ensures that we will remain New Zealand’s home for mountain biking into the foreseeable future and this year will also see the inaugural Rotorua Mud Festival, which will promote the geothermal properties of the region and the fantastic spa culture here in Rotorua.

“Whether you’re into the arts, sports or even fashion, Rotorua has an event for you in 2017.”

Rotorua’s first mud festival will be in early December and will include a mud-arena, spa and wellness experiences as well as education and historical story-telling.

Crankworx is a major event for the city, with the event being the Southern Hemisphere’s

Many Rotorua events which have previously been a hit will be back again for 2017. CREDIT: Rotorua Daily Post largest mountain biking festival, which injected an estimated $8 million into the Rotorua economy last year.

The annual Rotorua Bike Festival which sees people of all ages coming together on their bikes is expected to be a massive hit next month, with organisers expecting a turnout of at least 8000 people.

Last year’s festival had about 6500 participants.

This year’s bike festival will

feature 12 new events, with 25 in total.

This year will also see the 23rd year of the Rotorua Walking Festival, a two-day recreational walking event, where walkers can do either day or both days. Distances on day one are 10, 21 or 42km in the Whakarewarewa Forest and day 2 distances are 10, 20 or 30km around the geothermal, stream, parks and reserve areas of Rotorua.

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Masters event sets table for possible NZ Commonwealth Games SOURCE: NZHerald.co.nz, 28 January 2017 Former Olympic and Commonwealth Games swimming hero Anthony Mosse hopes the upcoming World Masters Games act as a springboard for another NZ-based Commonwealth Games bid.

The age-group competition, scheduled for April 21-30 in Auckland, is billed as the world’s largest multi-sport event, featuring 28 sports and 45 disciplines.

Mosse, who won two Commonwealth Games gold medals (1986 & 1990) and an Olympic bronze (1988) as a butterfly exponent, has been named as a World Masters Games ambassador and hints the 10-day festival could be a forerunner to even bigger things.

Namely, hosting another Commonwealth Games.

“I would hope we give it serious consideration,” Mosse told Radio Sport’s Mark Watson.

“If we’re able to put together a competition, which I believe we will, where we don’t have to go out and spend a chunk of change on brand new facilities and its managed

well, then I think that bodes well for us to be really thinking about this.”

New Zealand last hosted the Commonwealth Games in Auckland in 1990, where Mosse captured gold in the 200m butterfly.

“That was my last experience and I think we pulled it off well,” he said. “We have some of the best sport administrators on the planet and I think we should give it a shot.”

But Mosse, who has gone on to a successful San Francisco-based business career since retiring from the pool, warns any future Commonwealth Games may need a different model.

“It’s got to be national. It’s got to be the entire country thinking about it.

“I don’t know if it necessarily needs to be in one city. I have heard that as a suggestion, not just for New Zealand by the way, and if it makes sense, we’d love to have it.”

These days, Mosse is vice president and treasurer for Virgin American, and also New Zealand honorary consul.

The next Commonwealth Games is scheduled for next year on Queensland’s Gold

Swimmer Anthony Mosse swimmer carrying the New Zealand flag at the opening ceremony of the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. CREDIT: NZ Herald Coast, with the 2002 edition already allocated to Durban, South Africa.

Any future New Zealand bid would be for 2026 at the earliest.

“If it makes sense, but it needs to make sense,” says Mosse. “At the end of the day, government, local body and communities ... these things aren’t free to put on and I think you’ve got to take a common-sense approach to it and a lot of homework has to be done.

“There are impacts on the local community. Some people love it, but some people would rather not have buses and people running up and down streets outside their house.

“But I’m hopeful. If it’s pulled off well, and I have every expectation that it will, it bodes well for us to hold other multi-sport international competitions.”

Even as the Commonwealth

Games seem to lose significance on the international sporting stage, Mosse remains a strong proponent for them as a means of grooming athletes for the Olympics.

“I think the Commonwealth Games play a really important role for New Zealand sport,” he says. “The Olympic Games are the pinnacle for many, many athletes, but the opportunities for Kiwis to get to the top are very few and far between.

“The Commonwealth Games give us a chance to feel good as a nation. Teams do well and we obviously get on the dais with far more frequency.

“It’s a wonderful stepping stone for teams and for individuals to get ready for that Olympic level.

Some of them may not ever get to Olympic level, so Commonwealths might be the pinnacle

Young Screen Company scores Nitro contract Enthusiasm and determination has paid off for Wellington based event supplier, The Big Screen Company. After five months of negotiations, the two-year old company was awarded the contract to supply Nitro Circus’ six centre New Zealand tour taking place in February.

“In the end the organisers in the US handed the contract over to our friends at Big

Events Update, February 2017

Screens Australia” says sales manager, Brad Schindler, “Martin Pettifer at Big Screens Australia contacted us straight away to get us involved with the NZ leg.

Although he had received quotes from our competitors, he was impressed with our enthusiasm and follow up.

We are stoked to be involved in the event, and are all really looking forward to the tour” IMAGE CREDIT: Supplied

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