2014 Wellington Sevens Incorporating Waitangi Day
6th to 8th February
Sevens FanZone Odlins Plaza Wellington Waterfront
A History of the Wellington Sevens The Wellington Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand. The tournament is the fourth on the IRB Sevens World Series circuit, and is generally held on the first weekend of February on the weekend preceding the USA Sevens tournament. The Wellington Sevens includes teams from 16 countries. The event attracts over 35,000 spectators annually. The tournament has become Wellington's largest sporting event, and New Zealand's leading twoday event nationally. 2014 will be the fifteenth year than the Wellington Sevens has been hosted in the nation’s capital. The home team have won the tournament a record six times, with Fiji winning three events and England two, including the 2013 tournament last year. Australia, South Africa and Samoa have each taken home the title once.
Sevens FanZone in Wellington The Sevens FanZone was first set up by Sienna Media, together with Wellington City Council and Wellington Rugby Football Union, back in 2008. Back then, it began as a small outdoor video screen showing a live feed at Queens Wharf from the stadium. The screen was transported on the Saturday evening to Courtenay Place, where initially there was a road closure for the three finals matches. Since then the FanZone has blossomed, with it being relocated to Odlins Plaza to accommodate the huge crowds. An abundance of additional entertainment and interactive elements have been added to the area to enhance the already-electric atmosphere.
In addition to the giant forty square metre LED video screen, there will this year be a stage for Waitangi Day, a VIP area at the adjacent Macs Brewhouse, interactive elements, competitions, promotions and giveaways, and of course what everyone is there for – the LIVE screening of the entire Wellington Sevens tournament via our broadcast partners, The Rugby Channel.
As well as the FanZone, there will also be a live screening of the entire tournament on the big screen at the Embassy Theatre, Courtenay Place – best known for showing the worldwide premiere of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and, most recently, The Hobbit.
Attendance and Ticket Sales There is one thing that the Wellington Sevens can state above all other Sevens tournaments – if not sports’ events in general – and that’s that it sells out almost instantly! 70,000 tickets are sold year in, year out, within literally minutes of their release each September.
Back in 2012, every single ticket for the event at Westpac Stadium sold out within three minutes of them going online. In fact, tickets for the 2014 event were sold so quickly that the system crashed, forcing the WRFU to offer a second round of the last three thousand tickets a few months later, after the system had been restored!
Fans and Costumes The Wellington sevens also has a reputation for a party atmosphere, with a large proportion of attendees choosing to wear fancy dress. Recent years have seen large groups of costumes that vary from Fred Flintstone and Wilma to Lego characters, policewomen, superheroes and many other interesting costumes. More recently, items of recent media interest or subliminal advertisements form a key theme.
In 2009 Air New Zealand, one of the major sponsors for the Wellington sevens, introduced a 'Beads for Kisses' ambient media campaign as a yearly sevens ritual. Over 100,000 strings of Mardi Gras-style beads were given to the crowd, who could then exchange the beads for kisses from other participants. This was followed in 2010 with the addition of kissing booths.
Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, George Bush, even Borat have made appearances. Movie figures such as Men in Black and Austin Powers are crowd favorites and an impersonator of Austin has been a regular feature each year performing to the crowd.
Waitangi Day The first week in February is a huge time in New Zealand's capital. Not only is the country's biggest annual sporting event the Wellington Sevens - taking place on 7th and 8th, but it is directly preceded by their national holiday, Waitangi Day on 6th February. Waitangi Day is celebrated throughout the country on many different levels, but not many of these festivities are bigger than in the capital city, where Wellington comes to a standstill - especially this year with the Sevens following immediately after. In 2014, the Waitangi Day Festival - or "Te Ra o Waitangi" as it is known by the natives - will take place at Odlins Plaza, right on the Wellington Waterfront, next to the CBD.
The event will include a dawn service, with boats arriving at the Star Boating Club, live performances by musicians throughout the day, interaction and interviews with the audience, food and beverage stalls throughout the venue, souvenir sales and kids' entertainment. All of the live action will be broadcast on the massive forty square metre LED video screen, culminating in a screening of the critically-acclaimed Maori film, Whale Rider. Wellington Waterfront - the best place in New Zealand to celebrate Waitangi Day!
FanZone Attractions There will be an extensive number of interactive attractions at the FanZone over the three days. These will include: • A forty square metre video screen with LIVE coverage of all the Sevens action and Waitangi Day celebrations • Promotional and prize giveaways throughout the area • An Alienware Pod simulator playing the official IRB game • Sponsored “Kissing Booth” exchanging beads for kisses • Best costume competitions, face painting, body art and photo opportunities
• A VIP viewing area at Wellington’s most vibrant Sevens bar and restaurant, Mac’s Brewbar And many more…
On-Site Opportunities Sponsor and advertiser opportunities at the Sevens FanZone include:
• Screen branding
• Advertising packages on the Big Screen
• Bluetooth and SMS competitions
• On-site cameras and interviews
• Stadium digital LED signage
• Interactive opportunities
• Use of on-site promo staff
• Sampling booths
Odlins Plaza Package Venue Odlins Plaza, Wellington Waterfront, Wellington CBD
Dates 6th to 8th February 2014 Hours 10am to 10pm each day Foot Traffic In excess of 150,000 per day over the three days, almost half a million total Broadcast In HD from The Rugby Channel/Sky TV, and Maori Television for Waitangi Day coverage Screen Highlights All Sevens matches LIVE! Sportrelated programming, community service announcements and sponsor messaging, Waitangi Day and Whale Rider movie
Advertising Package 24 x 15”/12 x 30" TVCs per day on the forty square metre LED screens Three days 144 x 15”/72 x 30” TVCs total over the duration of the event Sampling Client has the opportunity to sample product and/or hand out flyers at both Odlins Plaza and Queens Wharf Promotional staff can be provided by Sienna Media if required Package Rate Package rate: NZD $45,000 net plus GST including TVC package and sampling Other Sponsorship Packages Details of further packages as per previously noted are available upon request
About Sienna Media Sienna Media is a diverse outdoor media company, specialising in a number of different fields within that area. Ranging from outdoor LED video screens to sports stadia signage, and from event sponsorship to on-site event activations, we offer an array of opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audience. With almost forty years of combined management experience in the field, we are looking to drive Sienna to the forefront of the media market in Australia and New Zealand. We have the knowledge and drive necessary to ensure that we look after our clients’ needs by providing them with high-level events and unique opportunities. Sienna is about client experience and customer satisfaction – through our driven, dedicated and focused team, we bring our clients results.
Some Previous Projects
Rugby World Cup FanZone
TAB Melbourne Cup Live Site
Vodafone Warriors LED Signage
Melbourne GP FanZone
With thanks to our Partners
Wishing Everyone A Successful Wellington Sevens 2014