2012 Triathlon Review Confirms Success Of 2012 Event

Just over two weeks out from the opening round of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Series on Auckland’s waterfront, organisers of the Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Grand Final 2012 today confirmed last year’s event a resounding success with all key performance indicators (KPI’s) returning better than forecast results for the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and key stakeholders.

All data is now available to organisers, including the economic impact results, global television viewing numbers, online data and the financial accounts have been finalised with the event showing a $325,000 surplus on what was a $6,000,000 investment in the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Grand Final.

Sir John Wells chaired the 2012 event Board and says the end result is testament to a collaborative approach from a number of stakeholders.

“We couldn’t have achieved such a successful outcome in isolation. It is thanks to the support of Tri NZ, a network of commercial partners, most notably Barfoot & Thompson and the cooperation of key stakeholders such as Auckland Tourism Economic Events and Development (ATEED), Ports of Auckland, Major Events New Zealand, Auckland Transport and the local residents and businesses that we have been able to deliver such a successful event.

“Most pleasing for my Board is the fact we have exceeded in our economic returns to the city and exceeded all measures from Central and Local Government applied to the money invested. Visitor numbers, number of nights spent in Auckland and New Zealand, money spent by those visitors, the global and domestic television audience, spectators watching live – even returns to onsite Expo exhibitors exceeded forecasts and expectations. It is a credit to the city that we can come together to deliver such a successful event.”

Tri NZ CEO Craig Waugh says the results are a huge boost just over a fortnight out from the World Series event in Auckland and has thanked all involved.

“We are about to host the first round of the ITU World Triathlon Series, including a wide range of events for everyday Kiwis to participate in. So to receive final confirmation of the success of the 2012 event is a huge fillip for the sport and for all stakeholders and partners. The Board led by Sir John are to be commended for their strong guidance and governance, as is the dedicated organising team led by Dave Beeche.

“The results are stunning for the event and for the city. The global television audience exceeded all expectations with 37.8 million tuning in to see wonderful shots of Auckland City and New Zealand, promotion for our tourism and hospitality sectors worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The Economic impact was 307% ROI ($12.5m nationally and $7.5m regionally). The better than forecast numbers of international visitors is one of the significant factors that helped return the surplus to the event but also to the economy.”

The surplus of $325,000 generated from the 2011 and 2012 events, will be reinvested into the sport and future events.

Sir John says it is an outstanding result.

“This is a great way to underline the successful delivery of the 2012 World Series Grand Final but also the hosting of an ITU World Cup in 2011 as a test event as required by the ITU. It also lays a platform for the successful hosting of a round of the ITU World Triathlon Series for the next four years, a legacy that my Board is proud to have helped leave for Triathlon New Zealand and future organisers.”

Meanwhile planning is well advanced on the 2013 event from April 5-7; all events are open for entry online by visiting www.triauckland.co.nz

Triathlon New Zealand has contracted out the running of the ITU World Series event for the four year term of its contract to Upsolut Oceania, with CEO Dave Beeche again leading an experienced and passionate team.

Key Figures and support information
·         The event generated a global television audience of 37.8 million viewers, all with eyes on Auckland and New Zealand as a holiday destination as well as the home to an elite triathlon event, this was well in excess of the forecast 25million

·         The event returned a surplus of $325,000 (across 2011 and 2012)

·         Page impressions at the official ITU website for the Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Grand Final approached one million, with 984.976 page impressions, by far the best of all WTS 2012 events.

·         The Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Grand Final was the largest age group world championships in ITU history, with over 3,000 age group participants from 45 countries taking part in ITU World Championship events and a total of 5,383 athletes participating in all events.

·         The ITU called it the most successful World Championships in history, lauding the LOC and Triathlon New Zealand for their organisation, highlighting the ability of the LOC to deliver in testing weather conditions on the Saturday

·         The ITU confirmed a 4 year contract with Triathlon New Zealand to host a round of the ITU World Triathlon Series in Auckland, the first of which takes place April 5-7 2013.

·         Average stay in New Zealand for international visitors was 11 nights, indicating that many travelled more widely after the event. The total number of visitor nights was 57,872.

·         Average stay in Auckland for international visitors was 5.6 nights. Total number of visitor nights in Auckland was 55,592.

·         Generated $12.48million GDP for NZ

·         Generated $7.4million GDP for Auckland (forecast was $6.9million)

·         Return on national investment was 307%