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New Zealand's giant rugby ball hits record numbers in Sydney

Thu, Sep 16 2010

Sydney-siders embraced New Zealand’s Giant Rugby Ball with record numbers experiencing the remarkable 360-degree multimedia show inside the Ball.

Close to 27,000 people visited the Giant Rugby Ball over the 10 days it was located at Circular Quay, with a record number of 3,834 people visiting the Ball on its final day - the biggest number of people ever to go through on the one day.

Tourism New Zealand, Regional Manager Australia, Barry Eddington, said “along with raising awareness of New Zealand as host of the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2011, the Giant Rugby Ball was also designed to promote New Zealand as a travel destination to the world by showcasing New Zealand’s culture, landscapes and heritage.

The large number of people that visited the Ball in Sydney shows that Aussies still have a strong appetite for New Zealand and desire to travel there,” Mr Eddington said.

Since beginning its global tour to promote New Zealand as host country of the RWC 2011, the Giant Rugby Ball has been a huge success in enabling New Zealand to communicate its unique offerings to an enormous audience. More than 40,000 people from the Ball’s international appearances in Paris, London and Tokyo experienced the venue, with an estimated 40 million people being exposed to the Ball through public relations and media. Australian and New Zealand dignitaries, such as NSW Tourism Minister, Jodi McKay, and His Excellency, Mr Michael Bryce, along with Australian sporting heroes and celebrities, joined the prestigious list of dignitaries who have already experienced the Ball including the Queen and Prince Phillip.

“The number of people who have experienced the venue or have seen or heard about the Ball has far exceeded all of our expectations. The Ball has been a huge success in communicating New Zealand’s offerings and the feedback from the public was overwhelmingly positive,” Mr Eddington said.

The Giant Rugby Ball’s Sydney appearance also marked the one year countdown until the RWC 2011 – which was officially kicked off on September 10.

Preparations are well underway for the country’s biggest, and one of the world’s largest events, with an estimated 85,000 international visitors – including 21,000 Australians – expected to travel to New Zealand during the tournament.

At the launch of the one year count down, RNZ 2001 CEO, Martin Snedden, said “the foundations are in place for New Zealand to deliver one of the best Rugby World Cups yet.

New Zealand’s ‘Stadium of Four Million’ is coming together across the country with communities and organisations all embracing the chance to showcase their region to the world,” Mr Snedden said.

For further information on the Rugby World Cup 2011 visit www.newzealand.com or www.rugbyworldcup.com

All photos and videos from the Giant Rugby Ball’s appearance in Sydney are available through Getty Images Image.Net: https://www.image.net. To access the content, please register at https://www.image.net/xads/actions/inuserRegistration.do, please ensure both Sport and Events are ticked as areas of Interest.