"We are lucky in the sense that our strike rate has been good over the 26 years and there is an enthusiasm about it."
Erskine said the singer is in his "top five" people he would like to see at the Mission.
"I think this will be iconic. He has almost had 50 years of hits and he did five runs at England's Royal Albert Hall and they sold out in something like 15 seconds, so I think there will be a huge waiting list here."
They have been in talks with Collins' team for quite a while, Mission Estate Winery CEO Peter Holley said, but it had all come together late last week.
With eight studio albums, 45 singles and 38 music videos, Collins has sold more than 250 million albums worldwide with seven top 10 singles in New Zealand.
As for the Wednesday concert, Erskine said although it was reliant on Collins' schedule, it was an "appropriate" day.
"I think it will have a much bigger impact on the local community because people are going to come down here on Tuesday or Wednesday and then stay for the weekend. It is an advantage.
"It is really interesting that there is so much support. Seventy per cent of our tickets go to locals - obviously you have a couple of exceptions with the Dixie Chicks who had never been here before - but we are here combating huge cities around the world."
The announcement comes on the back of last year's Neil Diamond cancellation and Erskine says at that late date, it was "almost impossible" to find a replacement act that thousands of people would be happy with.
"Everyone turned around and said how sad it was, but things in life happen. He had a far greater problem to deal with than any of us so you have just got to take it on the chin and wish him well," Erskine said.
"That's the business of doing live entertainment; sometimes stuff happens that's out of your control."
Supporting acts are yet to be finalised, but will be the same format as previous years.
