Geldof to offer words of wisdom at $1495 a pop

Sir Bob Geldof arrives at Auckland Airport yesterday. Picture / Richard Robinson

Sir Bob Geldof touched down in Auckland yesterday in all his dishevelled glory to take part in an event featuring a group of star speakers, who have been dubbed "The Influentials".

The musician and humanitarian is one of the "The Influentials", who are in Auckland to offer their pearls of wisdom tonight to anyone prepared to pay up to $1495 plus GST to hear them.

Sir Bob, television producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice), Saatchi & Saatchi creative head Bob Isherwood, Trade Me founder Sam Morgan, and former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren will speak at the event in the Aotea Centre.

The event is aimed at business people and "delivers a compelling mix of leadership, corporate social responsibility, media and brand insights for CEOs and senior executives", according to the blurb on The Influentials' website.

The group is part of a roadshow touring Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.

But the group's Melbourne show was cancelled this week, apparently because of low ticket sales.

However, Red Carpet director Simone Williams said earlier this week that the Auckland event would not suffer the same fate and was "pretty full", although there were still tickets available.

Sir Bob told Campbell Live last night that he worked on the idea of "achievable goals".

"You reach plateaus which are achievable, then you achieve another," he said.

But Sir Bob, who rocked his way on to centre stage heading up the Boomtown Rats, rebuffed suggestions he had saved the world after the phenomenal success of the Live Aid Concert in 1985 that raised millions of dollars for poverty and made him a household name.

"You don't save the world ... I haven't saved the world," he said. The aim of Live Aid had been to get people to the bank. "I didn't expect it to be a phenomenon ... it was ridiculous what happened that Christmas."