The Fifa World Women’s Cup will be a tournament on a scale never seen before on these shores – and that includes the corporate hospitality options, as Michael Burgess explains.
If you fancy a private
The Football Ferns will take on Norway, Philippines and Switzerland in the group stage. Photo / Photosport
The Fifa World Women’s Cup will be a tournament on a scale never seen before on these shores – and that includes the corporate hospitality options, as Michael Burgess explains.
If you fancy a private suite at Eden Park for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, you’ll need a hefty cheque book.
A luxury corporate box for the opening game will set you back $25,300, while the equivalent for the semifinal will cost $33,000 (20 seats).
A venue pass – covering all nine matches at the Auckland ground – gets into eye-watering territory – with the most expensive suite going for around $184,000.
But the top-tier hospitality options were significantly changed in the last few months, partly due to a lower than expected uptake in sales in New Zealand’s relatively small market.
The tournament will be massive. In terms of travelling fans, it will outstrip any previous event aside from the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Ticket sales across both countries passed the million barrier this week, with New Zealand’s share believed to be around 250,000.
The scale is massive, with Fifa booking out the entire Park Hyatt hotel on Auckland’s waterfront, just to accommodate Zurich-based staff and VIP guests from around the world.
But that scale also translates to other areas. While general ticket prices are being kept low (from $20 for adults and $10 for children), the hospitality options are aligned with other Fifa events around the world, in much bigger markets.
That made for some initial staggering numbers, especially as Fifa’s agents were selling some packages in bundles, which meant forking out for every match at a venue.
The top price for a 20-seat corporate box at Eden Park was around $184,800, with the other fully catered suites coming in at $155,900.
That covered all nine matches at the Sandringham venue, including the opening game between New Zealand and Norway, five other group matches, the round of 16 game, a quarterfinal and a semifinal.
Industry experts say that while the per game cost is comparable – if still considerably higher – to other major events, the compulsion to purchase the box for nine matches put it out of reach of most companies.
“This is New Zealand – that kind of figure is equivalent to a sponsorship spend for some companies,” said one source. “It’s big money. And some matches won’t be that attractive to that market.”
The tournament opener is expected to sell out, while the three knockout games at Eden Park will also be in demand. But some of the other matches - like Norway against the Philippines or Spain versus Zambia – are less compelling.
The most expensive corporate suite at Sky Stadium was going for $154,000, with most priced at $105,000 for Wellington’s nine matches, which include a round of 16 clash and a quarterfinal.
Hosting clients in Dunedin (six group games) will set you back $87,800.
But it’s believed sales of the suites in New Zealand – sold through Fifa’s global agency Match Hospitality – were sluggish in the first few months of this year, despite extensive marketing.
Since then a local agency has been commissioned to accelerate uptake, using their extensive database.
Match hospitality also changed the offering in April, allowing sales of suites on a per-match basis. When asked by the Herald, Match said it was their standard practice.
“Typically we initially sell private suites on a series basis, and then closer to the tournament in question open up for more modular purchasing and individual matches,” they said in a statement, citing a similar approach at the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year.
However, industry figures here questioned this approach.
“Some customers won’t be impressed,” said one. “It’s never good to move the goal posts, especially without prior notice.”
Now sold on an individual basis, a suite for the opening game will cost up to $25,300 (20 seats).
Group matches at Eden Park vary from $14,000 to $19,800, with a premium for the two games featuring the defending champions United States.
The round of 16 match at Eden Park is $22,000 with the quarterfinal priced at $25,300.
Suites for the last four contest are going for $33,000 (20 seats), or $31,700 for a 16-seat suite.
The Herald understands that Eden Park suites for the Women’s Rugby World Cup last November were priced at $11,500 (+GST) as a flat rate throughout the tournament.
Overall, the Women’s World Cup offers a large array of hospitality options.
Single seat packages, for every game at a venue, start from $3,550 at Eden Park and $1,600 in Dunedin, including a category one ticket and food and drink served to your seat.
Other offerings include shared corporate suites, with individual access ranging from $900 for the opening match to $1150 for the semi-final.
A popular option appears to be ‘Match Place box’, a fully catered group option with 12 seats.
The opening game is going for $6,000, with USA versus Vietnam $4,800, though most other New Zealand based games have sold out, including the round of 16 and the quarter final.
Customers from 37 countries have purchased hospitality packages across New Zealand and Australia, with just over a month until the opening match. They say they have been cognisant of local needs.
“We tailor the programme to each host nation, matching the products to both the infrastructure available and what the market wants,” said Match.
Match said they expect final sales to outperform previous iterations of the tournament, including the 2019 event in France. Fifa has previously stated that women’s football is the “single biggest growth opportunity” in the sport.
However, the expansion has presented a challenge, with 32 teams and 64 matches this time, compared with 24 and 52 four years ago.
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