"Wellington, as a city, has a little bit of a challenge on its hands. They've had a lot of stuff available to its citizens and they're not supporting it to the level that any of us would like. If you had the same conversation with the guys running the Phoenix they'd give you the same feedback.
"The key thing at the moment is to do 2016 well, but clearly everything is subject to a review."
Michael Service from corporate sports tour package specialists Service Travel revealed he has yet to receive any interest in the Wellington Sevens.
One client had traditionally sent a corporate group of 100 to the Wellington Sevens each year, but growing disinterest and the cost of covering the short-fall of unsold tickets saw them opt out of 2016.
"At this stage for next year we just don't have anything at all," Service lamented. "The corporate company that we've taken (in past years) next year has decided not to go.
"They were struggling, probably over the last two or three years, to get that 100, so they would end up taking probably a few more staff and sponsors to cover that slack.
"They gave it a lot of thought and the customer feedback was pretty much along the lines of 'we've done this now for 12 or 13 years and it just doesn't have the same interest that it has in the past'."
Service added that an annual increase in ticket price together with a lack of appeal beyond the on-field action, and the popularity of rival events, were all factors in the decline in interest.
"There seems to be less bang for your buck. So you're paying slightly more and getting less in return," he said. "Also you've got the Auckland Nines event, which because of the proximity in terms of dates to the sevens, it hasn't helped."
The NRL Auckland Nines attracted a sellout crowd of approximately 45,000 people per day for the inaugural two day tournament in 2014, with numbers dipping to just above 40,000 this year.
They face a battle to maintain those figures over Waitangi weekend February 6 and 7 next year, but have reduced ticket prices with the cheapest two-day adult pass available for $69.
Organisers are also encouraging families to attend, with half-price kids' tickets available in every category from bronze up.
Tew hopes the possible inclusion of All Blacks stars Sonny Bill Williams and Liam Messam in the national side will boost the appeal of the Wellington tournament. The fact the pair are not certain selections at this stage means the NZRU has so far been unable to benefit by advertising their attendance.
"The reintroduction of those players into sevens has not yet been finalised," said Tew. "We're not going to put adverts into the system that we can't deliver on.
"We would hope that one or two of our star 15 players will be playing in Wellington, which would certainly help.
"Titch wants to be absolutely sure that they are ready to play in a tournament before we throw them into it.
"We're still positive that we'll end up with a reasonable crowd for the event."
