"It's been a fantastic couple of days here in Hamilton and all the hundreds of volunteers and staff who worked together to put on this spectacle of rugby and entertainment can be very proud.
More than 20,000 people have had a magic couple of days with their friends and family and there's clearly an appetite for an international sevens tournament in New Zealand.
"We will be back."
Hamilton Mayor Andrew King said the city and the team responsible for running FMG Stadium had again proven the city delivers world-class events.
"We had a great launch event on Friday evening in Garden Place, and a lot of the hospitality businesses and retailers have got behind the event as well," King said
"As a city, I think we have delivered a great event and a great weekend, and I think it will be even better in 2019," he said.
"Hundreds of staff and volunteers helped make this all possible, and I want to acknowledge their contributions as well: we couldn't have done it without them."
Hamilton's role as host city for the New Zealand leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series was secured through a partnership involving events company 37 South, New Zealand Rugby and Hamilton City Council, which owns and operates FMG Stadium Waikato through its H3 division.
37 South managing director and co-promoter Dallas Fisher said he was proud of his home city for hosting an incredible event for New Zealand.
"We've always known we could hold global events like this here, and this weekend we've proven it. A full stadium chanting, dancing and singing is something I'll never forget. The fact we get to do it all again next year tops it all off."
Many fans wore elaborate costumes and fancy dress for the weekend, and brought a positive energy and good behaviour to the stadium.
A large percentage of the patrons attending the event were from outside the Waikato region, which Mayor King said was a firm "vote of confidence" in Hamilton.
Waikato police praised the good-natured crowd and said Saturday night in town had also been fairly trouble free.
Detective Inspector Hywel Jones said there had been four arrests and seven evictions on Sunday.
"It's been a very well-run event from our point of view and we're very pleased with the crowd."
Dunbar said the tournament was a mix of classic Sevens with colourful costumes and dancing in the aisles, and added new flavours with an entertainment zone and family fun fair.
"The fans and teams have loved it and the planning starts now for Auckland Anniversary Weekend in 2019," Dunbar said.
On-sale dates for tickets for 2019 will be released on sevens.co.nz in due course.
