“Diverse and dynamic sports like SailGP give us a real insight into the types of events our community is hungry for and what encourages visitors to come stay and play,” says ChristchurchNZ’s Destination & Attraction General Manager Loren Heaphy.
“With over half the attendees from out of town, and the incredible survey results from visitors and residents alike, we are emboldened by the pulling power of international sports and our ability as a playful, vibrant destination to host many more successful major events like this. On top of all the positive outcomes from the weekend, more than 136 million people viewed the broadcast globally. With all eyes on Ōtautahi, the race broadcasts were the perfect platform to talk directly to the captive audience and show off our brand new, vibrant, and playful destination,” Heaphy says.
Critically, supporting event satisfaction data produced by Fresh Info found 98% of attendees reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience at SailGP. This is well above the current median satisfaction score for Christchurch events that have been evaluated in the same way, of 88%. Of those surveyed, 95% of residents also agreed “Hosting events like SailGP increases my pride in Christchurch” and 77% agreed “My experience at SailGP has improved my perception of Christchurch as a place to visit”.
While over 12,600 unique attendees engaged in the live sport over the long weekend at either the main event in Lyttelton or the Live site, many more enjoyed it from balconies, hilltops, and vantage points from the surrounding bays. More data on extra activity ‘off the water’ including community activations will be made available in a release from ChristchurchNZ shortly.