Record summer concerts deliver $37 million boost for Auckland

Music lovers from around New Zealand flocked to Auckland’s outdoor stadiums during the summer months, boosting the local economy by more than $37 million – the city’s most successful outdoor concert season to date.

The mammoth international line-up – including concerts by Grammy Award-winning pop superstar Justin Bieber, international rock favourites Guns N’ Roses, Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay, and three concerts by top-selling recording artist, Adele – drew more than 300,000 fans to Auckland’s best outdoor stadiums.

Independent research commissioned by Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA), the organisation responsible for securing and staging the events, shows that the seven concert line-up attracted more than 126,000 people from outside Auckland, generating 170,420 visitor nights that boosted the city’s economy by $37.7 million.

RFA Chief Executive Chris Brooks says the summer line-up has further cemented Auckland’s reputation as New Zealand’s entertainment capital.

Brooks explained “RFA, with the support of Auckland Council and CCOs Auckland Transport and ATEED, has successfully positioned Auckland as an attractive destination for major international touring concerts and it is extremely rewarding to see the tremendous economic and cultural benefits our activities bring to the city.”

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says large-scale touring concerts are valuable contributors to Auckland’s visitor economy and play an important role in the city’s economic growth, commenting “the flow-on effect for the accommodation, transport, hospitality and tourism attraction sectors is significant – over the past five years, stadium concerts have generated more than $100 million in visitor spend.“

RFA has invested $11.2 million in upgrading facilities at Mt Smart and Western Springs stadiums over the past two years.

Brooks says the upgrades have increased the stadiums’ flexibility for multi-event programming and made them even more appealing to promoters and sporting codes, concluding “our strategy to increase the use of Auckland’s stadiums by turning them into cost-efficient venues suitable for a range of events is paying dividends. RFA’s investment in event infrastructure and turf protection has enabled us to stage a record-breaking number of back-to-back concerts over the summer and then, in the space of a few days, make the venues match-ready for sports fans to watch their favourite teams.”

The research, conducted by The Fresh Information Company, was based on official ticketing data, large-sample online surveys of event attendees and financial information provided by event promoters.

RFA Summer Concert statistics

Coldplay, Mt Smart Stadium, 3rd December 2016 
• 15,360 visitors attracted to Auckland by the event
• 26,610 visitor nights
• Overall return to Auckland in terms of GDP: $4.2 million
• Return on regional investment: 154%
• Visitor spend: $6.3 million (excludes expenditure on tickets)

Guns N’ Roses, Western Springs Stadium, 4th February 2017 
• 16,450 visitors attracted to Auckland by the event
• 20,580 visitor nights
• Overall return to Auckland in terms of GDP: $1.9 million
• Return on regional investment: 45% 
• Visitor spend: $4.5 million (excludes expenditure on tickets)

Bruce Springsteen, Mt Smart Stadium, 25th February 2017 
• 14,570 visitors attracted to Auckland by the event
• 20,360 visitor nights
• Overall return to Auckland in terms of GDP: $2.5 million 
• Return on regional investment: 78%
• Visitor spend: $4.5 million (excludes expenditure on tickets)

Justin Bieber, Mt Smart Stadium, 18th March 2017
• 16,190 visitors attracted to Auckland by the event
• 26,450 visitor nights
• Overall return to Auckland in terms of GDP: $3.7 million
• Return on regional investment: 153%
• Visitor spend: $5.6 million (excludes expenditure on tickets)

Adele, Mt Smart Stadium, 23rd, 25th & 26th March 2017
• 53,430 visitors attracted to Auckland by the event
• 76,420 visitor nights
• Overall return to Auckland in terms of GDP: $6.3 million
• Return on regional investment: 52%
• Visitor spend: $16.8 million (excludes expenditure on tickets) 

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