Wellington Chamber of Commerce
Media Statement
Monday 22th May 2017
Hard work ahead to replace Sevens, says Chamber

Wellington will have to work very hard to find an event to replace the quality and value of the Rugby Sevens in its events calendar, says Wellington Chamber Chief Executive John Milford.

“This is an extremely disappointing outcome, though hardly surprising, given the event’s decline in recent years.

“The writing had been on the wall for some time, and despite our best efforts the city just couldn’t entice the crowds of a few years ago.

“We have enjoyed a fantastic run but in the end a number of factors conspired against that continued success.

“Our hospitality and accommodation sector will feel this loss most of all because, despite the decline in recent years, they were still benefiting to some extent from the extra people coming into the city.

“I wish Hamilton all the best over the next two years and hope they can work their way around some of the issues that ultimately proved to be our stumbling block.

“Now it’s up to the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency and others to see what we can replace what will be a big hole in our events calendar and in the region’s tourist income.”

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