Accommodation for Ed Sheeran – you sorted?
Nationwide accommodation network, Look After Me has put their hand as an accommodation Partner for fans going to the New
Zealand Ed Sheeran concerts. Director Dr Julia Charity who founded the company just ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
said they were delighted to be helping with the three Auckland and two Dunedin shows in March 2018. ‘It’s a privilege to
support Ed. He is a kind and generous man and he’ll want to know there is plenty of affordable accommodation for fans
coming from out of town.’
Look After Me, a Homestay Network has supported other large events like Womad in New Plymouth, Art Deco in Napier and Ellerslie
Flower Show in Christchurch and is also supporting the British and Irish Lions Tour in June 2017.
‘We’re a pop-up hotel,’ says Charity, ‘only our rooms are in people’s homes, instead of a single building – so it’s
perfect for big events.’
Dunedin i-site visitor manager Louise van de Vlierd said they welcomed Look After Me as a provider for accommodation for
the Ed Sheeran concerts and other events in Dunedin.
‘It’s good to have a credible provider helping homeowners get ready should commercial accommodation become exhausted.’
Louise said that some of Ed’s fans, like mature guests or those travelling with children would be likely to welcome a
homestay experience.
Local Dunedin resident and new Look After Me host, Tracey Fleet said ‘I’ve got a five bedroom house, so it makes sense
to help out. I can even take fans to the concert, as I’ve already got my tickets’.
Tickets to Ed Sheeran’s concerts are selling fast with two of Ed Sheeran's two weekend shows at Mount Smart Stadium in
Auckland sold out the day they were released.
A Frontier Touring spokeswoman said some tickets were still on sale for his third show on Monday night,via Ticketmaster.
Tickets to the two Dunedin shows at Forsyth Barr Stadium went on sale at 2pm, Tuesday 23rd May.
Waiting outside the Forsyth Barr Stadium since 8.40 am, Ed Sheran fan Debbie Waide secured her tickets. After missing
out on the pre-sale she said she turned up early, just to be sure.
Dr Charity recently relocated Look After Me to Dunedin. She is well known in the New Zealand Tourism Industry,
particularly for her work with Destination Rotorua and Tourism New Zealand to bring Chinese Reality TV show ‘Dad, where
are we going?’ to film in New Zealand. The shows were watched by 1.3 billion people and helped showcase New Zealand’s
scenery, people and places.
Charity manages her national homestay network out of Dunedin’s shared office space the Petridish. She says she is impressed with the business community here. ‘The people who live and work here are humble,
hard-working and an amazing group of people. They’ve really seen the potential for how a concept like ours can help
Dunedin in peak times.’
Homeowners can rent out a spare room, guest wing or apartment. Hosts also have the option of donating a percentage of
their guest fees to Charity. For the Ed Sheeran concerts Look After Me have nominated the Sophie Elliot Foundation and
their ‘Loves me not’ workshops and books educating youth about positive relationships. For every $ spent on
accommodation at Look After Me, the hosts elect to donate 1% to the Sophie Elliot Foundation.
About the concerts, Charity says ‘it’s definitely about the fans. There’ll be a carnival atmosphere right across New
Zealand that week. It’s a great example of how the sharing economy works. Everyone wins – the fans, the promoters, the
hosts, the guests, the cities and the communities they serve. We’re very pleased to be part of it.’
If you live in Auckland or Dunedin and have spare accommodation in March next year, register your interest with info@lookafterme.co.nz or visit www.lookafterme.co.nz.
Ends.