The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey World Premiere Visitor Research January 2013
Contents Background page 3 Approach page 4 Research Results - Hobbit Market Attendees page 5 - Survey Questions page 6 - Respondent Profile page 19 Economic Impact page 21 Conclusions page 23 2 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Background In the build-up to the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on 28 November Wellington City Council delivered a number of events: A five day Hobbit-inspired Artisan Market - Saturday 24 Wednesday 28 November - Waitangi Park, 12 6pm - 19 stall holders, plus food and beverage Outdoor public screening of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Sunday 25 Tuesday 27 November - Waitangi Park, 6 9pm Red Carpet Film Premiere - Wednesday 28 November - Courtenay Place Crowd Count - WCC estimate that 60,000 people were at the Hobbit Market over 5 days - The same number attended the world premiere on 28 November 3 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Research Approach Angus & Associates field staff were located at the Hobbit Market to collect: Origin information - Obtained from a sample of all attendees - From Wellington City, Greater Wellington, Another New Zealand Region or Overseas Contact details for visitors from Another New Zealand Region or Overseas - Name and email address - Sent an online survey invitation via email Results - 2256 Hobbit Market attendees recorded - 34% visitors to Wellington - Valid contact details provided by 590 visitors - Survey invitations distributed on Friday 30 November - n=269 complete survey responses (46% response rate) 4 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Hobbit Market Attendees Where the sample of Hobbit Market attendees were from. 24% 10% 55% Wellington City The Greater Wellington Region Another New Zealand Region Overseas 11% 34% of the Hobbit Market sample were visitors to the Wellington region either from another New Zealand region (10%) or overseas (24%). 5 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Role In Decision To Visit Q1: Was The Hobbit premiere and related events? 19% The only reason you decided to visit Wellington on this occasion 29% The main reason you decided to visit on this occasion 10% 23% One of the reasons you decided to visit Wellington on this occasion One reason you stayed longer than you might have done otherwise 19% Just something you decided to do since you were visiting Wellington anyway For 42% of visitors The Hobbit world premiere was the only or main reason they decided to visit Wellington on this occasion. 6 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Activities Done Q2: Which of these did you do as part of The Hobbit premiere in Wellington? 120% 100% 99% Visit The Hobbit Artisan Market in Waitangi Park View an outdoor public screening of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 80% 60% 71% Watch The Hobbit premiere red carpet event on Courtenay Place 40% 43% Watch The Hobbit premiere red carpet event at a public screening 20% 11% 5% 23% Walk The Hobbit premiere red carpet on Courtenay Place (i.e. as crew, cast or media) 0% Other In addition to visiting The Hobbit artisan market, 71% of visitors watched the red carpet event on Courtenay Place and 43% viewed an outdoor screening of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 7 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Nights Stayed Q3: How many nights did you stay in Wellington on this occasion? NIGHTS STAYED ALL SURVEY RESPONDENTS (%) None - I didn't stay overnight 6% 1 night 5% 2 nights 16% 3 nights 17% 4 nights 12% 5 nights 8% 6 nights 3% 7 nights 5% 8 nights 3% 9 nights 2% 10 nights 1% 12 nights 2% 14 nights 1% 21 nights 1% More than 30 nights 16% Over half (56%) of all visitors at The Hobbit market stayed in Wellington for 4 nights or less. Visitors for who the world premiere was the only or main reason for visiting Wellington stayed an average of 5.8 nights. 8 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Accommodation Q5: What was the main type of accommodation used on your recent visit to Wellington? Backpackers/ Youth Hostel 7% 6% 1% 3% 4% 25% Campground/Holiday Park (tent, caravan, campervan, cabin or park motel): Hotel Lodge Motel 1% Private home with friends/family Private rental/holiday home or timeshare 25% Serviced apartment 25% Homestay or Farmstay Free camping (tent, cabin, campervan etc.) 2% 2% Other The majority of visitors stayed either in a backpackers/youth hostel (25%), hotel (25%) or at a private home with friends/family (25%). 9 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Cruise Ship Passengers Q6: Did you leave and/or arrive in Wellington on a Cruise Ship? Cruise ships were in port for four out of the five days of The Hobbit Market 6% VESSEL DATE MAX. PASSENGERS Dawn Princess 24 November 1990 Sun Princess 25 November 1990 Sea Princess 26 November 1950 Oosterdam 28 November 1848 94% Yes No Although there were a number of cruise ships in Wellington during the week of the world premiere, only 6% of visitors at The Hobbit market identified themselves as cruise ship passengers. 10 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Travel Group Adults & Children Q7: How many adults were in the group travelling with you on this visit to Wellington? Q8: How many children were in the group travelling with you on this visit to Wellington? An average of 6.73 adults were in survey respondents travelling group. Ten respondents identified that they were travelling with 100+ adults appearing to be part of theonering.net. Removing these outliers the average number of adults per group decreased to 2.47. Only 26 children were travelling with survey respondents in total, resulting in an average of 0.10 children per group. COMPANIONS AVERAGE NUMBER PER GROUP Adults 6.73 Adults (removing groups of 100+) 2.47 Children 0.10 11 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Travel Companions Q9: Which of the following people came to Wellington with you on this occasion? 60% My partner / spouse 50% 48% My child / children (aged less than 5 years) My child / children (aged between 5 and 15 years) 40% 30% 30% My child / children (aged more than 15 years) Other members of my family (including extended family members) 20% 10% 0% 1% 3% 3% 14% 5% 0% 6% 1% 5% 3% 11% A friend / friends Work / business colleagues Other members of a sports team / sports group Other members of a tour party / group Most visitors came to Wellington with their friends (48%), partner (30%) and/or other family members (14%). 11% attended the world premiere by themselves. Other members of an educational / school group Other members of a social / community group Other people No-one, I attended by myself 12 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Involvement Q10: In which of the following ways were you involved with The Hobbit premiere and related events? 120% As an audience /crowd member 100% 80% 60% 97% Worked on The Hobbit as cast, crew or film executive Provided manual labour Provided sponsorship or grant Assisted with ticketing 40% Assisted with security Assisted with crowd direction / control 20% 0% 1% 1% 4% Worked in food / beverage sales Worked in merchandise sales The majority of Hobbit market visitors were involved in the world premiere as an audience or crowd member (97%). Assisted with advertising / promotion As another exhibitor, retailer or stallholder Other 13 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Satisfaction Q11: Overall, how satisfied were you with your experience in Wellington for The Hobbit premiere and related events? SATISFACTION THE HOBBIT PREMIERE GETSMART BENCHMARK 10 (Extremely Satisfied) 26% 21% 9 33% 30% 8 21% 23% 7 7% 12% 6 4% 6% 5 4% 3% 4 2% 2% 3 1% 2% 2 0% 0% 1 (Extremely Dissatisfied) 1% 1% OVERALL SATISFACTION 8.3 8.1 Visitors were generally satisfied with their experience in Wellington for The Hobbit world premiere and related events, with 80% rating their satisfaction as 8/10 or above. 14 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Most Enjoyed Q12: What, if anything, did you enjoy most about The Hobbit premiere and related events? Visitors mostly enjoyed the red carpet experience and the opportunity to see The Hobbit film stars. They also appreciated the overall atmosphere created in Wellington for the world premiere as well as The Hobbit artisan market, public Lord of the Rings screenings and sculptures/decorations around the city. 15 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Improvements Q13: And what, if anything, might have made your experience more enjoyable? While visitors enjoyed the market a number would have liked it to be bigger, more spread out, Hobbit-themed and have more things happening. Film stars were a major attraction and many attendees would have appreciated the opportunity to see celebrities for longer. A lot of visitors said the their experience couldn't be better although others felt more affordable items at the market, tickets to the movie premiere, shelter from the weather and additional space when viewing the red carpet would have helped. 16 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Expenditure at event Q15: How much did you spend on? only or main reason for visiting Average Expenditure Per Person $500.00 $450.00 $463.63 Tickets / admission fees (including any booking fees) $400.00 Transport to / from the event(s) $350.00 $300.00 Parking for the time you spent at the event(s) $250.00 Programmes/Souvenirs purchased at the event(s) $200.00 $150.00 $100.00 $50.00 $0.00 $90.96 $122.30 $3.28 $111.22 $57.85 $78.11 Snacks/drinks/meals purchased at the event(s) Other items / expenses incurred at the event(s) Total (average per person) 17 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Expenditure away from event Q17: How much did you spend on? only or main reason for visiting Average Expenditure Per Person $600.00 $565.82 Accommodation $500.00 Additional transport/fuel $400.00 Parking for time not spent at the event $300.00 $281.44 Food/drink Other attractions/events/activities $200.00 $129.47 Other retail shopping $100.00 $0.00 $49.14 $3.34 $32.41 $59.01 $11.01 Other not covered above Total (average per person) 18 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Gender & Age 50% 45% 46% 40% 31% 35% 30% 25% 20% 17% 69% 15% 10% 9% 10% 9% 7% Female Male 5% 1% 0% 19 years or less 20-29 years 30-39 years 40-49 years 50-59 years 60-69 years 70 years or more Visitors at The Hobbit market were skewed towards being female (69%) and aged under 30 (55%). 19 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Origin COUNTRY SURVEY RESPONDENTS (%) Australia 14% Austria 1% Canada 4% China 1% Denmark 1% Finland 1% France 1% Germany 8% Indonesia 1% Ireland 1% Italy 1% Malaysia 1% Netherlands 1% New Zealand 39% Norway 1% Singapore 1% Sweden 1% Switzerland 2% Taiwan 1% United Kingdom 6% United States 8% Vietnam 1% REGION NZ RESIDENTS (%) Northland 1% Auckland 40% Waikato 8% Bay Of Plenty 2% Hawke's Bay 3% Taranaki 2% Manawatu-Wanganui 8% Wellington 12% Tasman 2% Nelson 2% Marlborough 2% Canterbury 11% Otago 7% Southland 1% A number of overseas visitors were from Australia (14%), Germany (8%), the United States (8%) and the United Kingdom (6%). 76% of all New Zealand visitors were from the North Island with 40% from Auckland. 20 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Economic Impact (Visitors) Total visitor expenditure only or main reason for visiting at and away from event AVERAGE EXPENDITURE (ONLY OR MAIN REASON FOR VISITING) PER ATTENDEE Average expenditure at event $463.63 Average expenditure away from event $565.82 Average total expenditure $1,029.45 60,000 world premiere attendees (34% visitors to Wellington = 20,400 individuals) For 42% of visitors The Hobbit world premiere was the only or main reason for visiting ATTENDEES Total attendees 60,000 Total visitors 20,400 Total visitors only or main reason for visiting 8,570 TOTAL EXPENDITURE (only or main reason for visiting) $8,821,889 21 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Economic Impact (Visitors) Total visitor expenditure not only or main reason for visiting at event AVERAGE EXPENDITURE (NOT ONLY OR MAIN REASON FOR VISITING) PER ATTENDEE Average expenditure at event $174.01 60,000 world premiere attendees (34% visitors to Wellington = 20,400 individuals) For 58% of visitors The Hobbit world premiere was not the only or main reason for visiting For visitors not in Wellington specifically for the world premiere expenditure is calculated at the event only ATTENDEES Total attendees 60,000 Total visitors 20,400 Total visitors not only or main reason for visiting 11,830 TOTAL EXPENDITURE (not only or main reason for visiting) $2,058,663 22 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Conclusions Economic Impact Overall Results indicate that the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had a positive impact on the Wellington region - The premiere attracted Wellington residents and visitors from New Zealand and overseas - Attendees were very satisfied with their experience overall - Direct economic contribution of $12 million to the region ECONOMIC IMPACT TOTAL EXPENDITURE (only or main reason for visiting) $8,821,889 TOTAL EXPENDITURE (not only or main reason for visiting) $2,058,663 TOTAL MEDIA EXPENDITURE $914,425 TOTAL (DIRECT) ECONOMIC IMPACT $11,794,995 23 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013
Conclusions Visitors particularly enjoyed the chance to see the film s stars on the red carpet and the general atmosphere created in Wellington during the week. The Lord of the Rings public screenings were also well received. Key opportunities for improvement include: The Hobbit Artisan Market - A bigger, more themed market (stalls & activities) - Stalls to accommodate varied budgets - Work with cruise ships to attract passengers Red Carpet - Seeing celebrities for longer - Shelter from the weather (wind & sun) 24 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visitor Research January 2013