The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Scoop

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)


Hobbit Market Attendees Where the sample of Hobbit Market attendees were from.

24% Wellington City The Greater Wellington Region Another New Zealand Region 55%

10%

Overseas

11%

34% of the Hobbit Market sample were “visitors” to the Wellington region – either from another New Zealand region (10%) or overseas (24%).


Role In Decision To Visit Q1: Was The Hobbit premiere and related events …?

The only reason you decided to visit Wellington on this occasion

19% 29%

The main reason you decided to visit on this occasion One of the reasons you decided to visit Wellington on this occasion 23%

10%

19%

One reason you stayed longer than you might have done otherwise 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.


Activities Done Q2: Which of these did you do as part of The Hobbit premiere in Wellington? Visit The Hobbit Artisan Market in Waitangi Park

120%

100%

99%

View an outdoor public screening of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

80%

71%

Watch The Hobbit premiere red carpet event on Courtenay Place

60% 43%

Watch The Hobbit premiere red carpet event at a public screening

40% 23% 20%

11% 5%

0%

Walk The Hobbit premiere red carpet on Courtenay Place (i.e. as crew, cast or media)

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.


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 1 night 2 nights 3 nights 4 nights 5 nights 6 nights 7 nights 8 nights 9 nights 10 nights 12 nights 14 nights 21 nights More than 30 nights

6% 5% 16% 17% 12% 8% 3% 5% 3% 2% 1% 2% 1% 1% 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 1% 3%

Campground/Holiday Park (tent, caravan, campervan, cabin or park motel): Hotel

4%

6%

25%

Lodge

7% Motel Private home with friends/family 1% Private rental/holiday home or timeshare

Serviced apartment

25% 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%

DATE

MAX. PASSENGERS

Dawn Princess

24 November

1990

Sun Princess

25 November

1990

Sea Princess

26 November

1950

Oosterdam

28 November

1848

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.

94%

Yes

VESSEL

No


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


Travel Companions Q9: Which of the following people came to Wellington with you on this occasion? My partner / spouse

60%

My child / children (aged less than 5 years)

48%

50%

My child / children (aged between 5 and 15 years) 40%

My child / children (aged more than 15 years) 30%

Other members of my family (including extended family members)

30%

A friend / friends

20% 14% 11% 10% 1%

3% 3%

6%

5% 0%

5% 1%

3%

0%

Work / business colleagues Other members of a sports team / sports group Other members of a tour party / group

Other members of an educational / school 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 a social / community group Other people No-one, I attended by myself


Involvement Q10: In which of the following ways were you involved with The Hobbit premiere and related events? As an audience /crowd member

120% 100%

Worked on The Hobbit as cast, crew or film executive

97%

Provided manual labour 80%

Provided sponsorship or grant Assisted with ticketing

60%

Assisted with security

40%

Assisted with crowd direction / control 20% 1%

1%

4%

0%

The majority of Hobbit market visitors were involved in the world premiere as an audience or crowd member (97%).

Worked in food / beverage sales Worked in merchandise sales Assisted with advertising / promotion As another exhibitor, retailer or stallholder Other


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.


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.


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

$463.63 Tickets / admission fees (including any booking fees)

$450.00 $400.00

Transport to / from the event(s)

$350.00 Parking for the time you spent at the event(s)

$300.00 $250.00

Programmes/Souvenirs purchased at the event(s)

$200.00

Snacks/drinks/meals purchased at the event(s)

$150.00 $100.00 $50.00

$122.30

$111.22

$90.96

$57.85 $3.28

$78.11

Other items / expenses incurred at the event(s) Total (average per person)

$0.00


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

Food/drink

$281.44

Other attractions/events/activities $200.00

Other retail shopping

$129.47

$100.00

$49.14

$32.41 $3.34

Other not covered above

$59.01 $11.01

$0.00


Total (average per person)

Gender & Age 50%

46%

45% 40% 35%

31%

30% 25% 20%

69%

17%

15% 10%

10%

9%

9%

7%

5%

1%

0%

Female

Male

19 years or less

20 - 29 years

30 - 39 years

50 - 59 years

60 - 69 years

70 years or more

40 - 49 years

Visitors at The Hobbit market were skewed towards being female (69%) and aged under 30 (55%).


Origin COUNTRY

SURVEY RESPONDENTS (%)

REGION

NZ RESIDENTS (%)

Australia Austria Canada China Denmark Finland France Germany Indonesia Ireland Italy Malaysia Netherlands New Zealand Norway Singapore Sweden Switzerland Taiwan United Kingdom United States Vietnam

14% 1% 4% 1% 1% 1% 1% 8% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 39% 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 6% 8% 1%

Northland Auckland Waikato Bay Of Plenty Hawke's Bay Taranaki Manawatu-Wanganui Wellington Tasman Nelson Marlborough Canterbury Otago Southland

1% 40% 8% 2% 3% 2% 8% 12% 2% 2% 2% 11% 7% 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.


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

Economic Impact (Visitors) Total visitor expenditure not “only or main reason for visiting”– at event AVERAGE EXPENDITURE (NOT ONLY OR MAIN REASON FOR VISITING) Average expenditure at event

PER ATTENDEE $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

Conclusions Economic Impact Overall 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 TOTAL (DIRECT) ECONOMIC IMPACT

$914,425 $11,794,995

• 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


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)
