Reaching for the potential

The suites are well-positioned for viewing the playing field. ‘‘One of the selling points is the outlook over the stadium … during a rugby game, you can slide the doors open and step down into exclusive seating that goes with the suites.

‘‘During an event, you are going to have the best seats in the house.’’

The extra spaces provided by the hospitality suites also look beyond matchday purposes, Ron notes. ‘‘The key thing is the flexibility.’’

Different configurations of the spaces can be used for conferences, family gatherings such as birthdays and weddings, and smaller expo functions – anything involving hospitality and catering. ‘‘Whether it is a family gathering or a corporate event, they are going to be in great surroundings.’’

The Yarrow Stand suites are complementary to the Legends Lounge in the opposite stand, he says, and offer more intimate spaces. There could be the two main rooms for 80 people each, or four smaller rooms accommodating 40 people each ‘‘… or any other combination you can come up with.’’

Groups as small as 10 people will find the space options convenient and appealing, he suggests. ‘‘And there’s plenty of parking.’’

Bookings outside of major events would cost $450 for a suite for a full day or $250 for a half-suite for a full day. ‘‘Sports events are different. Tickets for those are available through the event owner … we don’t set those prices.’’

Attracting more and larger events to the stadium meant extra catering demands. ‘‘At the same time as the creation of the hospitality spaces, we had to build a new food-and-beverage building to service the general public,’’ Ron continues.

It’s located adjacent to the Gate 4 entry – near the Star Gym car park. The design encompasses two levels, a toilet block underneath and the takeaway food facility above with 12 serving windows.

‘‘It will help keep the queues down – that’s the challenge of big events at the interval … people all go out to get something to eat at once. We are no different to any other venue in that regard; we do our best to serve a certain number of people in a certain time.’’

Yarrow Stadium’s Taranaki Regional Council owners are confident the venue is well-placed to attract more world-class events after the upgrade of its hospitality facilities.

‘‘This was one of the key considerations behind the project,’’ says Michael Joyce, chairman of the Yarrow Stadium Joint Committee and a Taranaki regional councillor.

‘‘We’re creating more hospitality space to attract bigger and better events, generating more income,’’ says Mr Joyce. ‘‘If investments in Yarrow Stadium do not continue, the ability to attract world-class events is compromised.

‘‘This investment allow bids to be more competitive for rugby test matches, rugby