Million through the gates at Forsyth Barr

More than a million people have visited Forsyth Barr Stadium since it opened four years ago, with organisers promising more events to come.

The stadium was opened by Prime Minister John Key on August 5, 2011, with 953,482 people visiting the facility up until June 30, 2014.

Since that time the stadium has hosted several large sporting and entertainment events, most notably Rod Stewart on April 11, 2015.

That concert was attended by more than 22,000 people, with the number of people who have attended the stadium expected to be more than 1.1 million, a spokes- woman for Dunedin Venues, which runs the stadium, said.

Upcoming events include a Neil Diamond concert on October 24 and Fleetwood Mac on November 18.

Negotiations were continuing for two more large concerts at the venue over the next 12 months, and Dunedin Venues remained in talks with promoters to bring large concerts to Dunedin with the city ‘‘on the international radar for consideration when suitable concerts become available’’.

Sporting events account for the majority of visitors each year – about 200,000 people – but ‘‘there’s no real right mix for the stadium’’.

‘‘The aim is for diversification of product for the wider community, maximum utilisation while also making a commercial return and contributing to the city’s economy,’’ she said.

The key was attracting major concerts and sporting events which attracted a higher percentage of people from outside of Dunedin.

Of the 22,000 fans who attended the Rod Stewart concert, an estimated 68 per cent were from outside Dunedin, giving an economic benefit of $7.2 million to the city.

The 28,000-strong crowd at last year’s All Blacks v England test match included about 60 per cent from outside of Dunedin, with the economic benefit recorded as $8.15m.

The stadium will also host an All Blacks v Wales test match on June 25, 2016, the Highlanders v British Lions in June 2017 and a test between the All Blacks and Australia in August 2017.