11 Feb 2011

Australian firm wins RWC ceremonies contract

7:42 pm on 11 February 2011

The contract for the opening and closing ceremonies of the biggest sporting event to be held in New Zealand to date has gone to an Australian company.

Rugby World Cup 2011 confirmed on Friday that New South Wales-based David Aitkins Enterprises will be the executive producer for the ceremonies.

The company created and produced the opening, closing and victory ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and the

outdoor multimedia display for the opening ceremony of Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Rugby World Cup 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden says David Aitkins Enterprises was chosen for their proven skills and experience and he is pleased to have secured one of the best.

Mr Snedden says there were about 10 companies vying for the contract, including some New Zealand firms.

The Rugby World Cup will be held from 9 September until 23 October.

Semifinals and final ballots

Fans will learn on Monday whether they have been successful in gaining tickets to the semifinals and final.

The ballots were open to people who applied for tickets during the first two phases of ticketing.

There are 15,000 match tickets available in each of the three ballots, with each ballot winner able to purchase two tickets.

Some 60,000 fans entered the ballots.