Sydneysiders to Get a Taste of Wellington

Sydneysiders are hungry for a taste of Wellington if bookings for the WLG pop-up restaurant are anything to go by.

Almost 1000 seats at the temporary restaurant – planned for Sydney next month - were booked within an hour of WLG’s official launch through Time Out Sydney on Monday. Over half of the 2500 seats available had been booked within four hours.

Positively Wellington Tourism Chief Executive David Perks says WLG is designed to generate buzz about the city and clear up a few misconceptions about Kiwis’ favourite destination* across the ditch.

“Our research has shown many Australians still have an incredibly dated view of Wellington. Those who have been here adore it, but those who haven’t see it as it was in the early 90s; and we all know that’s not exactly a good thing!”

The heat is on for the four ‘chefs in residence’ – Boulcott Street Bistro’s Rex Morgan, Logan Brown’s Shaun Clouston, Capitol’s Tom Hutchison and Jacob Brown, of The Larder - who will be at Sydney’s service in shifts across the two weeks WLG is in Sydney.

“People dining at WLG will be transported across to Wellington for an evening filled with some of the many things that makes our city New Zealand’s favourite destination - fantastic food, wine, service and people.”

Positively Wellington Tourism’s ‘There’s No Place Like Wellington’ campaign, which launched in Sydney in March, is designed to communicate the city’s location and regional selling points, while reflecting Wellington’s creative edge. Visits to WellingtonNZ.com from Australia increased 145% in the four months following the campaign launch (April-July), when compared to the same period last year. Latest figures show a 15.1% increase in Sydney traffic through Wellington International Airport in July. Australian arrivals into Wellington were also up 14.4% in June.

“Website visitation shows the brand is building and the numbers we’re starting to see on-the-ground show the deal-led activity is also working. WLG is now designed to trigger word of mouth buzz online and on the street,” Mr Perks says. “Our aim is to turn every single one of those customers into a Wellington ambassador …and of course to make them hungry for more.”

While the key draw card to WLG is no doubt a three course meal from one of four award-winning ‘chefs in residence’ for just $29, its visitors will leave with more than a full stomach courtesy of tactical airline offers and promotions.

The pop-up concept was tested in Wellington for logistics and to monitor the success of social media marketing this month during the Visa Wellington On a Plate festival. Four influential food bloggers from Sydney were also hosted during the event to act as ambassadors for the city

Sydney food blogger Peter Georgakopolous, who writes the widely read Souvlaki For The Soul, was won over by the Wellington’s eateries.

“My taste buds just told me that they wanted to move to Wellington.”

Positively Wellington Tourism has teamed up with iconic entertainment publication Time Out to publicise WLG and take bookings in Sydney.

“Time Out is the ultimate handbook to arts and culture around the world; the Sydney publication distributes 35,000 print copies monthly, while their website draws over 550,000 impressions per month. Most importantly, they’re speaking to exactly the kind of audience that we want to attract,” Mr Perks says.
In true Wellington style, locals have been spreading the WLG word to friends online.

“One of Wellington’s best marketing tools will always be its people – we’re fortunate to have such a positive and proud community,” Mr Perks says.

WLG’s menu will be complemented by wines from ‘There’s No Place Like Wellington’ regional campaign partners, Wairarapa and Marlborough. Some of the city’s best wait staff and baristas will also be at hand to provide an authentic Wellington experience.

A further release of seat bookings will be carried out in the lead up to WLG’s arrival in Sydney.