Spanning from Friday, September 8 through Saturday, October 28, the international seven-week Rugby World Cup 2023 competition kicks off with a matchup between France and New Zealand taking place at Stade de France, the country's national stadium, located in the commune of Saint-Denis. As a New Zealand-based company, we’re definitely rooting for the kiwis! 

The tournament is made up of nearly 50 highly-anticipated matchups predicted to bring together a total of 1.7M attendees, driving a combined $150,919,862 in local spending in France for the duration of the event.

For the kickoff match alone—France vs New Zealand—the predicted event spend across three top industries is $5,075,761. Below is the breakdown: 

• Accommodation: $1,566,396

• Transportation: $1,045,173

• Restaurants: $2,464,192

The matches are being held across nine iconic French sports venues, which are expected to see a significant increase in consumer spending for restaurants, accommodation, and ground-based transportation around each of the host venues: 

• Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

• Stade De France

• The Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux 

• Stade de Marseille

• OL Stadium

• Stade Pierre-Mauroy

• Stade de la Beaujoire

• Stade de Nice 

• Stadium De Toulouse

So how can local restaurants take advantage of the increased spending for these events? Here are a few ideas to help you get the creative juices flowing:

1. Special event-based offers that make your restaurant stand out

• A restaurant near Stade de France could offer a limited-time French Rugby Feast menu and a souvenir giveaway such as a signed jersey from one of the rugby players

• A Marseille restaurant could raffle off a South of France Rugby Getaway package including a three-course meal and transportation to and from the stadium

• A restaurant in Toulouse could partner with one of their local breweries to create a Rugby World Cup Beer Garden where fans can watch the games and enjoy beer

2. Limited-time menu items with recipes from participating countries 

Have a flexible kitchen and or creative chefs on staff? You could celebrate the event and attract fans from all over the world with menu items that represent the wide variety of cultures participating in the tournament. Traditional meals and imported drinks from these countries will appeal to the influx of diners in town for the rugby matches:

• France: Steak frites, cassoulet, coq au vin

• New Zealand: Hangi, lamb shanks, pavlova

• Japan: Sushi, tempura, ramen

• England: Fish and chips, roast beef, full English breakfast

• Wales: Cawl, laverbread, Welsh cakes

• Ireland: Corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie, Guinness stew

• Tonga: Lu sipi, faikakai topai, ota ika

• Scotland: Haggis, neeps and tatties, shortbread

• Australia: Vegemite on toast, kangaroo steak, lamingtons

• South Africa: Boerewors, biltong, rooibos tea

• Argentina: Empanadas, asado, dulce de leche

• Fiji: Kava, lovo, kokoda

• Italy: Pizza, pasta, tiramisu

3. Get creative with your marketing and promotions

• Leverage local partnerships: Maybe you partner with other local businesses, cross-promote each other, and create memorable experiences for your patrons. For example, a Rugby World Cup Package that includes a stay in a local hotel.

• Host watch parties: Make use of various marketing channels such as social media, print advertising, and direct mail to invite locals to watch the game at your restaurant.

• Offer festive specials: Event-based food and drinks speak to the interests of your patrons. For example, a French Rugby Spritzer or a special Côte d'Azur Rugby Menu.

• Decorate your restaurant: We’ve seen how some of the bars get in Europe around the Soccer World Cup, so we’re sure this is already planned for many of you! Use flags from participating countries and rugby-themed decorations to create a festive atmosphere and get diners excited about the games. 

Take advantage of the Rugby World Cup and other major sports events

As you can see, events can drive major local demand for a variety of businesses. With PredictHQ you can track the specifics around sports events, including the predicted attendance, predicted event spend, and more. Plus, we have 18 other categories of events tracked worldwide. There are often hundreds, if not thousands of sports events that happen every month. For example, on average there are

• 8,000+ impactful soccer games in the UK every year

• 5,000+ NCAA Football games in the US every year

• 26,000+ running events globally every year

Sign up today to get more insight into upcoming events and to prepare for any events that will drive demand to your restaurant or business. 

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