UNICON XV The 15th Unicycle World Championships and Convention

Wellington, New Zealand 2009/2010

Makara Beach, Wellington

IUF Proposal

Dear IUF executive member, I would like to present the proposal to host Unicon XV on behalf of the New Zealand Unicycle Federation. We are a young and rapidly growing organisation and we would like the opportunity to grow the sport within New Zealand and in the Asia/Pacific. With Darwin, Australia, now unable to host the event, it would be a major loss to our region if Unicon were to be once again held in the Northern Hemisphere. We have many active unicyclists in New Zealand and Australia who have never attended Unicon due to the cost of traveling to the other side of the world. Hosting Unicon will expose our best young athletes to world championship competition, as well as increase publicity of our sport within New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand is one of the most vibrant and beautiful cities in the world. As part of the Unicon tradition to travel to exotic locations to compete and meet like-minded people, we think you will not be disappointed. We have some of the best Muni trails, convention centres, racing circuits, and recreational facilities all within close proximity of the Unicon venue. We also have huge organisational experience and support behind the event. Our local council has pledged $30,000 on acceptance of the bid. They are also providing the best international sporting facilities as part of their event sponsorship. Our event managers have held numerous international and local events, and will bring a new level of professionalism to Unicon organisation. Please consider Wellington, New Zealand for UNICON XV and bring forth the first ever Southern Hemisphere Unicon! Ken Looi Secretary, NZ Unicycle Federation IUF Vice-President

UNICON XV OUTLINE Proposed Dates: Sun Dec 27th 2009 to Thurs Jan 7th 2010 (10 days) Location: Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand, a country with a population of 4.2million in the South Pacific. Wellington has a population of 163,000 within the city, or about 423,000 within the greater region. More about Wellington: http://www.wellingtonnz.com/AboutWellington/Facts.htm National Unicycling Body: The New Zealand Unicycle Federation Incorporated. The NZ Unicycling Federation was set up in 2003 to promote unicycling as a sport within New Zealand. It has organised a National Championship event every year since it was incorporated. It also runs an active forum and website for NZ Unicyclists: www.unicycle.org.nz Organising Committee: Lynne Klap (Director, Sports Impact Ltd) Arthur Klap (Director, Sports Impact Ltd; Chairman, BikeNZ) Ken Looi (IUF Vice-President; Secretary NZ Unicycle Federation) Joe Dyson (President, NZ Unicycle Federation) Nick Petrenko (Treasurer, NZ Unicycle Federation) Steve Pavarno (Director, Unicycle.com NZ Ltd) Peter Bier (Director, Unicycle.com NZ Ltd) Tony Melton (Director, Unicycle.com NZ Ltd) Event Manager: Arthur and Lynne Klap, Sports Impact Limited Arthur and Lynne are highly experienced event organisers who have held numerous international sporting events. They have over 20 years experience organising events between them. Major events include The World Mountainbike Championships in 2006, Mountain-Running World Championships, Triathlon World Cup, Mountainbike World Cup, Winter Games, as well as many local events . Arthur is also chairman of the BikeNZ, the main governing body of all bicycling disciplines in NZ. Competition Venues/Facilities: We have secured some of the best international facilities the City can offer. For details see below. Competition/Convention schedule: This is based on Unicon XIII and subject to change. For details see below. Proposed budget: see attached Estimated attendance: 600-800 Unicyclists from around the world, with a bias towards Australia, New Zealand and Asia/Pacific countries Costs: Estimate NZ$160 for registration per competitor for event fees.

Accommodation: Wellington has a wide range of accommodation available, from backpacker hostels to numerous hotels within the city. These will all be walking distance to the main convention headquarters along the waterfront. Expect to spend about NZ$25/night for backpacker style accommodation, through to over NZ$2000/night for 5 Star Hotel comfort. http://www.wellingtonnz.com/Accommodation/ Weather: Dec/Jan is Summer in NZ, which brings fairly settled weather. Temperatures range from 13-20 degrees celcius. Average rainfall 72mm in Jan, with 246 average sunshine hours. Air Travel: Wellington has an international airport that connects to the Eastern Australian states. It is a 15min drive from the city and main Unicon HQ. If flying from further afield, Wellington Airport is a 1hr connecting flight from either Auckland or Christchurch International Airports. Public Transport: Wellington is well served with buses and trains that allow you to get around Wellington and to the greater Wellington region fairly easily. All proposed UNICON venues (including MUNI), with the exception of Newtown Park are within 10-15min walking distance of the main convention headquarters. The track and field events will be held at Newtown Park, which is a 10-15min bus ride from the CBD. There are several ferries that cross the Cook Strait daily to the South Island for further touring/sightseeing. The country is well connected by two airlines, an extensive rail network, and many bus and coach services. Sightseeing: Check out the local tourism website: www.wellingtonnz.com Also, for general tourism information on New Zealand: www.newzealand.com SINZ Unicycle Tour: This was a Unitour of The South Island, New Zealand held in 2006. It traversed some of the most scenic parts of the South Island. www.sinzuni.org

WHY WELLINGTON?

Ideal location: sports and convention facilities, mountain bike trails, accommodation, compact city, good transport system

Multiple tourist attractions Events and Creative capital of NZ. It is the home of the NZ Symphony

Orchestra, Royal NZ Ballet, The NZ Opera, The National Museum and The National Portrait Gallery. It is home to world renowned film makers such as Peter Jackson from Lord of the Rings fame.

Has strong support from local city council. The organisers have secured world class facilities for the proposed dates We have also secured $30,000 preliminary funding from the local council for

this event. If the bid falls through, there is no guarantee we will be able to source this funding in 2012.

Headquarters of the New Zealand Unicycle Federation. All executive members reside in Wellington and are on the organising committee

A NZ Unicycle Nationals has been held every year since 2003. Three of these were held in Wellington.

Large cycling community to help with event Excellent event organising experience Close to population base and sponsors Very accessible to the public, being right on the popular waterfront area Unicon has never been held in the Southern Hemisphere. NZ and Australia have world-class unicyclists, many who have not been able

to attend Unicon due to the distance and cost of travelling to the Northern Hemisphere.

Replaces Darwin as an Australasian Unicon Venue. It will help develop the sport within the Asia-Pacific as well as New Zealand/Australia.

The proposed dates coincide with holidays in The USA, parts of Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand

You get to attend New Years celebrations in New Zealand! Watch the fireworks and New Years countdown celebrations next to our Unicon venue.

Oriental Bay, Wellington

VENUES A special feature of UNICON XV is that it utilises a wide variety of Wellington’s centrally based venues. All venues apart from Newtown Athletic Park are within 15min walk of the Wellington CBD. We have secured the use of these facilities as part of The Wellington City Councils’ sponsorship of the event. Queens Wharf Events Centre/TSB Bank Arena: Main HQ, opening ceremony, freestyle events, hockey, basketball, AGM, convention workshops This is the main international sports venue for sports like Basketball and Netball, as well as a convention centre for international events. http://www.wellingtonconventioncentre.com/planning/venues/eventscentre/

Civic Square: Opening ceremony International parade from Te Papa National Museum, down the waterfront, to Civic Square via the City to Sea Bridge Civic Square is the town square, and about 5min walk from the Queens Wharf Event Centre. It is also the venue for Wellingtons New Years Eve countdown and New Years celebrations.

Newtown Athletic Park: Track and Field This is one of the best sports tracks in Wellington. It hosts regular events for the Wellington Athletics Club. It is a 15min bus ride from Event HQ.

Mt Victoria ( or Makara Peak): Mountain-unicycling. Mt Victoria was the venue for a round of the Mountainbike World Cup, held in 1997, and more recently the Mountain-Running World Champs. It has hosted many local mountainbike, duathlon and orienteering events. It boasts a maze of singletrack with spectacular views of the City. Mt Vic is only 5min walk from town, and is part of the ‘green belt’ around the city. Alternatively, Makara Peak is a purpose built Mountainbike Park about 10min drive from central Wellington. It has over 30km of singletrack to cater for just about every level of ability.

Waitangi Park: Street/Trials This is a large Central City Skatepark that sits along the waterfront. It is a 10min walk from the Queens Wharf Event Centre. Waitangi Park has multiple rails, stairs, skatebowls, ramps and urban style obstacles to suit every style of street rider.

Wellington Waterfront: Road Racing Closed circuit within Wellington City/ Waterfront. The waterfront area is the ideal location for the public to watch hundreds of unicyclists racing for glory in the 10km and Marathon Road Races. We are aiming to close off a few central city streets to form part of the circuit. Imagine criterium style unicycle racing through the CBD of the capital city of NZ!

UNICON XV Preliminary Programme The 15th Unicycle World Championships and Convention Wellington, New Zealand 28 December 2009 to 7 January 2010 Day Time Event Description of

event/requirements

Proposed location (s)

Sun 27th

12:00 – 17:00 Registration Foyer Queens Wharf Events Centre

Mon 28th

10:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 15:00 16:00 – 18:00

Registration Opening Ceremony Welcome Barbecue

Foyer Parade of unicyclists from Te Papa to the sails at Queens Wharf followed by opening ceremony

Queens Wharf Events Centre Waterfront & Queens Wharf sails Frank Kitts Park (Events Centre – wet weather)

Tue 29th

08:00 – 17:00 17:00 – 22:00

Track Racing Freestyle - pairs

Newtown Park Queens Wharf Events Centre

Wed 30th

08:00 – 17:00 18:00 – 22:00

Track Racing Freestyle – expert pairs

Newtown Park Queens Wharf Events Centre

Thu 31st

08:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 22:00

Unicycle Hockey Freestyle - individual

Teams of 8.

Queens Wharf Events Centre Queens Wharf Events Centre

Fri 1st

08:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 22:00 23:00 – 24:00

Unicycle Hockey Freestyle – individual New Years Eve Countdown

Queens Wharf Events Centre Queens Wharf Events Centre Civic Square, public celebrations

Sat 2nd

08:00 – 13:00 43:00 – 18:00

Standard Skill Freestyle - Group

Queens Wharf Events Centre Queens Wharf Events Centre

Sun 3rd

08:00 – 18:00 13:00 – 18:00 18:00 – 21:30

Basketball Street Unicycling 10km Road Race

Skateboarding style unicycling- grinds, rails, flatland tricks.

Queens Wharf Events Centre Waitangi Park Wellington Waterfront

Mon 4th

08:00 – 18:00 14:00 – 18:00 19:00 – 21:00

Basketball Muni (mountain unicycle) IUF Meeting

Crosscountry

Queens Wharf Events Centre Mt Victoria for mass start XC. 10-20km race. Queens Wharf Events Centre

Tue 5th

13:00 – 17:00 17:00 – 21:00

Hockey & Basketball Finals Trials

Queens Wharf Events Centre Wellington Waterfront

Wed 6th

09:00 – 15:00 Muni (mountain unicycle)

Downhill and Hillclimb Mt Victoria

Thu 7th

08:00 – 13:00 18:00 – 18:30

Marathon Road Race Closing Ceremony

42.2km road race Closing ceremony followed by after party

Criterium style on waterfront or Miramar Peninsula circuit from Scorching Bay Queens Wharf sails

UNICON Budget Income Commercial Sponsorship $50,000 Wellington City Council - event grant $ 20,000 Wellington City Council - bid grant $ 10,000 Trusts and grants $ 100,000 Entry Fees 500 competitors @ $160 $ 71,111 Supporters 100 @ $40 $ 3,556 Merchandising profit $ 5,000 Total Income $ 259,667 Expenditure A. Events & Venues Events Centre (freestyle/basketball/convention) - 10 days $ 25,000 Newtown Park (track events) - 2 day $ 600 Waitangi Park (trials) $ 1,000 Marathon - waterfont / peninsula $ 0 Mt Victoria (cross country and hill climb) $ 0 Venue signage $ 5,000 $ 31,600 B. Event items $ 48,300 C. Registration/information Centre $ 10,000 D. Social & Ceremonies $ 28,500 E. Marketing $ 27,700 F. Web site $ 8,000 G. Media $ 10,000 H. Event Management, staff & volunteers $ 62,100 I. Administration $ 6,000 J. Congress $ 1,000 Sub-total $ 233,200 Contingency (10%) $ 23,320 Total Expenditure $ 256,520