Tue 15 Feb 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
David Hindley (right) in the Outgames stall at the Big Gay Out Procrastinators will be delighted to find out that late fees have been wiped for Outgames registration due to the strong financial position of the event. "Registrations have been running ahead of forecast for the last four months," co-chair David Hindley says, "and that has left our budget in a very sound position. We have decided to share the benefit of that with participants, by not adding a late fee for last-minute sign-ups." Hindley and a team were at the Big Gay Out in Auckland on Sunday, excitedly promoting the Outgames four weeks ahead of their opening. "Registrations are buzzing along," he told GayNZ.com Daily News. "We've got 1,200 at the moment and they're just pouring in." The high registration figures apply to both the sports competition and the human rights conference, with over 200 people already signed up for the conference. Hindley says the news is even better for Australians planning to join friends at the Outgames: "The exchange rate at the moment means that each Australian dollar buys NZ$1.25,"he says. "We've used the marketing line 'There's never been a better time to visit New Zealand' in Australia - and it's turning out to be absolutely true from a financial point of view." Around 500 Australians are so far booked to cross the Tasman for the Outgames. Tickets for four parties are now on sale, including parties on the opening and closing nights, and separate men's and women's parties. Opening night party tickets are now on general sale: tickets for the other three are currently only available to registered participants, but will go on general sale from February 18. The 2nd AsiaPacific Outgames will be held March 12-19, in Wellington, New Zealand. You can register at www.wellingtonoutgames.com Registrations close 26 February.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 15th February 2011 - 2:32pm