About this episode

David Pembroke interviews Chris Stanley about the planning and operations of the Rugby World Cup 2027.

David Pembroke sits down with Rugby World Cup 2027 Managing Director Chris Stanley, the man overseeing planning, operations and delivery across 52 matches, 24 teams, and a tournament running 1 October to 13 November. Stanley walks through how a “pop-up” organisation goes from employee number one to a full-scale event engine, from locking in cities, venues and team base camps to wrangling hotels, flights and hundreds of contracts. They dig into what’s keeping leadership awake: cashflow timing, commercial partners still “waiting to see”, and global uncertainty that could impact travel. There’s also a clear-eyed look at ticketing after a first phase that sold 750,000 tickets across 135 countries, plus what to do in the current application window. Add in pricing from $40 seats (and $20 standing in Newcastle and Adelaide) to a $1,950 final ticket, and why Rugby World Cup revenues matter to World Rugby. Also in this episode: ● Chris Stanley’s journey from UK to Australia ● How Sydney 2000 shaped his event delivery mindset ● Why Rugby World Cup crowds feel different to FIFA ● Team base camps, hotels, training venues, and logistics ● Ticket ballot explained: timelines, oversubscription…

People in this episode

Host: David Pembroke

Guest: Chris Stanley

Topics covered

• Rugby World Cup 2027
• event planning
• ticketing
• logistics
• commercial partnerships
• fan experience

Keywords

• Rugby World Cup
• Chris Stanley
• event logistics
• ticket sales
• fan experience
• commercial partners
• planning
• operations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rugby World Cup 2027

Places: Newcastle, Australia, Sydney, Adelaide, UK

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