SPORT A day at the races
In the first of a two-part series, Chris Eason (pictured), Business Development Executive for Nottingham Racecourse, talks to Business Network about the racing industry.
How did you get into racing? My love of horse racing comes from my corporate days working in the HVAC market when I would take my clients for corporate entertainment. You can take clients, get to know them and enjoy everything onsite. Plus it appeals to almost every demographic and you don’t need to be an expert, in fact that can be half the fun.
What’s the attraction? The thrill of the race, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying a day with friends or family. The chance to be outside watching some of nature’s finest creatures is like no other activity I can think of.
What about the punters? The industry has had to make changes to what it offers and how it relates to the general public. Gone are the stuffy smoke-filled rooms, the child unfriendly zones and the “elitist” attitudes that
historically stigmatised the industry. There is more on offer now, especially for families. Under- 18s are free and we have lots of entertainment for kids of all ages – all free once onsite. The focus is on the punter and the whole diversity and inclusive aspect plays a huge part in making a race day open to everyone.
So who else is in the team? James Knox is the General Manager, he looks after the general running of the course but links in well with sponsors/trainers and owners too. Connor Ball looks after the marketing and most of the co- ordinating for race days and conference events. Paul Hanson oversees the operational side. I look after sales for race days and conference events. Once clients are onsite I make sure we deliver what we promised. We’re a rounded team with a lot of customer service experience.
Who owns the racecourse? We are one of 15 UK courses owned by The Jockey Club with other courses including Newmarket, Sandown, Cheltenham and Aintree. We offer the same high level of service you’d expect from a Jockey Club track.
What do you do outside of racing? I often joke that we hibernate for six months and race the other half. The truth is far from that - we’re open pretty much year-round. We run conferences, seminars, expos, exams, interviews and more for anyone needing to hire a space – not to mention Christmas parties, fireworks nights, antique fairs, dog shows, weddings, music nights and wakes.
You mentioned sponsors, what sort of impact do they have on your business? Huge but it’s a two-way street. We work with DG Cars, Castle Rock
Brewery and Genting Casino to name a few and each has a direct link to our visitors. There are so many media streams now which means sponsors’ messages reach a much wider audience. We have thousands of visitors each year and we’ve increased it massively in the past four years alone.
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business network April 2019 81
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