SPORT A day at the races
...part two
In the second of a two-part series, Nottingham Racecourse Business Development Executive Chris Eason talks to Colin Wilde, Managing Director of local brewer and fellow Chamber member Castle Rock Brewery, about the value that sponsorship adds in this arena.
Chris: I’m not originally from a racing background but I used to bring corporate clients because it gave me valuable time to spend with them. What would you say were some of the benefits from your side?
Colin: Over the years I’ve been invited as a guest to other racecourses and had a great time and the owner of Castle Rock has always been a fan of racing. From a customer experience point of view it doesn’t need to be too fancy, you offer great value for money and the customer gets a great day out. The flexibility you offer and building a package to suit has worked really well. I get calls from companies offering the top end of hospitality that are impersonal and probably working from a database of companies which don’t really understand our business.
Chris: I suppose it comes down to listening to what the client actually wants?
Colin: Exactly, it’s all about understanding what the client wants and working with them.
Chris: Do you think that service and staff welfare have been a strong key to the success of Castle Rock?
Colin: We understand the first person you meet when you walk into a bar is probably the most important person you’ll meet. Our staff do an amazing job looking after our customers in all our bars and we’re very proud of them. Customers need to feel relaxed, comfortable and welcome when they visit our pubs and I think we do that very well.
Chris: We are so pleased Castle Rock have agreed to sponsor our Beer Festival again this year after the success of 2018 and the feedback we had was amazing. To work with such a well-established and local company such as Castle Rock really seemed to hit home with our customers.
Colin: What’s useful for a business like ours running a beer festival is we have so much access to the general public and we’re meeting existing people that know the brand and are pleased to see us there. We also reach new customers who have maybe tried it for the first time and really enjoy it and give us very positive feedback so these kinds of events go hand in hand for us.
Chris: What about the current market?
Chris Eason (top) and Colin Wilde
Colin: Our business model is based on the fact that the human is a social animal. People still enjoy company and being together, our pubs are friendly places to meet and socialise. We know we offer customers a good atmosphere and good quality beers.
business network May 2019
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