It can be done.

The question I have is simple..........how much did the T/O increase due to good attendance on the day?

If we can increase attendance AND use the experience to bring new punters to the game............... .great ,but it has to be more than the extra +-R200 per person on the day only.
The Met is a perfect example of a one-off ,rent-a crowd............I wonder how many of the revellers bet,on the day ,or ever,because of the experience.............I am told it is virtually nil.

Rob I presume you have been to the Met - I have only been once two years ago and i found it daunting! There was so much to see but what I saw the least of was the Horse. The best way to get newbies into racing is to make betting and Racing the attraction - Let the band play BUT only after the last race. Use the entertainment to draw the crowd but only give it to them after they've paid their dues by watching the races!!

It's a multi-layered debate, on course attendance vs. local turnover vs. overseas turnover vs. customer retention vs customer creation.

To complex to properly debate online, my point is, make the existing clients happy and the rest will follow.

The debate need not be subjective at all.................racing survives(sic) on the % take -out of punting T/O...........not entrance fee,or catering .............................end of debate.
What makes racing fun and what makes racing survive are different and should not be confused,but unfortunately often are..............WC has yet to prove it can break square without subsidy.................there must be a clue in there somewhere.

Existing client base wearing thinner and thinner, it's a reality. We need the main players to step up the gears. Operators, Trainers, Jockeys etc. need to recreate the interest of days gone by where the Horse was the main attraction and jockeys had a following.

Today you will expect a fan to be aware of who his team plays on the weekend fixture but forget about whether Archangel renews clash with Gatecrasher, or Wolf Power and Spanish Pool or Sentinel and In full flight. It's all gone, the talking points of interest have been shut down and eventually the die-hards will fade away with only memories of an era gone by, never to return.

mikesack Wrote:

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> Existing client base wearing thinner and thinner,
> it's a reality. We need the main players to step
> up the gears. Operators, Trainers, Jockeys etc.
> need to recreate the interest of days gone by
> where the Horse was the main attraction and
> jockeys had a following.
>
> Today you will expect a fan to be aware of who his
> team plays on the weekend fixture but forget about
> whether Archangel renews clash with Gatecrasher,
> or Wolf Power and Spanish Pool or Sentinel and In
> full flight. It's all gone, the talking points of
> interest have been shut down and eventually the
> die-hards will fade away with only memories of an
> era gone by, never to return.

Nail on the head IMO(tu)

yes, evident in asking how many of youngsters - let's say under 30, in the Northern Suburbs of CT even know there is a racing track in Durbanville? and that racing is SAF's so-called 3rd biggest employer let alone the rich tapestry of history? why then, is it invisible?