RACING- A BIG WINNER AFTER GUINEAS DAY

'I have said it before, racing's greatest challenge is not external but from within'.

Of course this is correct.

The heading of this thread emphasizes the success of this day,and that there were so many people on course.

The problem of course is that if you had thousands on course who had a bad experience,they will be going home telling family and friends,and will now categorically know THAT THEY DON'T LIKE RACING.

Getting lots of people is only a success if you have lots of happy people.

Now if you actually knew who your attendees were,you could send them a follow up mail asking them what the experience was like.

Back patting without proper qualification is the racing way though.

Racing will not progress until they take a new look at priorities!
The days of thousands of punters ,on course are over ............this obsession with the "good old days " is misguided IMO!
In the "good old days ,totes closed I hour before the 1st race and there was no telebetting.
All investment was locked in and losses could not be backed up by playing "get out" bets or re-investing winnings unless you were on course...................so many punters were forced to go to the course!
Next best was Tattersalls, that were open all day, taking bets and so evolved the "open bet"
The present strategy is trying to swim upstream!-it needs to cater for what punters really want .............a trusted betting opportunity!
The Poker sites are making fortunes out of giving people want they want ...........the ability to gamble from the comfort and safety of their homes.
If you get more punters ,punting off course ,their curiosity will grow and they will visit the course for special events if THEIR needs are catered for.............like free Wi Fi so they can use their devices and bet as normal, but with an enhanced visual experience.
Racing has been failing at recapturing the "good old days" for decades ,and you know what they say about repeating a process and expecting a different result..................exactly what the "its a rush" initiative(sic) is!
Give customers what they want ,not what you think they should want!

Well put Rob, and a strong argument for technology driven offerings and a new, more inspired marketing campaign.

But all our well heeled arguments and recommendations are pointless when the intent is something vastly different and less racing orientated.

Huchergh wrote: 'I have said it before, racing's greatest challenge is not external but from within'.

Of course this is correct.

The heading of this thread emphasizes the success of this day,and that there were so many people on course.

The problem of course is that if you had thousands on course who had a bad experience,they will be going home telling family and friends,and will now categorically know THAT THEY DON'T LIKE RACING.

Getting lots of people is only a success if you have lots of happy people.

Now if you actually knew who your attendees were,you could send them a follow up mail asking them what the experience was like.

Back patting without proper qualification is the racing way though.

....even a seasoned ex-race goer like me is like a fish out of water when I get the occasional invite to a bash on course.....3G signal at Turffies even on a normal race day is non existent.....there I am with a man bag crammed with tablet, fablet, phone and extra chargers, adapters and a power bank....I get a seat next to a power outlet on one of the top floor venues....but no f@cking 3G signal....gotta get off my arse and join the betting queue only to have my bets riddled with errors.....rather stay at home with ADSL, 3G back up, laptop, wide screen TV and a remote with mute button....can even watch sports while Telly track is streaming.....FFS Wi Fi on course is essential if you want younger techno savvy kind to be placing bets.....most those tote operators are a buzz kill and spoil any enjoyment one may have had in trying to wager.... :ohmy:

RF and Muti sum it up perfectly.

I only go to the course when it's a nice sunny day and I only want to watch the horses themselves and don't actually want to punt.

Why encourage people to go racing. Just read the posts on this forum to see what it does to people.

Back a horse
Horse does not win so blame the jockey, the trainer, the going, the wind, the handicapper, the price of the horse and yes poor old Dumpy

Moan about the length of the que when wanting to have a bet at the track on a busy day
Moan about the unfriendly tellers
Moan about the unfair pay outs
Moan about the meeting getting called off even if it means the safety of the horses and jockeys
Moan about lack of internet service
Moan about lack of food stalls
Moan about the lack of parking

all of this has been posted on ABC one time or another

Yet you want new comers to join up, would you?

rob faux wrote: Racing will not progress until they take a new look at priorities!
The days of thousands of punters ,on course are over ............this obsession with the "good old days " is misguided IMO!
In the "good old days ,totes closed I hour before the 1st race and there was no telebetting.
All investment was locked in and losses could not be backed up by playing "get out" bets or re-investing winnings unless you were on course...................so many punters were forced to go to the course!
Next best was Tattersalls, that were open all day, taking bets and so evolved the "open bet"
The present strategy is trying to swim upstream!-it needs to cater for what punters really want .............a trusted betting opportunity!
The Poker sites are making fortunes out of giving people want they want ...........the ability to gamble from the comfort and safety of their homes.
If you get more punters ,punting off course ,their curiosity will grow and they will visit the course for special events if THEIR needs are catered for.............like free Wi Fi so they can use their devices and bet as normal, but with an enhanced visual experience.
Racing has been failing at recapturing the "good old days" for decades ,and you know what they say about repeating a process and expecting a different result..................exactly what the "its a rush" initiative(sic) is!
Give customers what they want ,not what you think they should want!

...

.....Rob, on another thread on this forum we pictures of Gosforth Park the day of the DA/Brainteazer match race....the course was packed ....and they were not there for budget priced sea food they were there to punt....that day I was in an offcourse betting lounge which were abundant at the time and it was packed too .....no hype on IGN and they had limited exposure anyhow......no presenters and overpaid racing execs praising the crowds and slapping each other on the backs for a job well done......but what went wrong
.....dont blame casinos and the open bet.....it is the way the game is managed that has driven the would be newbies and seasoned punters away.....

Are those days not gone Muhit? So many more leisure activities available these days

......there have always been other leisure activities even back in the day.....we have bigger population and more recent global exposure.....the big problem remains....preaching to the converted.....back in the early 90's when racing started going pear shaped little or near nothing was done to retain and maintain customer base.....only when they were gone did the penny drop.....we had a culture of a racing mad public that even paid to see horses at courses...still to this day general interest is decreasing because it is not tackled properly....
we bitch here day in and day out....and nothing changes....oh yes I recently got an SMS ...a step in the right direction.....but by addressing me by my 1st name... for me a little bit impersonal as I abbreviated my name back in the early 80's.....shows that no recent home work done and using outdated info.... :dry:....and really off the mark was them pushing soccer betting....onto a horse racing purest.... :dry:

....get people on course lure them with seafood, entertainment, wot eva....have them fill in a competition form for prize draws but have questions on their interests to try get the right messages to them....then target their details provided with appropriate electronic mail shots advertising special events, eg. come watch champion horse bid for triple crown, or World Cup bid by SA Trainer.....not fill in the back of a loosing tote ticket.....a name and cell no....."will John and Bongani please come claim your betting voucher....and identify yourself with your cell no..... :huh:....then invite them to join the soccer pools.... :dry:

Racing. It's a Rush: PRESS RELEASE


Subject: ATTENDANCE FIGURES SOAR AT JOBURG PRAWN FESTIVAL


Date: 2 MARCH 2016




The Johannesburg Prawn Festival, which coincided with the first leg of the
SA Triple Crown, pulled huge crowds into Turffontein Racecourse this past
Saturday, with thousands of people attending the races.

This was the fourth year that the Prawn Festival has taken place in
Gauteng. The inaugural event in 2013 attracted about 1 000 patrons to the
Joburg Prawn Festival area and last two years the attendance was poor due
to inclement weather.
While organisers are overwhelmed with the great attendance in the Prawn
Festival area this year, the unanticipated numbers did lead to queues and
catering shortfalls resulting in some unhappy customers.

Many racegoers reported having a wonderful time, enjoying the delicious
prawns and family entertainment. Organisers of the event have apologised to
all patrons who had to stand in queues or who did not get to enjoy the
prawns on offer. Prawns were freshly prepared on the day and there was
certainly not enough stock and staff to adequately cater for the unexpected
numbers on the day.

Racing. It’s a Rush, along with the event organisers and caterers,
have assured customers that every measure will be taken to overcome
these challenges at future events.

Wife and I sat in Kelvin's bar....... prawn special was also offered there.


I thought great, not going to join the bloody long queues downstairs ......... WAITED at least 2 hours for the prawns, they weren't 1/2 kgs......tasted great but a bloody long time to wait.