So apparently Sydney Racing has a problem, not enough people are coming to the track. It’s even acknowledged by the powers that be.
The trouble is, everyone can tell you what’s going wrong. There’s basically not enough atmosphere and it’s easier and more profitable to sit at home and punt.
On the big days there is a bit of a break in the clouds in the short to mid-term, as the light rail being built at Randwick will surely ease the pain of travelling home on a losing day, or make going into the city to celebrate a winning one even easier.
But it’s not just about marketing and advertising to get people to the track, you’ve got to keep them there and you’ve got to look after your loyal customers.
When I was younger, one of my mates was a member of the Sydney Turf Club (STC) at Rosehill. Two weeks before Slipper Day he’d get two free entrance and members tickets for Ladies Day.
One year I went, and later in the day after some winners and a social beverage or two, the club had arranged for people to offer a heavily discounted membership to people, not much more than the price of attending just the Slipper.
I signed up, and not long after this was invited to a lavish lunch in the Director’s Room one raceday. I was sucked in by an obvious plan, get the crowds in, let them enjoy themselves and you’ll have them for life.
So really, getting the crowds in and keeping them is an investment, and right now you have to provide some serious incentive to get people to the track. Just banging on that you’re great isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Harold Park used to have what I remember as a $20 deal, where you got $20 worth of food and beverages with your $10 attendance. Unfortunately with the food and beverages on offer at some racetracks, that mightn’t stand as quite that good a deal anymore.
But there is one incentive for punters, that of the jackpot. From time to time, the TAB have jackpots on first fours, quaddies or big sixes. They’re quite popular. If I were running the gallops, I’d make that jackpot available for on course patrons only.
Who cares if the horses in the Queen Elizabeth are running for $1 million or $2 million? The owners, jockeys and trainers do, but the punters? The connections mightn’t care about an extra $500,000 in the quaddie pool if you get to the track, but the punters may well.
I reckon it’d work particular well for days like the Villiers Stakes day or in the lead-ups to the big day. Even for a day like the Cox Plate day, you could attract more punters to the races in Sydney when racing is on people’s mind.
But the main advantage is that you now know the days when you’ll get more people to the track, and you can give them a good time and turn them into loyal customers.
Maybe, just maybe, the powers that be will be forgiven for merging the STC and AJC, screwing with the Rosehill carnival, building a track that seems to absorb water during a Saturday and building the second biggest white elephant of a grandstand in Sydney. But then again, some of us might still be bitter.
Now, who should I invoice for my consultancy fee? I have a bank account in Panama…
kv joef
Roar Guru
Good article Nathan, complimenting Greg Prichard's piece from the other side :) . Nathan, you have struck a cord for the masses. It makes you wonder why a punter would spend Sat. afternoon at club, pub etc and not hop on a bus/train/car (with or without mates) and go to the local meet that is probably less than 30 minutes away? Had the pleasure of of a recent visit of a good friend of mine. He is a retired business-world soothsayer. i first met Calchas, in '97 when he gave a lecture on this new fangled thing called e-business. Later our paths crossed in 2000, 2003 when Calchas was again giving lectures to the corporate know-how on the future of online business. He was specific, cross-referenced evidence, pinpointed potential speed-bumps, talked of organisational structure and integration of old and new marketing techniques. The talk was good stuff and not the normal half-baked drivel that masquerades as knowledge. In all seminars, and with the value of 15 years hindsight, he proved remarkably accurate. We became good friends. i was interested in his methodology and he in mine concerning our different spheres of interest. Calchas is not a racing person but enjoys the races providing he is backing winners :) . We spent some time discussing the modern sports dilemma, of good product and no attendees /// good product with diminishing returns that you and greg raised from two sides of the same fence. Maybe, i'll brief his views after the Sydney carnival but i doubt if there is any interest. Business-wise, my soothsayer friend suggested modern sporting administrators seem to think they are in a brave new world - they are not! Calchas exampled how basic business principles have morphed into a confusing glad-bag of 'what-ifs'. It was one of the more interesting chats i've had in a while. PS don't think Racing Australia could afford the services of my friend even if they could get him out of retirement :) . particularly when he would be telling them what they already know, like any good form-reader by just clearing away the mist from their glasses.
Mark Haywood
Roar Pro
Does racing really want crowds though? Some genuine efforts by some of the clubs aside, there doesn't seem to be much focus on it from the controlling bodies.