IDEAS on how we can improve Harness Racing

[Messenger]

In today's Age, Michael Lynch writing about the Winx Factor providing a record 22k crowd for the Turnbull Stakes writes that the lesson to be learnt is

If racing people are worried about falling attendances they should realise the horses need to be made the stars of the show. Marketing should focus on them, and to a lesser extent the jockeys. They will attract not just punters but newcomers.

Black Caviar did it, and so does Winx. It’s a far better way to sell the sport than as it so often is promoted these days, as an all-day drinkathon or as a pick-up joint, a sort of highcolour, daytime nightclub with the racing merely as a backdrop

http://todayspaper.smedia.com.au/the...entity=ar04504

IMO the same lesson applies to Harness

[Messenger]

Another view from Richard Hinds on the ABC website

.....But such interest in a champion horse is, increasingly, an exception to general disinterest in racing itself, as opposed to interest in event-going and who-are-you-wearing fashion marquees.

Tellingly, The Everest field does not contain a single horse that is more noteworthy or eye-catching for the non-racing enthusiast than the prizemoney.

But then, most years, neither does the Melbourne Cup in which the fields are now almost exclusively comprised of "foreign raiders", or imports re-badged as locals by their new Aussie owners and trainers.

It is easy to mock The Everest as the gauche and possibly short-lived brainchild of Sydney racing authorities desperate to compete with their Melbourne rivals; even easier when the race is used to turn a revered international landmark into a lamentable billboard at the screeching insistence of an influential shock jock.

But perhaps a multi-million-dollar buy-your-start race over 1200 metres advertised on a once-revered site at the vocal insistence of a wealthy, well-connected media insider is as reflective of contemporary Australia as a modest 3200 metres handicap once was.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-0...?section=sport

[KTQ]

While the quality of the Everest field may not be topnotch, the publicity brought about by the Alan Jones Opera House game surely drove some of the 40,000 strong crowd with I'm sure a couple of those attendees now being converts. We could do something similar for harness racing; heaven knows harness really needs to get in on some eyecatching marketing.



I posted this to twitter in a birdsnest mess of tweets but let's close down the Harbour Bridge and cover it in grit and sand or close off a key beach and hold a straight track harness racing meeting. The public can vote on which horses race each other in heats and it'll be a sudden death event culminating in a grand final with number of qualifying horses depending on how wide the track is. Similar events can be held in Perth and Melbourne on the same day with live crosses between the tracks. Either Parkdale or Chelsea beach in Melb, Dee Why or Collaroy in Syd and Scarborough in Perth. Kwinana Freeway or St Kilda Road. Grand stands and big screens along the entire track with sound metres to measure the crowd's cheers, Smoken Up and other old champ cameos, show bags, facepainting, harness driving simulators, horse gearing up speed contests. Even a contest for people to win shares in some horses. They could easily just have a stall where you can find out more information on how to join a syndicate (on that note, why don't they set up stalls at street markets with this?)



We can go overboard with the publicity starting with a tease campaign; a float at mardi gras, some horse shaped fireworks on NYE or at the Sydney show, then start to build momentum with a superboard billboard campaign and some projections on main buildings, station takeovers and TV integrations, social media influencers etc.



Brands can sponsor horses and the driver colours can be the brand's colours to bring in some money. They can even rename the horses slightly for the race eg Carlas Pixar, Tiger Airways Tara, Chicago The Musical Bull.



We'll make this a yearly event and hold it at different landmarks or places every year.



I'm not even joking.

[Messenger]

Interesting Katie. Permission and OHS for participants and crowd would be the biggest problems to solve (forgetting cost here). They/government would consider it for the gallops - I am not sure that they would for us
The other concern would be whether it has any all year round spin off value as we are not a beach racing sport
The traditional races such as The Cup have history and crowd pulling power - that may be so for the Everest one day, right now IMO they only have it because they have $13m (attracts people's interest like a Tattslotto jackpot)
We would need $10m for prizemoney and as much for costs

I agree we have to think big - maybe test it out by seeing if somewhere like Ballarat could pull it off in their Main St

[Dot]

I expect you to get cracking on that as soon as you get home Katie. I don't know if the crowd was any bigger for the Everest this year then last after Jones rant, but it did galvanise people, mostly from the not interested crowd before the race, and got media coverage for the Everest in New York and London. I guess it depends on if you think all publicity is good publicity, or not.....

The passage the cup has taken Kev, with it being now predominantly or completely filled with temporary or permanently imported stayers is actually said to be decreasing the interest amongst Australians, though no doubt they will still turn up in droves on the day, but overseas interest is increasing but there's is certainly discenting opinions if this is good for Australian racing overall, with large amounts of money being invested offshore and not in the Australain industry in pursuit of winning the cup.

Also it depends on where you are Kev, we are both a beach and road racing sport in various parts of Europe. There are beach races if I recall in Germany and/or The Netherlands in the north and in Ireland, where they lay out and 800m oval track on the sand at low tide. Also the Irish, (under saddle) and the Dutch have road racing, the Dutch I think have two horse "drag" races on the Main Street somewhere through a village I think.

Not suggesting the logistics of doing this would be easy but if we could create a similar annual event on sand or the roads it could be a good promotional event for us and be a stepping stone to draw people into more conventional harness racing.

[Dot]

Oh, and I think the original Everest concept looked at closing the harbour bridge and running it there.

[KTQ]

33,000 last year. 40,000 this year. The fact is that The Everest is just another event for gallops goers to attend - and in big numbers. This is the richest race, but there's the Melbourne Cup, and Oaks Day and Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate and Caulfield Guineas. Yet, how many people knew about the Vic Cup for harness.

The point is to get people there. You don't have to agree but whether they're there for the fashion, the drinks or the races, at least they're there and betting. Then you inject some engagement into the people who are interested with 'win a share of a trotter' or 'see if you can gear this plastic horse up quicker than your buddy' - film that and put it on Youtube or Facebook - people will laugh, other people will wonder what this video is all about and et voila! You have 1 person more aware that harness exists than previously. And I repeat this again, there should be 'sign up for a syndication' information tents at every street market.

Know what we used to have at our school's fete every year? Pony rides. There should be pony drives at events and then have a sign up tent for kids who would like to race one season. Remove the barriers to participation, and there's another industry participant.

how many people here are involved in harness because 'Dad used to take me as a kid'. Well here we are, Dad can take the new generation to the beach races every year. and then if you hand those people a free meal voucher for Menangle or Melton or wherever, the family will go to more races.

oh and here's my last thought. the gallops are glamorous. Owners wearing suits or hats and perfect makeup and hair. Women LOVE getting dressed up. Whereas old Bob and his bogan son get the harness winning photo dressed in a tshirt and boardshorts half the time. Harness used to be for the battler back when parents would buy takeaway once a fortnight and you'd wear hand me downs and drive an old rust bucket car with 5 kids crammed in the back, but there is a new generation now who want glamour. Millenials and the next generation have expendable income and I tell you, as a millenial myself, I too want to feel like I'm surrounded by lovely people when I go out.

[KTQ]

We need The Everest thinktank working on harness. No 'oh that'll be too expensive' or 'that's too hard' or 'we haven't done that before, it won't work' but more, how about this insanely crazy idea. Let's propose it, simply for the media coverage.

I tell you Dot, if there was a clear way to put forward these ideas, I would. I'll put together a proposal but if it's not even going to be read, then there's no point. We need some thinkers and risk takers on the board.

[KTQ]

Also, I'd like to know who the media planning/buying agency and creative agency are for Gloucester Park, and the other tracks. GP spent $750,000 in marketing in 2016/2017. As a media planner by trade, I would love to know what their media strategy and recommendation looks like, the results they're seeing, and what they consider success. If attendance YOY isn't up, I consider that a fail and I'm not sure if it was, considering admission profits were down $35,000.

[Messenger]

oh and here's my last thought. the gallops are glamorous. Owners wearing suits or hats and perfect makeup and hair. Women LOVE getting dressed up. Whereas old Bob and his bogan son get the harness winning photo dressed in a tshirt and boardshorts half the time. Harness used to be for the battler back when parents would buy takeaway once a fortnight and you'd wear hand me downs and drive an old rust bucket car with 5 kids crammed in the back, but there is a new generation now who want glamour. Millenials and the next generation have expendable income and I tell you, as a millenial myself, I too want to feel like I'm surrounded by lovely people when I go out.

What you meant to say is "lovely looking" people Katie. Dress standards and opinions is a very individual thing but I do know that Ray Chaplin of Equine Excellence has been banging on about the need to attract the 'top end of town' in submissions to past administrations for a couple of decades - I am not sure he always got a reply. It of course requires facilities that suggest the requiremnent to doll up

Sport entertainment has changed in some codes and we have to know our market. I have enjoyed suiting up for the races on occasions but also know on one of those occasions I never saw a race other than on a monitor (Flemington's old members dining room). Like you have said many of us oldies (not you) are 'Showgrounds' kids whose dads took us along to the trots - but they never wore a suit

PS I just realized your beach meets concept will be perfect for board shorts and T shirts