Track entrance fees - The best things in life are free?

How can you get people to come to the race course;YOU CAN'T!

Why not.Well who is the target market?Those in racing have been in racing for a million years.Your potential new customers are 20-somethings,and they are brand and image conscious.Their lives are about instant gratification;instant food,instant sex,fast cars etc.The racing experience is far too mundane.When do they go to the race course?Met & the July.Why?It's the place to be seen!Image.If those in charge of racing really want to get youngsters to the course,they need to employ a professional marketing company to tell them how to go about it.Sadly,the reality is it's far easier to just market the online experience,both tv-wise and online punting.

The Met draws 50000 people each year,but none return unless it's next years Met.I have made suggestions as to how you could try and get some of them interested,but no one really listens to suggestions from 'outsiders',so I have given up on that idea too.

Give up your dream of getting the people back to the courses guys,it simply ain't going to happen.

It's the world that's changing.Trends are different.Understand the trend,your product and your customers(or potential ones) and maybe you'll get the results you want.

JAP, this instant sex, fast cars etc, would also keep me away from the track, however I did suggest a type of internet room for the yuppies,

JUSTANOTHERTHOUGHT?

JUSTANOTHERQUESTION?

Have been to Woolworths and the friendly Spar, does this instant sex come in bottles or packets?

I dunno,I am from the inbetween generation,inbetween you and the tweenies.That's what they want,I didn't say I knew where to find it myself.If you find it in the bottle,send it over asap,I also am desperate for some after being single for over 4 years now.

I think if they going to charge people to attend its only going to defeat the idea of getting more people interested in racing, if they want to keep out the riff raff then simply go back to the system where you have to show a current race form to enter.

If they want to attract more people then definitely they need a new marketing public relations team. Most punters have families and no family likes their man at the race course while they are at home. So they need to provide some entertainment for the rest of the family to come along.

Maybe something like a live band, comedians, talent show the kids can take part in, horse riding for the family, etc etc... so while dad's punting the rest of the family dont mind tagging along and that way everybody's a winner.

Great question because it doesn't need an answer but just raises other questions!

1. WHY do they want to charge entrance?

a) To make money? (Casino charges R10 parking, most people come in cars, most-valued-customers free, most racing regulars are badge holders so charging admission achieves what ??)
b) To force people to have a bet (ticket is a betting voucher, don't watch-play?)
c) Crowd control (ok, that was just a joke)
d) Once upon a time admission was charged, inspiration struck and entrance was free, more inspiration??

Looks like an idea someone came up with because they felt they had to come up with one. Then they put it on TV. LOL, I despair.

As expected, more questions than answers?
I feel the owning of horses is the answer via syndicates, I can assure you that when no 13 or Clan Classique runs, we will have a great turnout? and if one considers maybe another 100 syndicates doing the same? I feel that would get the "punters" involved.

JUSTANOTHERTHOUGHT?

Scotia

I agree there may be many beneficial side effects to syndications, although SA racing does not have an "ownership" problem, and this really should be an RA type issue. There is no reason why punters shouldn't own or why owners shouldn't punt. The more..the merrier!

Having missed the TV program, I don't know what the RA's interest is in charging admission to racecourses? I would have thought that if the was an admission, the RA's interest would be to try and convince racecourses not to charge. Maybe it's a commentator issue that is beyond my ken?

Sorry Jack, the way I understood was that Clyde said that Phumelela were reconsidering an entrance fee, this was not the RA.
However badge owners would not be subject to any charge, in fact they would have a type VIP card to gain points.

Dear Dave,

Many thanks for the compliment! I am working on a loyalty card at the moment that every owner, punter, trainer, jockey, you name them, will own one! I hope to set up an infrastructure at the entrance gates that will allow you to swipe your card as you enter the course, which will register on the data base and keep an up to date register on who comes to the track, how often, how much they spending on the tote, etc. Such a card will gain points and accolades for every time you enter the course or bet etc and prizes will be rewarded accordingly. As you've noticed, we have our new glossy "newsletter" (what do you think of it?) and in that i have advertised sms numbers whereby all parties should sms their info so we can record their data and post these cards to every one concerned. If Phumelela do go ahead with their cover charge (in a betting voucher of some sort) to the track your badge will be back in the spot light once again and I think that will make a huge difference, security can control access to the parade ring and the various venue rooms. As you said in your post it will bring back the "proud" factor back into owning horses again.
Anytime,

Clyde

Wouldn't be fantastic if they made it a national incentive, so that everyone can be included!

It is sad that more teens/twenties are gambling than ever before,locally as well as globaly.The problem is they are choosing poker,not racing.
I enjoy poker in my non-racing time(and rained out meetings)and recently I played in a live tournament & estimate that at least 35% (40/50)players were under 25!!!!
I was fascinated to find,in chatting to a few of them,that some had a view on racing but the overall opinion was that racing is crooked and they will stay away.They were better informed on some of the detail than I would have expected ie they saw the manipulation of h'capping (MR)as a problem (one comment equated it to betting on wrestling).
My conclusion was that racing needs to be seen to be a "no nonsense" business as in HK or AUS or we will battle to get new generations of racegoers and if that happens it won't matter WHERE people "don't race".IMO POKER is our main competition at the moment.
My concern is whether the powers like P & GCircle will meet the challenge or just add poker tables to the slot machines?