Angela Rosier, director at corporate hospitality specialist Events International.

The glamour factor can be a particular clincher for clients. “There’s no doubt that many racecourses, especially the famous ones like Cheltenham or Ascot, feel a bit special, even if you’re not there on a race day. Racing still has that smart, well-heeled image,” she adds.

What’s more, as even the most famous courses usually hold racing

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meets for just a few days a year, most are only too keen to boost revenue by securing non-race business. Dates are often easy to get hold of, and according to Rosier, prices can be surprisingly competitive.

“Invariably, venues like racecourses can work out cheaper than using a four or five-star hotel, and they can be very flexible on cost,” she says. “In the current market, it’s particularly well worth negotiating as there are lots of deals about.”

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS SERVICES S.L.Corporate Hospitality Dpt.

Narcís Monturiol, 2 08960, Sant Just Desvern Barcelona - Spain Tel. +34 934 738 494 Fax +34 934 738 154

motogpvipvillage@dorna.com - www.motogpvipvillage.com

The MotoGP Vip Village is the ideal environment in which to entertain andimpress your clients, the perfect platform to meet a wide range of objectives.

racetracksandracecourses

Continued on page 41

When it comes to investment, UK racecourses and racetracks have displayed an impressive record over the past few years. Emma Allen reports

Keen to tap into new audiences, many racecourses, including Epsom, Aintree and Ascot, have spent millions

on upgrading and expanding their facilities, with the result that venues are providing an increasingly sophisticated offer to groups.

“People generally have much higher expectations of sporting venues than they used to, and a lot of racecourses have really upped their game to tap into that,” explains Justin Hopwood, head of sales and marketing at sports event organiser Mike Burton. “Nowadays, amenities are often superb, with modern spaces and up to date equipment. There’s no doubt they are offering more serious competition to traditional venues like hotels.”

Another plus is that many are geared up for large numbers, with space flexible enough for roadshows, concerts and exhibitions, as well as smaller meetings and conferences. “Racecourses can work really well for big events. If you’ve got people coming from all over the country, they’re easy to find and there’s rarely an issue with parking,” points out

On track

Catering for events at Doncaster

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racetracksandracecoursesracetracksandracecourses

NEW GRANDSTANDOPENING APRIL 2009

HOTEL

LEISURE

CONFERENCES

EVENTS

30 minutes from London.

A million miles away from any other venue.

01372 726311www.epsomdowns.co.uk

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Great Leighs in administrationBritain's newest racecourse went into administration just eight months after launching. The £40m Great Leighs in Chelmsford has had its licence revoked by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). According to the BHA, an application for a new temporary licence was declined. It has not made public the reasons for its decisions. Administrator Deloitte has been appointed and will continue to trade the business while it investigates the opportunity of a sale.

MotorcyclingMotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship with an eight-month season of 18 Grand Prix in 14 countries. The spectacular show comes to the UK on July 26 at Donington Park, Derby. Packages are available at the MotoGP VIP Village, the official corporate hospitality facility of the MotoGP World Championship.

What’s newOne of the UK’s newest racecourses is Ffos Las, near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, south Wales, which is set to open its doors to the corporate market in June. The £20m, 600-acre racecourse will offer hospitality space for up to 500 delegates, including a 150-seat restaurant. Eight hospitality boxes will also be available for up to 20 people per box.

Meanwhile, Epsom Racecourse, home to the Derby, will unveil its brand new £28m grandstand on April 22. Adding to its existing conference facilities in the Queen Stand, the new development includes an impressive 800-seat exhibition hall on the ground floor, suitable for product launches, conferences and banqueting. With design input from clients including Toyota, the hall has been built for large events. Three first floor rooms each have sweeping racecourse views and a combined capacity of 600, while the glass-fronted Downs View suite can seat nearly 100. Fourteen private boxes are also available. On-site is a newly-built 120-bedroom Express by Holiday Inn, which opened late last year.

Other recent developments include Doncaster, which reopened in late 2007 following an extensive £34m overhaul. Its futuristic five-storey Urban-i grandstand features four floors of flexible meeting and conference space, including the Lazarus exhibition hall which can host up to 2,500 delegates. Clients include Green King, Marstons and Asda, who have all used Urban-i for road shows, exhibitions, and sales events, according to racecourse sales manager Judith Day.

A £35m expansion programme at Aintree in 2007 created two brand new grandstands with a combined capacity of 1,200, suitable for exhibitions and conferences. A variety of smaller rooms and breakout areas overlooking the course can also cater for parties and meetings. Groups can also take advantage of the new international Equestrian Centre with its main arena for 200, and the site’s own nine-hole golf course and floodlit driving range.

just 20 minutes away and Gatwick 40 minutes. After a morning meeting and a buffet lunch, we were given a safety briefing from the MB World events team and split into three groups. One went off to do fast track performance racing, another 4x4 off-roading, and group three were given a guided tour around the MB World show room. Each event lasted an hour before we moved on to the next, and I thought it was a good mix. The racing was a lot of fun, and you actually get to drive for about 20 minutes in one of the top of the range CLKs and SLKs. The 4x4 section was also a real highlight. Seeing what those cars are really capable of off-road was incredible. Overall, I thought the venue worked very well. Everything ran smoothly, the staff were polished and it was a great way to combine work with a team activity.

Mercedez Benz World, Surrey

casestudy Rob Thomas,

Lean Coaching

In January, we held a meeting and team-building afternoon for 27 of our staff at Mercedez Benz World, which is situated in Brooklands racing circuit in Weybridge, Surrey. Aside from the appeal of the top-notch facilities, the location was ideal as we had several people flying in for the day from Scandinavia, Hungary and Germany; Heathrow is

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Paris regularly heads the polls as a key city for business meetings – topping M&IT’s Trends & Spends survey 2008 for

the most number of delegates. The city is also ranked top of the pile by the International Convention & Congress Association.

The city is set to welcome hotel openings including the Renaissance Arc de Triomphe this month, the Shangri-La Hotel towards the end of the year, a new Mandarin Oriental hotel and a Park Inn in 2010.

VIPARIS, which was formed through the merger of Paris Expo and the Paris Chamber of Commerce, is also growing with b250m (£221.7m) of investment works scheduled.

ATENSPARIS

Katherine Simmons discovers what makes Paris a perennial favourite with event organisers

Still nu

Unmistakably French: view from the Westin Paris

WHOto contact

paris COnventiOn bureauCorinne BernadouTel: +33 1 49 52 53 96Email: cbernadou@parisinfo.comwww.convention.parisinfo.com

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racetracksandracecourses

Continued from page 41

UK Racecourse and Racetrack round-upAscotFor groups looking for a prestigious summer venue, Ascot’s racing marquee, built for Royal Ascot in June, is available for hire until the end of July. Set in the Great Windsor Park, the large three-storey marquee directly overlooks the racecourse and can host up to 1,500.

ChepstowAt Chepstow racecourse, group packages for 2009 include outdoor team-building activities such as ‘It’s a Knockout’ style events, rally driving, quad-biking, clay pigeon shooting and archery. Following a £10m upgrade of its conference facilities and premier stand in 2004, the venue can accommodate from ten to 600 in its 60 breakout rooms and exhibition hall.

SilverstoneNew for 2009 at Silverstone, in Northamptonshire, is the Team Building and Tour Package, where delegates can drive a Lotus Exige, take part in a pit-stop challenge and tour the 880-acre site. For the first time, the venue has also opened up the British Racing Drivers Club HQ for conferences and events.

CheltenhamSet to host the Conservative Party spring forum in April, The Centaur at Cheltenham offers an impressive 2,600sqm of indoor space and is suitable for a wide variety of events, including conferences for up to 2,250 delegates, banquets for up to 1,200 and regional exhibitions. Clients include Waitrose, Renault, and HSBC.

MusselburghTwenty minutes from Edinburgh, Musselburgh Racecourse is currently being upgraded at a cost of £5m, which will include redevelopment of its Queens Stand meeting space. Current facilities include nine meeting rooms with the largest able to accommodate 100 delegates, while visitors can also make use of the nine-hole Musselburgh Old Golf Course in the grounds.

Sandown ParkSandown Park in Surrey only hosts 30 racing days a year, so events are a key part of the business. Facilities include the Eclipse Pavilion, which offers 23 small syndicate rooms, and the large Surrey Hall, which can accommodate up to 2,500.

NewburyAt Newbury, the exclusive Royal Box has now been fully refurbished. Two flexible rooms can seat up to 50 theatre-style. New menus are being developed for 2009, after the venue brought its catering operation in-house last year.

Hamilton ParkAt Hamilton Park racecourse, near Glasgow, organisers can choose from 17 meeting rooms, including 13 private boxes overlooking the course, and a fixed marquee for up to 300 people theatre-style. A new champagne bar is available for race day hospitality, and can host up to 100.

Brands HatchAt the Brands Hatch racing circuit in Kent, groups can follow in John Lewis and Pirelli’s footsteps by holding a meeting or conference in the MotorSport Vision Centre. Five flexible suites are available, overlooking the circuit, for up to 600 people. Driving packages, including a Peugeot 206 rally driving masterclass, karting and sessions in a Formula Brand single seater, can be incorporated.

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