Show promotion a priority: manager

Dave Mee, CEO of Horse of the Year's new event management company, SMC Events, at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds where the annual equestrian show is staged. Photo / Warren Buckland

Despite being one of Australasia's largest annual sporting events, Horse of the Year remains "kind of a secret" outside equestrian circles, says the man now in charge of managing the Hastings-based show.

SMC Events, headed by chief executive Dave Mee, was last month picked to manage the event, replacing long-time HOY frontman Kevin Hansen.

Mr Mee, whose company is based in Auckland, has been spending a couple of days a week in Hawke's Bay on Horse of the Year matters and says promoting next March's event to a wider audience is one of his priorities.

"From our perspective there is fantastic scope to let the rest of New Zealand know about it because the event is not widely known outside the equestrian community. That's certainly one of the key things for us to do - to get more awareness out there," he said.

"It's also key for us to create a better customer experience at the event itself, whether it be around parking, the public's first experience at the gate, or the ease of movement around the ground. All of those things are key in terms of enhancing the customer experience, and ensuring visitors become repeat customers."

SMC does not have previous equestrian experience but has a long background in managing major events, including the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon, the Ellerslie International Flower Show, Big Boys Toys and Auckland's ASB Polyfest, which attracts 90,000 spectators over four days.

Mr Mee says he and the company have been busy meeting Horse of the Year's sponsors, suppliers, other commercial partners and the different sporting disciplines involved in the event as they begin gearing up for next year's show.

An ongoing naming-rights sponsorship deal is in place with Farmlands, but other sponsorship agreements, including with key partner Land Rover, are up for renewal.

"Horse of the Year needs a few more corporate sponsors and it needs them to leverage the event with us.

Land Rover does a particularly good job of it," he said.

Meanwhile, the company that controls the show, Horse of the Year (Hawke's Bay) will find out over the next eight days whether its pitch to Napier City Council and Hastings District Council for more funding for the event has been successful.

Hastings District Council is due to decide on a request to increase its annual funding from $35,000 to $150,000 at a meeting this week while Napier will consider upping its $10,000 a year contribution next week.

In the case of Napier, however, a rise seems unlikely with a recommendation before the council that the present level of funding remain unchanged.

Mr Mee said he would welcome a larger contribution from the councils because it generated an estimated $12.5 million of economic activity for the region.