Were you one of the people who applied for
this job and wondered who got it?
Chris Weaver, Chief executive, Auckland Racing Club.
Chris Weaver has great plans for the Auckland Racing Club at Ellerslie. He wants it to hold more premier events and race meetings to compete with other entertainment attractions.
"Ten to
15 years ago there was no Super 12, no Sky TV, no bars such as those we enjoy today, and we didn't have the restaurant and cafe culture.
"New Zealand has undergone a transformation to offer people more choice on where to spend their entertainment dollar. But horse racing hasn't kept up."
Before accepting the position, Weaver was regional director for Lion Breweries, where he spent just under four years. He spent around nine years at the company in two stints, including time in London as market development manager at Coca-Cola and marketing director at Virgin, running the London Broncos. He returned to New Zealand in 2000.
Weaver says the Ellerslie site's convention centre needs to be rebranded. He also sees the possibility of using the site's undercover grandstand, that can seat 15,000 people, for events such as opera.
"We could use it perhaps twice a year for something such as Opera in the Park.
"We need to look at all possibilities including developing some of our $60 million of land and perhaps become landlord."
"One of the most exciting things about this role is to grow our revenue to channel back in to racing. We should be able to put on racing events to match Ascot, the Kentucky Derby Run, the Grand National or Melbourne Cup.
"My aim is to have the premier racing venue in the country and to build a team committed to establishing Ellerslie as a venue all of Auckland can be proud of."
