Racing: Weaver chasing corporate dollar for ARC

Chris Weaver

Chris Weaver has been the chief executive officer of the Auckland Racing Club for 18 months and he well remembers the first day in his new role at Ellerslie.

"I was up in one of the lounges at the top of the Ascot Stand horrified at what I saw - the roof was leaking and the facilities at Ellerslie back then were some of the most poorly neglected I have ever seen."

Weaver includes in that description the grandstands, racetrack and Events Centre equipment.

"I still shake my head when I look back at the state of the facilities, when I started. We've spent a lot of money at Ellerslie rebuilding and redesigning various lounges at the Event Centre, but we had to maintain a strong presence in the corporate marketplace.

"One of the first things I noticed was that at least 75 percent of all the chairs we had in the lounges were ripped and we had to replace the whole lot of them.

"We have only 26 race days a year here and the rest of the time we looked to our Event Centre to bring in additional income.

"The only way it can continue to increase income is to have first-class facilities to cater for any needs for clients.

"We have looked at our 26 race dates and broken them down into nine key carnival race days and 17 classic racedays.

"We had a look at our marketing budgets for the year and assessed how much money we were going to spend and when to spend it to benefit those race dates.

"Obviously, the key carnival dates are very important and I look at our Melbourne Cup raceday at Ellerslie and what a massive hit it was with the Auckland market.

"We had 31 functions and it's a raceday that is only going to get bigger and better for our Event Centre.

"We really have to target that corporate market, because a lot of the clientele have the disposable income available to come out to Ellerslie and have an enjoyable day.

"They may not be the big punters, but those corporate groups have plenty of money to spend on hospitality and having first-class event centre facilities available is really important.

"A young female may not be a punter, but she is prepared to come out to Ellerslie with friends and pay for a lunch, a few bottles of wine and enjoy the whole experience.

"Since I've started here, it has been a massive task sitting down and looking at the whole concept of Ellerslie as a venue that could be a big player in the Auckland entertainment industry.

"On race day, we have owners, trainers, jockeys, racing punters and Event Centre clients all arriving here at Ellerslie looking for a good day of entertainment.

"There is no reason why we can't cater for all these groups, which are important for the overall success of the Auckland Racing Club.

"One thing we've tried to work on with the sports media is to make it aware that racing should be recognised as a top-class sport.

"The jockey and racehorse are the athletes and the trainers are the coaches who get those equine athletes ready for competition.

"I've enjoyed the first 18 months of the job and I am looking forward to our Cup Week concept in 2006, on March 4, 8 and 11.

"We've had a lot of favourable - and some unfavourable - comments made about switching our New Zealand Derby and Auckland Cup dates, but it's something we thought long and hard about and believe it's a positive move.

"There is a lot more benefit for the sponsors having these feature races in March, when they can entertain clients and friends a lot more successfully as opposed to Boxing Day or New Year's Day when a lot of the big firms shut down."

The $600,000 (Mercedes) Derby will be held at Ellerslie on March 4 and the Auckland Cup will be held four days later for the same stake money.


- HERALD ON SUNDAY