6, April 2010
Following a hugely successful Cheltenham Festival, Jockey Club Catering – also official caterers at Aintree Racecourse – have been busy preparing for the John Smith’s Grand National meeting by undertaking ground-breaking local recruitment and customer service training.
On Saturday, 27 March 2010, the team within Jockey Club Catering, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, held a training day for over 1,000 new recruits who will work at the 2010 Grand National meeting on 8, 9 & 10 April 2010.
A total of 1,057 new recruits met at Aintree Racecourse to undertake customer service and skills training, resulting in a total of 6,000 hours of training. It was also important for Compass to relay its required standard of personal presentation and uniform, and therefore visual demonstrations were provided during the day through live fashion show style workshops.
The 1,000+ people being trained for the John Smith’s Grand National meeting is an example of Jockey Club Catering taking the extra steps to enhance the raceday customer experience, as well as build team work amongst its staff.
Bob Reeves, Business Director for Racing, Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “The John Smith’s Grand National meeting is a major event in the Jockey Club Catering calendar and a huge operation just two weeks after the Cheltenham Festival. The training day at Aintree was a great success and is just one of the initiatives we are undertaking to help ensure all racegoers have an incredible time at all of our 14 Jockey Club Racecourses.
Jockey Club Catering is incredibly proud to source our entire temporary staff from the local area in which we operate as it also provides a valuable source of employment to the region.”
The training day at Aintree is something that Jockey Club Catering will look to repeat in the build-up to the other great festival meetings at its Jockey Club Racecourses, including the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom and Newmarket’s July Festival.
According to Jockey Club Catering, race fans at the Grand National meeting are expected to drink over 7,000 bottles of champagne, 5,000 cocktails, 220,000 pints of beer and 75,000 cups of tea and coffee at the racecourse’s 80 public bars. In addition, Jockey Club Catering’s 3,000 staff will serve 14,000 hospitality covers over the three-day meeting and use enough ice to fill two articulated lorries!
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For further information please contact:
Rod Kohler Tel: 0207 928 9999
Revolution PR Mob: 07770 647 662
Liz Bastone Tel: 01895 554426
Compass Group UK & Ireland Mob: 07500 607965
Notes for Editors:
About Jockey Club Racecourses
Jockey Club Racecourses is part of the Jockey Club family. The Club’s trustee ownership ensures that the group’s profits are re-invested into racing.
Jockey Club Racecourses comprises a diverse portfolio of 14 courses. Major events and races staged at Jockey Club Racecourses include the Cheltenham Festival, the John Smith’s Grand National as well as four of the five Classics, including the Derby.
Because of the Jockey Club’s unique experience and heritage and the strength of the Group today, Jockey Club Racecourses are able to successfully deliver competitive and best-of-class horse racing; maximising profit and re-investing in the future to ensure the long-term and sustainable success of the business.
About Compass Group UK & Ireland
Compass Group UK & Ireland has partnered with Jockey Club Racecourses to provide an unrivalled variety of food services at over 350 fixtures a year as well as hosting numerous events throughout the year across the Jockey Club Racecourses portfolio of 14 courses.
Compass Group UK and Ireland is part of Compass Group plc, the world’s leading foodservice company. We specialise in providing food, vending and related services on our clients’ premises and we generated annual revenues of over £13.4 billion in the year to 30 September 2009. The company operates across the following core sectors of Business & Industry, Defence, Offshore & Remote Site, Healthcare, Education, Sports & Leisure and Vending with an established brand portfolio.
For more information visit www.compass-group.co.uk
Jockey Club Catering, Aintree Recruitment Training Day – 27.3.10
