NEWS | BLOG

6, May 2010

Dubai’s race to build the iconic Meydan horseracing development in time for the 2010 Dubai World Cup – featuring the richest horse race in the world – was a close finish, but never in doubt. On the eve of the inaugural 2010 event, Merrick Haydon spoke with Mohammad Al Khayat, Commercial Director of Meydan City Corporation.

Meydan City may only be at the start of a long journey but with the stunning staging of the US$26.25 million Dubai World Cup raceday in March this year, featuring the richest horserace in the world, it has left an indelible impression on the 60,000 spectators as well as the millions of race fans from around the world.

As a sports venue, its statistics are unparalleled and can be compared favourably against some of the world’s greatest stadiums. A grandstand that seats 60,000 plus spectators, a five-star trackside hotel, six haute-cuisine restaurants offering food from five continents, an IMAX cinema, and covered parking for up to 10,000 cars. For spectators therefore, the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of horseracing in such a uniquely luxurious setting is without equal anywhere in the world.

In time, Meydan City will encompass a golf course, a business park, an 80-berth Marina and various residential districts – all in a unique setting where business and pleasure will be designed to operate in harmony.

The man responsible for the worldwide marketing of the venue is Commercial Director, Mohammad Al Khayat. A graduate of Cass Business School, part of City University in London, Mohammad joined Meydan in 2007 when the horseracing development master plan was first launched.

“From the moment we launched in 2007, the focus has always been the 2010 Dubai World Cup, so the last two years have been very busy” explained Mohammad.

“Although I am responsible for the overall sales targets, marketing budgets and sponsorship management, the commercial team liaises with many different internal groups so our work is relevant to many departments within the company”.

While the final development will include many different aspects, equestrian sports will always be at the core of Meydan’s philosophy. Meydan not only stages the aforementioned Dubai World Cup, but also sponsors the FEI Nations Cup, the premier international outdoor show jumping competition as well as being the Endurance Competition sponsor for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

With the date for the completion of the Meydan project fixed for the 2010 Dubai World Cup, Mohammad and his marketing team were on an extremely tight schedule, with little room for error. “The primary concern was to achieve the correct marketing exposure for the event and support all our sponsors, from the day they came onboard until the actual event itself”, explained Mohammad.

“Within my department, the team is made up of eight core members, but in the lead-up to the Dubai World Cup, we employ temporary staff to help us out. As we’re undergoing restructuring, the marketing team currently falls under the scope of the Commercial Department”.

He went on to add, “There are currently 20 members who work within the five separate groups which make the marketing team; Sponsorship, Events, Hospitality and Sales, Marketing Communications and Branding, and PR. As this is a fast-track project, all the teams work together to ensure that the project gets finished on time”.
 
Showcases at the 2008 Shanghai Cityscape and the 2009 Cityscape Dubai were seen as the ideal opportunity to allow the public and potential partners alike the chance to engage hands-on with the unique development. In December 2009, a select group of 70 journalists from 30 countries were invited to take their first-ever look at the impressive racecourse and hospitality facilities which would be on display to the world only three months later.

From a sponsorship perspective, Meydan is able to offer some of the region’s leading brands an outstanding platform on which to build international awareness. The eagerly anticipated official launch of Meydan, in conjunction with the 2010 Dubai World Cup, makes this one of the biggest events in the UAE’s social and sporting calendar and attracts the horseracing elite from around the world.

“Our sponsors include Emirates Airlines, Dubai Duty Free, China Guangsha, The Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, Etisalat – Emirates Telecommunication Corporation, Gulf News, Emirates NBD and Land Rover. We work hard to maintain close relationships with each of them and speak on a daily basis in order to ensure all their needs are met”, said Mohammad. “In the cases of Emirates, Dubai Duty Free and Gulf News, they have been sponsors of the Dubai World Cup since its inception in 1996 and we are delighted that their partnership is still ongoing and is a testament to all our hard work”.

The key to completing a development of this size and scale on time has been communication. Although emails have become the 21st century tool for communicating, when instant decisions are needed, Mohammad and his team still rely on the telephone as the most direct means of communication. However, there is some concession to modernity as Mohammad pointed out, “We thank BlackBerry every day for their invention – we’re always on them!”

Long after the racing fans have left Meydan, the work will still go on for Mohammad and his team. With the Meydan Metropolis, a combination of sumptuous residential and commercial space, set to open in the second quarter of 2011, there is still plenty to do to and as ever, time is tight.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Merrick Haydon
Tel: 0207 928 9999
email: merrick@revolutionsports.co.uk

Royal Windsor Racecourse is seeking a headline sponsor to partner the Racecourse’s inaugural Football Furlong™ Raceday on Sunday, 8 August 2010. Football Furlong™ is a unique fusion of horseracing and football with jockeys racing in the generic shirt colours of the 20 English Premier League football clubs, and has been hosted at Haydock Park and Leopardstown Racecourses in previous years.

Headline sponsorship benefits include overall event title naming rights plus title ownership of five of the day’s races, covered by satellite channel At The Races with domestic distribution to over 12 million UK and Irish homes; significant branding on all event marketing and throughout the Racecourse; PA announcements on the day targeted at the 9,000 racegoers; substantial VIP hospitality in private, course-facing facilities at the beautiful riverside Racecourse; exclusive access to Premier League football stars and VIPs; partnership to be publicised in all pre-raceday literature and press releases.

Fantastic marketing, hospitality and sales promotion platform with PR cut through.

Contact Matthew Foxton-Duffy, Sales & Marketing Manager, 01753 498 442, matthew.foxton-duffy@windsor-racecourse.co.uk for further details.

For a detailed proposal please click on the following link:

RWR Football Furlong Proposal, May 2010 LR

10, March 2010

Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing contender, Oliver Townend, confirmed yesterday that he plans to ride Ashdale Cruise Master at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, as well as possibly ODT Master Rose.

Ashdale Cruise Master completed the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials last year with Emily Gilruth, and when she became pregnant the owners, Henry and Edna Harding, moved him to Townend’s Shropshire yard. “He’s a very classy horse, with lots and lots of scope,” said Townend. “My biggest problem is it’s a race against time on the dressage front, but he’s definitely one of the best horses I’ve ridden.”

Townend’s result at Burghley has set up a thrilling competition in Lexington, Kentucky in April, when he could become only the second rider, after Pippa Funnell, to scoop the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam for winning the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, and the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, all in succession. So far the Rolex Grand Slam feat has only been achieved by Pippa Funnell, who won all three competitions in 2003 on two different horses.

The 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is from 22-25 April.

Photos courtesy of Kit Houghton featuring Oliver Townend at yesterday’s Rolex Grand Slam day in London with The Household Cavalry at the Royal Horse Guards Parade and Hyde Park Barracks.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Rod Kohler                  Tel:             +44 207 928 9999
Revolution Sports         Mobile:        +44 7770 647 662

17, August 2009

Pat Gibson takes a look at the TurfTrax Weather System on trial at the The Brit Oval that is helping Bill Gordon to prepare a perfect Test pitch

For further information please contact:

Rod Kohler  Tel: 0207 928 9999
Revolution  email: rod@revolutionpr.co.uk

17, August 2009

The Brit Oval has become the first cricket ground in the world to install a state-of-the-art TurfTrax Weather System.

In an Ashes series which has been highly influenced by adverse weather conditions, the TurfTrax Weather System promises to provide The Brit Oval ground staff, television & radio commentary teams, media and fans with up-to-date and accurate data affecting the ground’s playing surface and environment.

The TurfTrax Weather System will allow for better informed decisions to be made regarding the condition of The Brit Oval’s wicket and outfield.

Clive Stephens, Operations and Development Director at The Brit Oval said, “The TurfTrax Weather System will provide us with the opportunity to precisely monitor the weather and playing conditions during what will be a vital Ashes Test. In essence we now have our very own, highly sophisticated meteorological device giving us climate information specific to The Brit Oval”.

This exciting addition to The Brit Oval will see the TurfTrax Weather System become an essential component for effective and high quality turf management within cricket.

The TurfTrax Weather System will provide ground staff at The Brit Oval with a comprehensive log of historic and live atmospheric and ground conditions including:

• Rainfall (mm)
• Air Temperature
• Soil Moisture
• Soil Temperature
• Relative Humidity
• Wind Speed
• Gust Speed
• Wind Direction
• Solar Radiation

The TurfTrax Weather System is extremely user friendly requiring negligible knowledge of meteorology to operate the technology and interpret the resulting data. Information can be accessed either through a password protected website or handheld device. SMS messages can also be sent out to warn ground staff of any adverse or unusual weather conditions affecting The Brit Oval’s playing surface.

To date, the TurfTrax Weather System has been used on all the UK’s leading racecourses, including Newmarket, Cheltenham and Ascot. Sporting clubs and venues like Arsenal FC, Twickenham RFU and currently, Chelsea FC, have also used the TurfTrax Weather System to monitor ground and climatic conditions in and around their stadiums. 

TurfTrax was formed in 2000 by a group including soil physics/sports turf lecturers to build on the expertise at Cranfield University and provide solutions to ground management services such as improved drainage design and ground scanning.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Rod Kohler  Tel: 0207 928 9999
Revolution  email: rod@revolutionpr.co.uk

26 July, 2009

Howard Wright reports on the appointment of promotional experts Revolution by TurfTrax

For further information please contact:

Revolution Sports Marketing Group: +44 (0) 207 928 9999

merrick@revolutionsports.co.uk

26 July, 2009

TurfTrax has appointed Revolution Sports Marketing Group to promote its range of turf management products beyond the horse racing arena into new sports including football, rugby, cricket and golf.

To launch the move, a preview event took place at Ascot Racecourse on Friday 24th July 2009.  Attendees included leading turf media and associations, as well as Premiership Football Clubs, Test cricket grounds and premier golf courses.

Since the start of the year, and under the regulation of the British Horseracing Authority, the TurfTrax GoingStick has become an established feature in racing, providing consistent data and statistics on the going at each of the 59 turf racecourses in the UK. In addition 27 of the leading racecourses,, as well as one Premiership football club, utilise the TurfTrax Weather System. The system automatically uploads accurate and up to the minute information on the localised weather conditions to any pc, laptop or handheld device connected to the internet.

Adam Mills, Chairman of TurfTrax said, “TurfTrax manufactures and operates products which are relevant to all sports where turf management plays a crucial role. Racing is a key market, but the timing is now right to expand into new areas.”

He continued, “We look forward to working closely with the Revolution team on a range of initiatives to take our products into new marketplaces. We have appointed Revolution as our marketing partner because of their valuable range of experience both in racing and the sports we now wish to target.”

Merrick Haydon, Managing Director, Sponsorship said, “As the finances involved in international sport continue to rise, the state of the playing surface has become increasingly important and we believe that TurfTrax has a major role to play in providing consistent and reliable information for turf professionals across a range of sports.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Merrick Haydon    Tel:  +44 (0) 207 928 9999
Revolution Sports Marketing  email: merrick@revolutionsports.co.uk