This year the team at Bath Racecourse are hedging their bets on a glorious season of racing with a packed schedule of events. New Executive Director Simon Tonge, shares what’s in-store.
Simon Tonge, Executive Director, Bath Racecourse
Tell us more about what’s been happening behind the scenes at Bath Racecourse
We have had a really good off season with extensive works done to the Racecourse to ensure we have a brilliant surface for when we reopen on the 7th April for our Good Friday Raceday.
This will be Bath’s richest ever raceday with over £200,000 worth of prize money on offer. It returns for the first time since 2019 and it is a really exciting day to open the season with.
There is a lot of preparation that goes into planning our calendar, making sure we have a good mix of racedays and themes that appeal to a wide range of people.
For instance, this season we have Family Fun days, Music Nights and the traditional flagship days such as Ladies Day and our Cider Festival – so there really is something for everybody.
We also have the benefit of having the entire site back at our disposal following its use as an NHS Vaccination Centre. This opens up more opportunities for the upcoming season.
In addition to the work we have been doing to gear up for the season, whilst we host 22 racedays a year there are another 340 days that we are a thriving conference and events venue.
We have had a very busy Winter and Spring with a wide range of events and this side of the business is continuing to grow following a challenging few years with the pandemic and its impact on the conference and events market.
How are you looking to put your stamp on Bath?
One of my firm beliefs is that we need to create memorable experiences for every person who comes to Bath Racecourse. That will always be at the forefront of my thinking and decision-making in ensuring that when people choose to join us, they are having a fantastic experience and leave having had an incredible day. I am always looking for ways to improve every aspect of the customer journey and feel that every touch point you have with a customer is an opportunity to impress them.
Beyond that, I want to integrate the racecourse more with the city and grow commercially. We are ideally positioned from a commercial aspect with a massive catchment area within Bath and Bristol so I am really keen to build relationships, showcase the Racecourse and have more people through the door.
Ultimately, when compared with some other racecourses in the UK, Bath is an absolutely incredible facility and is somewhere that the city should be proud about, given its heritage, history and status within racing.
What is your focus for the 2023 racing season?
It will be to deliver competitive racing on track and unforgettable experiences off it for all of our fixtures that run from April to October.
Our 2023 flagship fixtures include: Good Friday (Friday 7th April); Ladies Day (Saturday 17th June); Cider Festival (Saturday 19th August) and Gentleman’s Day (Saturday 16th September). We will also have a 90’s Night on Friday 9th June and a Rum & Reggae Night on Friday 4th August which will have live music after the racing.
We cannot wait to welcome people through the door for what promises to be one of the most exciting years in Bath’s history.
What’s on offer for corporates?
We have a range of options from a corporate hospitality perspective but our two main areas that corporate clients would look to book would be our fine dining restaurant – The Royal Crescent, and our Private Boxes.
The Langridge Grandstand was purpose built a few years ago and hosts The Royal Crescent. With a capacity of circa 150 guests, it offers the perfect place to entertain clients or reward staff, with fantastic views across the racecourse. Whilst typically a shared facility bookable for any number of guests on private tables, we do have days whereby clients book the restaurant exclusively if wanting an event for higher numbers. We can offer a three-course meal, created by our award winning culinary team.
For those wanting something a little more exclusive, we have nine private boxes that can host between 12-60 guests. All have private balconies that overlook the racecourse. They are popular with corporate guests who often book a morning meeting with clients before dining and enjoying the racing for a more relaxed end of the day. This works really well from a team building perspective and mixes business and pleasure perfectly.
How can businesses engage with Bath Racecourse?
I come from a commercial background and have always been a big advocate for building relationships with businesses to help them achieve their targets. I firmly want to continue this and build long-lasting relationships with businesses in the city. I love collaboration and outside-of-the-box thinking, so would welcome any conversation as to how Bath Racecourse can work together with businesses.
We have some fantastic opportunities to help Bath businesses grow. For instance, businesses can partner with us to increase brand exposure, entertain clients, reward staff, or utilise our venue space to host meetings. There are so many ways in which a business can utilise what we have on offer and Bath Racecourse should be somewhere that the key businesses of the city all have a presence.
We have a host of sponsorship opportunities available which can showcase a company or brand to our 50,000 attendees each year, and also nationally and internationally through our races which get broadcast around the world.
What is your biggest challenge?
Our biggest challenge will probably be standing out in a competitive market place. Against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis, we understand that we need to deliver when people do decide to join us, which is why offering value for money has been such a driver with our pricing structure this year.
We understand that there are a host of sport and leisure activities in the local area and as a result, we need to stand out from the crowd and make a day at the races a really special experience.
What are you looking forward to most this year?
I am really looking forward to the season starting, getting stuck in and welcoming people through the door. From mid-May until mid-September we race almost every week so it will be a real whirlwind.
Whilst they come with challenges, busy schedules help to build a massive bond between the team here. I have no doubt we will look back on the season in October and be immensely proud of the fantastic effort put in and what we have delivered.
What do you love most about racing?
I fell in love with the sport when I was a teenager. The atmosphere at the races and the ability to get up close to the participants of the sport, equine and human, is like no other.
You can have experiences at a racecourse that are incomparable with other sports given the proximity to the action and nothing beats the rush of seeing your horse winning! I would implore anyone who hasn’t been racing before to go along as it is an incredible place to network and do business in a relaxed environment, or to socialise with friends and family.
If The Business Exchange could help you share one message, what would it be?
The one message I think I would share would be to come and experience horse racing if you haven’t. It is a phenomenal day out and Bath Racecourse doubles up as a fantastic place to utilise for business. I am keen to work and collaborate with as many local businesses as possible so please do reach out and get in touch.
Please feel free to email myself at: stonge@bath-racecourse.co.uk or reach out on Linkedin.
