Newmarket Racecourse

2010 was an important year for Newmarket Racecourses – in spite of the recession, their conferences and events business increased by a healthy 10% as private sector businesses responded well to a number of initiatives introduced at the Newmarket venue over the past 12 months.

“It has been a challenging year for businesses across the UK but we have come out of 2010 well. Of course any growth in business is obviously good news for us – but it also has an impact on the local economy”, commented Adrian Simpson, sales and marketing director at Newmarket Racecourses. “Many of our events bring thousands of people to Newmarket and this is all very important for the region – both to its current prosperity and future growth.”

The UK events industry may be worth over £36billion but it is still suffering in the current economic climate. The supply of corporate meetings facilities and services far outweighed demand in 2010 as budgets were tightened and recovery was steady but slow. Newmarket Racecourses have responded to tightening budgets by broadening their portfolio of conference and events packages. The introduction of a smaller meetings package, for instance, has proved very popular.

The venue has recognised and understood that some clients and potential new clients need to reduce their expenditure further in 2011 – the emphasis is often very much focussed on driving down costs through tough negotiations. Benchmark Hospitality International’s Top Ten Meeting Trends for 2010 include the observation that planners come to pricing discussions today armed with negotiation skills carefully honed over the last 12-18 months. Concessions across the board are now very often expected in order to get the most value for the meetings budget.

Newmarket Racecourses have responded to this trend. “It’s a case of ensuring cost efficiency so we can meet the changing needs of clients in the current economic climate”, commented Adrian Simpson. The introduction of a 12 month offer programme has helped to boost business.

In March for example, every new conference delegate from new bookings will be given two tickets for a non premier race day and in April, clients can take advantage of a 15% discount on conference or meeting bookings (Monday/Tuesday & Friday only).

A number of large local companies and branches of national companies have taken advantage of these offers and use the venue regularly, mainly for conferences and smaller meetings. Business Link are just one of the corporate clients who book a number of events at Newmarket Racecourses throughout the year, from smaller meetings to large conferences.

The beauty of Newmarket for conferences and events is the flexibility of the 350 year old venue. It can accommodate 300 for a conference but there are also 15 breakout rooms, unique to the venue, as well as ample free parking and complimentary wi-fi.

In addition to growth in business from the private sector, Newmarket Racecourses have also extended the number of public events hosted at the venue over the past 12 months – and this business has extended further in 2011. The venue has just secured a major piece of business from clothes retailer Joules. They will be holding their annual clothes sale at Newmarket Racecourses on 7th, 8th and 9th April and the venue expects at least 6000 visitors to come through the doors for this event.

The number of exhibitions staged at Newmarket has increased, both from the corporate and public events sectors - and the value of such events is huge. Recent research confirms that before an exhibition or similar live event 36% of people say attendance makes it easier to buy, but this rises to 76% after experiencing an event (Business Visits and Events Partnership). The value to any business is obvious.

For the first time, The Home and Garden Show will be taking place at Newmarket Racecourses. It will be held at The Rowley Mile on 7th and 8th May 2011. “We are very pleased to be hosting the first ever Home and Garden Show in 2011. We have a flexible approach to exhibitions and events and work closely with clients to ensure we meet the brief, large or small”, explained Adrian Simpson. “We are also perfectly placed – where else can you access fully equipped exhibition halls alongside acres of outdoor space in an easily accessible location close to the A11 and A14 and just a few miles from Cambridge?”

Newmarket Racecourses have retained all their Annual Public Events for 2011 – no small achievement in the increasingly competitive climate. Annual events include The Newmarket Wedding Show, Presents Galore and The Art, Craft and Design show, all of which attract over 2000 visitors. Christmas Parties are also a massive part of the Conference & Events Business. In 2011, due to an increase in demand, the number has been increased to 10 – three have already sold out. The Christmas Parties are the biggest in the region, catering for 500 people at a time.

Newmarket Racecourses are going from strength to strength – and with a mood of cautious optimism prevailing across the conferences and events industry, the going looks good for 2011.