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Going for Gold

A full capacity crowd returned to Cheltenham Racecourse for Cheltenham Festival. Stand Out caught up with The Jockey Club’s David Mackinnon, head of operations, as he prepared to welcome thousands of race fans ahead of Gold Cup Day

With two weeks to go before The Jockey Club welcomes capacity crowds to Cheltenham Racecourse, David Mackinnon is taking a rare breather. He has just finished an important handover meeting with one of Cheltenham Festival’s key suppliers before he settles to talk to Stand Out. It’s been two years since our last chat about the renowned jump meeting.

The 2021 event took place behind closed doors, but with the end of COVID restrictions, anticipation and excitement for four days of world-class jump racing is ramping up.

“There’s certainly an appetite for racing,” says Mackinnon, as he steps inside from a cold site. “The 2021 event took place behind closed doors so it’s fantastic to know that spectators are coming back. We have sold out of tickets for the Thursday and Friday, which we’ve never done before, and so we’re looking forward to giving our guests the best possible experience.”

SITE CHANGES

Layouts within temporary structures have been adapted to “suit customer demand”, a new restaurant will serve guests with food sourced within a 60-mile radius of the racecourse, and the Best Mate Enclosure has had a revamp too. Mackinnon explains: “The Best Mate Enclosure is a 110-metre structure with a cellar at one end and toilets at the other. We looked at the site and realised that where the toilets were had a great view of the back straight and Cleeve Hill. So, for 2022, the entry-level enclosure has a new layout, and I am sure that our guests will love the new look.

“Also, we’ve improved facilities for our riders. We’ve added more temporary facilities for our jockeys. We made changes in 2021 and gave them more space to change and so we’ve kept those improvements and we’ve increased the amount of accommodation on site for stable staff too.”

HUGE IMPACT

All these changes make the festival a better experience for everyone involved. It has resulted in huge demand for tickets, as customer confidence returns. In fact, record ticket sales resulted in all general admission enclosures for Gold Cup Day at the Cheltenham Festival selling out before the end of January. Plus, there has been a surge in private individuals buying hospitality packages for the jump racing event.

However, Cheltenham Festival’s The Park – an entertainment and hospitality area introduced in 2020 and aimed at a younger demographic – has been removed. “We took a view that you can define an experience in year two. We didn’t build The Park in 2021, as we took place behind closed doors, so The Park has taken a pause.”

But that hasn’t stopped Mackinnon and his team – Jon Pullin, head of racing, and Gemma Steve, with responsibility for building facilities and infrastructure – from pulling out all the stops.

“Gemma is a new member of the team, and she has made a huge impact already,” Mackinnon adds. “She is looking after our facilities and the presentation of our buildings.”

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL

SUPPLIERS LIST

Structures – GL events, Arena Group, and Mar-Key Group Interiors and fit-out – Detail and Design Difference Water – MTD AV/Tech – DB Pixelhouse Big screens – ADI Portable buildings – Wernick Security – Carlisle Support Services, G4S, and Provide Security Radios – NRB Trackway – Sunbelt Rentals Power – Power Logistics Fencing – Hire and Storage

CROWDS RETURN TO RACING

© PA

BUILD SCHEDULE

The build has not been without its challenges, says Mackinnon. Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin impacted on the build. Contractors had to stop work on site as winds raged through the course. Thankfully, the Cheltenham Festival team had early on taken the decision to change the build programme. Arena started building structures on site three weeks earlier than usual so that structures could be handed over to the fit-out team sooner. This worked perfectly, as the storms stopped play. It meant that the build did not run behind schedule and crews had extra time. Mackinnon acknowledges that it means that crews have been on site longer, but it has enabled the organising team to ride out any issues that came along.

“We’re fortunate to be the first major event of the season,” Mackinnon comments. He acknowledges the supply chain challenges that many other organisers are experiencing. “The supply chain is a challenge. I’d hate to be setting up a new event in the middle of summer.”

GREAT EXCITEMENT

Cheltenham Festival is a monster. It features more than 40,000 square metres of temporary structures – the build begins in September with a major push in November and January. Mackinnon continues: “It’s been great to welcome back our suppliers to site. They are part of our family and we have missed each other. Also, in the last two years, we have welcomed new team members on board, as you’d expect in a two-year period, so it’s nice for them to finally meet all our suppliers, and there’s great excitement for them to see the festival in the flesh.

“We’re all really excited to be welcoming guests back to Cheltenham Festival, to see capacity crowds and to give our guests a fantastic customer experience. We have the best jump racing in the world and the best crowds and together they make Cheltenham a very special venue,” Mackinnon concludes.