One has got to admit that the 'Racing, It's A Rush' is a catchy line. New, modern, maybe even out of character for South African racing. It's funky, as the younger generation would put it.

Having had a brief discussion with Marketing Manager for Phumelela, Michael Varney at the Equus Awards, albeit slightly heated, with respect to the entire concept, we were actually batting for the same team. Getting racing on the map with a new younger, black generation was the clear message from Varney. I agree and disagree with that concept.

Let's start with the launch event.

Unfortunately, the invites for the big launch were mixed up and I was slightly annoyed that the emails went to our junk mail folder (as did many of our racing friends) and I didn't receive a phone call to make certain that the information was received.

Regarding the actual launch, I cannot comment on it as I arrived in Johannesburg a day after the event and only found out that the event was taking place after it took place.

By all accounts it was a grand affair and having personally invested both time and money into this sport for more than 12 years via our media entity, it would have been nice for the organisers to have made certain that we received a follow up to attend especially considering we were in Johannesburg for the Equus Awards the day after. However, I accepted that teething problems would occur and left it at that.

My debate with Varney and his new outsourced PR people led us all to the understanding that we were on the same side. Considering we were all batting for South Africa, I explained that I am trying to communicate my concerns rather than run off home to Durban with a sad face. Whether it was taken as a swipe at the organisation or as constructive criticism as it was intended, the idea was for us to learn from the experience. Not everything has to end with an argument and in racing we are all too often offended by criticism.

I understood from Varney that the target market is not the converted but the unconverted. This surprised me a bit, as my assumption is that we need to look after what we have first then sow the seeds for growth to a larger audience.

As one who has travelled to around 40 international events in 25 cities (like my colleagues and friends in our racing structures), I was surprised that the industry does not use some of our experiences to understand what the potential client actually needs. I do make a point of going to overseas events and sitting with the folks in the so called "cheap seats" as well as the customary box or function room. It pays to pay attention as to how the average customer is treated.

Evidence of this is the fact that I would have to be dragged to a Scottsville meeting, for example, if I attended it as normal joe public. I did this exercise of finding a cheap seat the last time I was at the venue to figure out why people don't come racing at Scottsville anymore and prefer the armchair seat at home. The experience was terrible. The "grandstand" is not shaded from the sun, it was filty from people leaving their rubbish behind, the views were average and the food facilties were nonexistent. The people I encountered at the venue were converted racegoers of colour, the same type of people 'Racing, It's A Rush' are trying to speak to, bar the obvious fact that these people aren't rich enough. However my belief is that these average Joe public type of people will end up spending more on the Scottsville casino and at the races than the 'black diamonds' that the industry is trying to attract. Surely, these assumed cheaper clients of racing will and have disappeared in time and over time.

I am not saying that we shouldn't target the rich black diamonds, I am saying that we clearly have to have a broader approach to customer relations.

In contrast, I was at the Japan Cup a few years ago at Tokyo Racecourse and I did the same exercise. Walked around the facilities with the people and the experience was amazing. Mingling with 150 000 people can have its challenges but the place seemed spacious, plenty of food to buy and clean. In my opinion, these are basic needs for any public facility that is putting on a show.

My Happy Valley Racecourse experiences over the past 10 years of visiting Hong Kong sing a similar tune. And so does my experience at Sha Tin, Istanbul, Epsom, Kranji, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia etc. They all have something in common. The customer is king no matter which part of the social ladder he/she comes from. Of course, there are different facilties for different income groups but the basic facilties are of a higher standard and the sales approach to everyone is the same...Come racing, our basic facilties are great and our better facilities are top class...and we welcome you with a warm greeting and a smile, enjoy your day with us. You are part of our racing family. That should be the message, right?

We have a wealth of experience in this country to glean from. Our racing folk are so busy putting out political fires, keeping jobs and misunderstanding people, that we forget that we are in this thing together and sometimes a simple phone call is better than a rumour.

Racing, It's A Rush is a great concept but until more consultation and communication takes place within the industry it will be just a concept with all the bells and whistles and fancy functions.

We are here to help grow this sport. Let's start by talking to each other. I will be the first to listen and learn. 

- Ash Maharaj, publisher SAHorseracing.COM