NTRA – Online Task ForceNTRA Online Task Force

• Alex Brown• Dana Byerly • Jessica Chapel• Norma Jean Fullmer• Lisa Grimm• Alan Mann• John & Bev Passerello• Troy Racki• Derek Simon• Kevin Stafford

Brought To You By

Online Task Force Goals

• Collaborate on how to market horse racing to a new generation of fans.

• Report on the consensus view of the community and develop an action plan that the industry (tracks, horsemen, breeders, etc.) and its fans can use to better market the sport.

ContextCommunication

Close

CONTEXTCONTEXT

The Kentucky Derby

• History

• Continuity

• Proof that context is key– The Gr III Risen Star

– The Gr II Louisiana Derby

– The Gr I Wood

Take Back Saturday

• What do we mean?

• Has this been done before?

• Can we pull it off?

How to Take Back Saturday

• Market our best product

• Continuous story line

• Accessibility & Relevance

Benefits

• Keep interest from the TC to the BC

• Generate more stars

• Aggressively carve our niche

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are needed to see this picture.

Win & You’re In 2.0

• Perception little changed from reality– Focus on getting to the Breeders’ Cup

– Refocus on Championships

• Context moves to Champions– What schedule makes a champion?

– Professional level in our sport

2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Curlin Invasor Saint Liam Ghostzapper Mineshaft

Rebel Pimlico Sp Donn Iselin Pimlico Sp

Ark Derby Suburban Stphn Fostr Tom Fool Suburban

Preakness Whitney Woodward Woodward Woodward

JCGC BC Classic BC Classic BC Classic JCGC

BC Classic       Ben Ali

Different paths Can’t force a specific schedule

Championship Road?

Standings

(Wait for Groaning to Stop)

What’s It Worth

• Everyone gets to weigh every stake

• Act quicker for new categories and races

• Expand internationally

• Focus on RACING rather than a RACE

What’s It Worth? Incentives

• From individual races to racing - year end awards (prestige & money)

• Gate choice

• Appearance bonuses

What do We Have

• Great TV product

• Better understanding

• Context

• Continuity

• What about our fans?

Who is This?

Who is This?

And this?

There are teams in our Sport

Merchandise

• Non-verbal cues

• Types of merchandise

• Availability

• Shelf-life

Fantasy & Virtual Racing

EducateCaptivate

Collaborate

Fantasy Horse RacingEducate – Captivate – Collaborate

• Fantasy Football has become a phenomena – huge NFL marketing & education tool, copy popular product = redesign!

• Auction-draft horses to your stable, back up selection in case of injury

• Rewards to keep players captivated in case of bad weekend, just not for 1st place

• Attach rewards that direct players to live attendance product -> increased handle

• Equibase email alerts for player’s stable

• Industry collaboration necessary

Virtual Horse RacingEducate – Captivate – Collaborate

• Virtual racing parallels live product, entry level ownership

• Education tool for form reading & handicapping

• Full horse control leads to deep captivation and race day anticipation

• Capture online generation• Two way partnership ->

education -> owners + attendance = + handle

• Capture Triple Crown excitement by giving virtual horse then get them to the track.

COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION

Overview

Carry Take Back Saturday through to NTRA.com

Going Beyond NTRA.com

Widgets

Mobile Alerts

Mobile Apps

Ringtones

Toolbars

Wallpapers

Comparisons are Inevitable

Tools Demo - Tweet Tweet

Sharing User Generated Content

Creating Community

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What Fans Expect

• To be treated like valued paying customers.

• To have their email and inquiries answered.

• To be able to watch big races on TV and replays online.

• To find accurate information about events, races, results, and stars (human and equine) quickly and easily.

• To have a uniform and accessible way to wager online.

• That horses’ safety, during and after their racing careers, will be of utmost consideration.

Where to Start?

• How can the industry reach out to the fan community and integrate the sport more into their lives?

• How can the industry do this with the communication and social media tools so many people are today using?

• How can tracks expect to be knowledgeable about every facet of these new tools, and know what others are doing at the same time?

• Better yet, who can ensure everyone has an information source to help implement these necessary changes?

VP Community Outreach

• Create and maintain online resource center.

• Create and implement best practices for NTRA social media.

• Create a vetting process for NTRA Certification.

• Assist tracks in implementing local programs.

• Assist tracks in connecting with local bloggers and in creating in-house blogs

• Broaden the scope of NTRA charities.

NTRA Ambassador ProgramWhy?

• Horse racing is a complex sport

• Most fans remember family/friend mentoring

• Knowledge builds interest

• Interest results in following sport

• Barn tour creates connections

• Connections result in rooting interest -> + handle

• Ownership experience = ownership desire

NTRA Ambassador ProgramWhat?

• NTRA + Ambassadors + Race Tracks = Program

• Immerse participants as to create excitement to return

1. Barn Tour2. Paddock Tour

• Provide customer relations1. Wagering Help2. Window

Assistance3. Q&A4. Friendly Face

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS!

NTRA Ambassador ProgramResults

Statistics:

7 Sessions @ DMR 96/70 Participants16 1st Timers35 Individuals Turned Away

1 Newspaper (48 hrs.) + Word-of-Mouth = 137% Booking

Seabiscuit Tour Comments

NTRA Ambassador ProgramThe Future

Up & Coming

Beta Phase – OSA Approved7 Sessions / 140 ParticipantsAnticipated 2009 NTRA LaunchAvailable For All Affiliated Tracks

NTRA Certification A Perspective

• Personal Experience – Smarty Jones / Belmont Stakes

• How many have we missed?

• What if every Derby ended with…

NTRA Certification & Need

• Ownership most exciting aspect of our sport.

• Creating owners creates long term fans.

• More owners means:

1. + Gate Entries

2. + Handle

3. + Live Attendance

• However negative experiences with some partnerships.

• Need to protect small owners / promote ownership.

• Past considerations…

• Partnership Certification is answer.

NTRA Certification

Create ratings system similar to:

• Schwab Equity Rating• Moody’s• S&P

Utilizing industry players such as:

• NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association)

• TOBA (Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association)

• CHRB (California Horse Racing Board)

• TOC (Thoroughbred Owners of California)

The Close

• Context– TV, standings, participation

• Communicate– Share, organize, integration of tools

• Close– Ground up, follow through, share