By Dean Hoffman
Each December, several hundred racing executives seek the sunshine of the Southwest and the wisdom of their peers at the Global Symposium on Racing in Tucson, Arizona. The 44th annual gathering began with a reception on Monday evening, but the business sessions begin on Tuesday morning and wrap up on Wednesday afternoon.
It's sponsored by the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona. A tightly-packed schedule awaits attendees, but some still may find time to sneak in some golf or simply soak up the Arizona sun.
The issue of the declining foal crop and its implications for the racing business is the first topic addressed on the Tuesday agenda. Bettors dislike small fields and yet tracks are confronted with a smaller pool of racing stock each year.
Addressing this topic are Lonny Powell, CEO of the Florida Breeders and Owners Association, consultant Wilson Shirley, and Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. Dan Fick of the Racing Officials Accreditation Program moderates this panel discussion.
The following session is sure to be lively as the topic is “Handle Stagnation: How To Drive The Needle Upward.”
This is a topic that is bedeviling tracks everywhere and the attendees will hear suggestions from Todd Bowker of Premier Turf Club, Bill Cummins of Watchandwager, LLC, Marshall Gramm, PhD from Rhodes College, and William Nader, Grand Slam Consultancy, LLC. Mike Tanner, CEO of the U.S. Trotting Assn., moderates this panel.
Out of competition hair testing shows great promise for detection of prohibited drugs, and this topic will be examined in detail in a session titled “Hair Testing: Giving New Meaning To A Bad Hair Day.”
Janet Van Bebber, Chief Racing Officer for the American Quarter Horse Association, will speak about hair testing's effectiveness in her sport and she will be joined by Dr. Scott Stanley, a professor at the University of California-Davis, and Ismael Trejo, Executive Director of the New Mexico Racing Commission.
Obtaining sponsorship has been a goal for many tracks and organizations in racing and perhaps they should look in their own backyard for opportunities. That's the theme of a presentation on Tuesday by Ashley Morhoric, Director of Sales and Marketing at Emerald Downs Racetrack and Casino, Paul Monroe, Director of Marketing at Lone Star Park, and Andrew Offerman, Senior Director of Operations at Canterbury Park Entertainmment, LLC.
The panelists will address the benefits of regionally-based sponsorships and how to monetize the racing product more effectively.
Just as racing has sought corporate sponsorship, it has also coveted TV coverage, but there are many considerations and components of TV coverage for racing. How high must the quality of the image be to satisfy viewers? Is TV coverage really worth the investment?
Speaking to those questions and more will be Jesse Chemtob, Director of Business Development, TVG Network, Peter Rotondo, VP Media and Entertainment for Breeders' Cup Ltd., and speaking remotely from New York will be John Miller, president of Programming, MBC Sports & NBCSN.
Amy Zimmerman, VP and Director of Broadcasting for The Stronach Group will moderate this session on TV coverage.
Also on Tuesday, the Turf Publicists will present a workshop on how to leverage handicapping tournaments to better racing. Jim Mulvihill, the NTRA Director of Media and Industry Relations, will moderate the conversation among Keith Chamblin, COO of the NTRA, John Hartig, CEO of the Daily Racing Form, noted handicapper John Fisher, and Tim Schram, VP of Finance and Human Resources for the Breeders Cup, Ltd.
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