An Event We Can All Learn From
Those of us who follow horse sports are psyched when we think about the upcoming World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany August 20-September 3 when Show Jumping, Dressage, Driving, Eventing, Reining, Vaulting, and Endurance will be showcased to the world. Aachen is the perfect venue because they already have the template from their annual CHIO Aachen.
Beyond being thrilled about this upcoming event we need to watch how this event unfolds in Germany because we can learn a lot from the way they are doing things. Since Lexington, Kentucky will be host to the next WEG in 2010, it’s time to maintain a watchful eye because the WEG 2006 team is doing an incredible job.
ALL IN ONE PLACE
If you have been at past World Equestrian Games you know the trials and tribulations of traveling long distances from hotels to the venues, from one venue to the other and (for the media) to and from the media center. The time spent in shuttles could and should have been used to get some much needed shut eye. In Aachen that will not be an issue because all the sports are located at one central location. Only the endurance will extend into the neighboring cities of Brussels and The Netherlands. Once you enter the grounds you can practically see every place where the competition, schooling and stabling will take place.
There will be three venues. The main Stadium 1 will showcase Dressage the first week and Show Jumping the second week. Stadium 2 will host the arena phases of the Driving and Eventing and Stadium 3 the Reining and Vaulting. The cross country and marathon will take place just beyond where Stadium 1 is and within walking distance. You’ll also be able to see a large portion of the course from whatever location you are at. In addition, for those who prefer not walking the course there will be screens step up in both the Main Stadium and Stadium 2.
Even the stabling and veterinary center are all right there, visible from the other venues and an easy walk for the competitors and grooms.The accommodations will be within a reasonable distance. A nearby Tennis Court is being converted to the Grooms Hotel. Those staying in hotels should have no more than a 20 minute drive to the showgrounds.
As if that weren’t enough, the City of Aachen is just a short drive away and it will be a happening city during this 15 day event. Keeping the Games close together was one of their main goals and is very important to everyone. A HAPPENING CITY
The next thing we can learn from these Games is the intertwining of the City with the Sport. The Organizing Committee was careful to look back to previous World Equestrian Games and to learn from them. One thing they felt was that the other organizing committees were trying to do too much. It’s enough just to handle the sport aspects. And so they decided to turn the cultural activities over to the City.The City took their lead and AachenMarketing has handled the signage which can be seen everywhere – in hotels, on street corners, in card racks, etc. There is no place you can go in Aachen without being reminded that WEG 2006 is coming to this town.AachenMarketing has been working with Aachen Tourist to form a united front to bring lots of cultural and special activities to town for its visitors. Museums will have special displays. There will be concerts of every type taking place in the evenings. Pamphlets will be distributed letting everyone know what is happening and where. In addition, the City itself is a perfect place to tour with its many architectural sculptures and buildings and its endless fountains.While the sport will be taking place in one place and the cultural activities in the City, there will be lots of communication going on between the two so that everyone will be aware of what is happening and when. In addition they want the scheduling to make sense so that no two important events are happening at the same time. For instance, there will always be two medal ceremonies – one on the showgrounds and one in the City. And the pinnacle of the week will be a parade of Gold Medal winners driven in carriages through a town of streets lined with people waving white handkerchiefs. The timing for the Concerts and special activities will be scheduled around the sports events so that no one ever feels they have to choose and there will even be a screen in town where visitors can view the action at the showgrounds.
MARKETING THE SHOW
Any time you run any event no matter how large or small you must have a good marketing and sponsorship campaign and so that plan was thought out well in advance of the show. WEG is partnering with eight major sponsors and numerous smaller sponsors to help cover the $50 million it will cost to run this event. A Trade Fair will also spread throughout the grounds offering items for sale from vendors representing companies from all parts of the world.
In reaching out to the sponsors, Marketing Director Michael Mronz has focused on the goals of the sponsors. Some want the TV exposure, others the signage onsite and others are interested in using this as a means of hospitality for their clients and guests. For some it’s all of this that is important. So the setup of the show will offer the sponsors what they need in the way of wonderful facilities and seating to host their guests and provide the opportunity to socialize while also affording them the visibility to reach a wider audience.
“We decided we wanted to work with eight partners as well as a number of national partners,” explained Mronz. “The ticketing is going better than expected especially for some disciplines such as dressage that seats 40,000. The freestyle and special is already sold out and 60% left for the grand prix. This is a tremendous success. On the income side it’s working better than expected,” commented Mronz.
TV will be another money maker as each evening the show will be broadcast on the local TV station at 8:00 and in addition over 40 other countries have purchased rights to show the broadcast to their viewers, including the United States.
The organizing committee has also thought of some creative ways of either underwriting things it wants to do or of bringing in money to cover its expenses. One example is a brand new sculpture that will grace the entrance symbolizing horses at play. They felt it was important to have something beautiful for people to see when they enter the grounds but realized the cost was prohibitive.
“In order to finance it we had 50 limited edition miniatures made and are selling those for 2,900 Euro each,” explained Show Director Frank Kemperman. “That will finance the sculpture and now we have the perfect entrance.”
Those in charge put a plan in place right from the start and it has served as their “bible” guiding them at every step and crossroads. At previous Games there was often that last minute rush of expenses that really hurt the bottom line of those shows. In Aachen they have every intention of keeping a close eye on their expenses and of sticking to their original cost estimate.
Their goal is to be the first World Equestrian Games to break even and hopefully make money.
P.S. To see more pictures visit my WEG Photo Gallery on this site.
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