Tabcorp CEO addresses Asian Racing Conference
18 Jul 2012 | By Liesl King The 34th Asian Racing Conference opened in Istanbul on Wednesday, wıth Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, providing a summary of racing's performance in the last four years and the position it currently fınds itself in.
The focus was on the lack of utilisation of technology by the racing industry and the inability to connect to customers in order to enhance their experience and fulfil their needs and expectations.
Engelbrecht-Bresges stressed that just embracing the technological challenges is not enough, as the non-racing customer finds no relevance in racing today and therefore racing fınds itself in a position where it does not appeal to the major potential customer base.
While pointing out that digital technology can help to reconnect and reach out to different customers, he also stressed that it is only an enabler and does not address the needs of the customer.
In order to address this aspect, racing must foremost have relevance separate from gaming. It has to rebrand as a sport rather than to be positioned as a gaming activity. Without compromising the values and structures of racing, there should be a move away from the traditional way of presenting racing, in order to offer a different experience.
Engelbrecht-Bresges concluded by pointing out that the future of racing lies in the ability to offer an experience that is fun and easy to understand, while embracing technology at the same time.
Following on from this, David Attenborough, managing director and CEO of Tabcorp, addressed delegates on Tabcorp's utilisation of the social and digital media in order to reach current and potential customers.
Attenborough highlighted Tabcorp's innovative 'watch,change and adapt' policy. Due to this policy, Tabcorp is currently investing in excess of a $150 million a year to meet customer demands. Just in the last 18 months, the company launched a new website, expanded mobile offerings and developed an internet protocol TV solution.
Attenborough went on to explain that the 'My Way' customer requires services to be delivered his way on demand. In order to meet this challenge, Tabcorp therefore has to be able to provide the service in whatever location and in whatever format the user requires.
As a solution, Tabcorp has developed a basket of offerings, which can be consumed anywhere and in any way, with plug and play technology.
The Asian Racing Conference continues until Friday.