Racing Together Community Award one of nine up for grabs at 2022 Racecourse Association Showcase & Awards
The Showcase & Awards is the RCA’s marquee event, celebrating excellence and innovation at British racecourses. After a two-year hiatus, this year’s event will take place at the home of the reigning Champion Racecourse, Pontefract, on Thursday 10th November.
- Showcase Seminar to be staged and provides ideal platform for sharing best practice amongst the sport and beyond
- Nine awards available plus overall Champion Racecourse and Groundstaff Champion
- New award celebrating environmental sustainability carries up to £20k Racing Foundation grant for winner
The RCA took the opportunity presented by the enforced break to the event to conduct a comprehensive consultation on the Showcase & Awards. Following this, a number of changes have been made to ensure that it continues to deliver maximum value. These include:
- Streamlined number of awards across racecourse operation
- New award to celebrate environmental sustainability
- New pathway to Champion Racecourse
- Half-day conference to minimise business disruption to racecourses
There are nine Showcase Awards that cover all aspects of customer experience to be won. New for 2022, the Racing Foundation Green Award celebrates environmental sustainability, a topic pertinent to the sport following the recent independent study by White Griffin. The Racing Foundation will welcome a grant bid of up to £20,000 from the winning racecourse to help secure the legacy of their initiative.
Other new awards include the Raceday Award which celebrates superb raceday events and Best Non-raceday Event which recognises that racecourses are year-round, multi-purpose venues. The Racing Connection award showcases initiatives that enrich and extend the reach of the sport to customers and whilst the Marketing Award recognises excellence in the sphere of campaign execution and results.
Returning awards include Diversity & Inclusion, The Racing Together Community Award, Food & Beverage, and the Racing Post Readers’ Award which allows racing’s loyal fanbase to have their say. The evening will culminate in the crowing of our Champion Racecourse.
“It is such a boost to the industry that this dynamic and important event is back on track,” said John Blake from Racing Together. “It brings together so many impressive examples of the work undertaken by racecourses for participants, customers and the wider community. We are delighted that the ever-competitive Racing Together Award is within the line up again, and look forward to showcasing the innovation, hard work and enthusiasm that accompanies entries each year.”
Submissions for the nine awards are now being accepted. Given the unusual build-up to the 2022 event, initiatives that have taken place from July 2021-September 2022 will be considered, rather than the usual 12-month time frame. Each entry will be judged by an expert, independent judging panel which this year consists:
- Ann-Marie Blake (Managing Director, Verdayne Communications)
- George Foster (Managing Director UK Services & Products, Two Circles)
- Louise Norman (Head of Ownership, Racehorse Owners Association)
- Lee Mottershead (Senior Writer, Racing Post)
- Martin Dalby (Chairman, Center Parcs UK & Ireland)
Raceday Experience & Communications Manager Paul Swain said: “The RCA is delighted that the Showcase & Awards is returning after a two-year hiatus, and that we’re able to take the awards to our reigning Champion Racecourse, Pontefract.
“The past two-years have been challenging for racecourses and the wider sports and leisure industries, but this event will give us the perfect opportunity to learn from each other, share best practice and celebrate the best of British racecourses.
“We are grateful from the support of our partners Great British Racing, Racing Post, The Racing Foundation and Racing Together, and we look forward to welcoming the industry to Pontefract Racecourse on Thursday 10th November.”
Booking information for the event will be released later this year.
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