By Hans Ebert Visit: www.fasttrack.hk
Below is the fabulous venue at Shatin Racecourse known as Hay Market- which surely should be branded as Haymarket, a place synonymous with horse racing in the UK.
Its designer: Joyce Wang who’s the most in-demand interior designer in Hong Kong today. The portfolio of work by her company Wang is certainly impressive- Mott32, Stockton’s etc etc.
The question is, with all this going for Haymarket, how many people have even heard of this venue, let alone been here?
Certainly not many of the jockeys, trainers, horse owners and racegoers I know.
Those overseas visitors who I have invited to this venue for lunch still talk about it- how much they enjoyed the ambience, the view of the races, the excellent buffet and service, and the ease in which one can place a bet.
So why does it remain such a secret? Some say that this is because it’s always full, and so, there’s no reason to market it. Huh? Pretzel logic. This popularity is even more of a reason to market and rebrand it as Haymarket. There’s nothing to be shy about being popular.
Now imagine if there was some unobtrusive ‘live’ music played during lunch. Then, around 3pm, perhaps some bossa chilled sounds. And maybe even an hour of ‘live’ music after the last race has been run.
The HKJC Shatin Racecourse is one of the best racetracks in the world. And good, new ‘live’ music at Haymarket and possible other venues coming on board can only add to the overall customer experience.
This is especially true for those who have seen some of the best musical artists performing ‘live’ online during these long drawn out lockdown days. They’ve “travelled” everywhere- online. They’re no longer in the market for more servings of warmed over deja-vu. Au contraire, mes amis.
These are exciting days for those with something new to offer customers- in this case, a Group 1 customer experience comprising different and world class venues, ‘live’ music that’s more of the same, great service and everything in between that will have many, who aren’t doing this today, making regular visits to Shatin, especially when one adds the excitement and spectacle of horse racing.
A Champagne Sunday at Shatin Racecourse? Why not?
It’s time for those businesses that rely on being “customercentric” to actually deliver this without it being just another buzzword- but without the buzz. And no fizz.
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