This article appeared in the November issue of Stand Out magazine:
This year, the Horse of the Year Show extended its run at the NEC from five days to six, Stand Out talks horses for courses with Helena Pettit, managing director, Grandstand Media:
Two arenas, 1,500 horses, 1,400 competitors, over 250 shopping and information stands and 62,000 visitors – statistically, in a nutshell, that’s the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) – the largest equestrian event in the UK, and now a six-day equine spectacle. This year, its organiser, Grandstand Media extended the annual event’s reach to encompass a sixth day – a nod to its escalating popularity and obvious confidence and capability to generate further revenue.
Familiar favourites ran alongside new show additions: The Express Eventing Series final meant the need for an additional day’s jumping, dressage and indoor cross country action. The new Think Like a Pony feature area proved popular with visitors, as did the showing tutorial master classes with judge Matthew Lawrence and dressage demonstrations with Olympian Richard Davison.
The NEC, which has played host to the show since 2002, opened its doors on October 4, welcoming Team GB riders who competed against a host of elite foreign riders from the cream of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). The event reached its grand finale on October 9, the pinnacle being the Show Jumper of the Year Grand Prix, which is awarded in the final gala evening performance.
The event requires serious logistical efforts and saw NSR Communications, Securifence, Henson Franklyn, Blithfield Events, Wernick and Events Medical Services supply their services. LH Woodhouse provided HOYS with 753 stables in total, a combination of barn stables, quick stables in back to back rows and traditional timber stables, measuring 8ft x 10ft and 10ft x 10ft. The stables took over the NEC’s S3 and S5 car parks with stable management, veterinary facilities, site management and practice arenas situated in S2. LH Woodhouse’s general manager, Peter Cook liaised with the client, and Graham “Jack” Tarr, site manager, was LH Woodhouse’s eyes and ears on site. The team arrived on September 26 – five teams of four men worked solidly for two days.
Cook explained: “The show started one day early this year so we had one day less to build. We talked with the organisers and decided that the job could be finished in the same time by putting on extra crew in the first few days. It helped that we were blessed with good weather.”
After two days, the crew dropped from five teams of four to four teams of four, working 12-hour shifts so that the stables could be handed over to Grandstand on October 3, ready to receive the first competitors. Cook managed the logistics and transportation of kit from the office alongside Mark Northern, logistics controller. In total, 12 artics of equipment were required and Cook and Tarr worked with Kate Lawrence, operations director, and Peter Harnett, stable manager, to ensure the smooth running of the stable compound. In all, the show utilises 50 acres of outside space at the NEC, which is used for stabling, practice arenas and a contractor village.
Helena Pettit, managing director, Grandstand Media, commented: “Having the extra day at the show was good. Now, we’re going to reflect on The Express Eventing series and see whether we will do it next year. At the moment it’s up for debate but we have dates contracted for next year’s event of October 3-7.
“We are up on visitor numbers from 60,000 to 62,000 but we now have to ascertain how many of those visitors are new and how many have signed up to come on the Tuesday instead of another day – is it an existing audience that attended on the Tuesday? Hopefully we’ve delivered what our audience wanted us to deliver.” Pettit has worked at Grandstand Media for six years, and has been at the helm for three. She and the Grandstand team, along with 120 official volunteers, run the event with a nine-day build and four-day breakdown.
Pettit continued: “In terms of feedback, the international riders have submitted forms on what they’d like to see each year. This year, The Fox Hunt [hospitality] didn’t quite turn out because the viewing platform was too small but each year we accept feedback, as there are many facets to the show and we want to give everyone a great Championship show.”
www.standoutmagazine.co.uk
