PLug Pulled on British Open Championships

I have just read that too.
On one hand I can see how they don't make a profit-far too greedy and stupidly overpriced tickets....but on the other why can't they make a profit-the tickets are stupidly overpriced!! :)
 
So first we loose hickstead from the bbc and now the British Open will not run. Makes you wonder what is going wrong. Its such a shame.
 
nooooooooooooooo

i have been going every year since it was at the nec

i pay the 52 pound a ticket too and it is always full.

plus theres tons of good shopping.

i dont see how they dont make a profit either.
 
big prize money to draw top riders, HUGE fee to run at NEC, not enough people coming...the all day tickets were a bargain imo..not enough sporsorship basically.
 
ceiron said:
nooooooooooooooo

i have been going every year since it was at the nec

i pay the 52 pound a ticket too and it is always full.

plus theres tons of good shopping.

i dont see how they dont make a profit either.
Click to expand...

I've been going most years. Every year when it was in Sheffield and for a couple of years for the NEC.

I've never seen it full, even in the evenings.

It's a shame but they can't run something which is making a loss.
 
I went for two years on the trot on the final day, paid £52 per ticket which was obviously excessive as the place was only half full (both years). I always thought they would sell more tickets and fill the place if the tickets were cheaper. Surprisingly enough I didnt go this year. I didnt think the shopping was that good either. Some good stands but a lot of non horse related tat!.
 
To be fair to Grandstand if they haven't made a profit in the 8 years they've run it you can't say they haven't tried and how many more years would they have to keep going to see if it can make money.

Sadly ticket entrance money would be quickly swallowed up in costs and its the big sponsors spending big money thats needed. That is a tough one though cos no sponsor will be found if there's no terrestrial tv coverage and / or limited attendance.

I think the only hope SJing has is if they can find a oligarch type investor who can plough big money in just for the love of the sport. Who fancies buttering up Warren Buffet, Bill Gates etc.

I so hope Olympia is safe.
 
Andalusianlover said:
I went for two years on the trot on the final day, paid £52 per ticket which was obviously excessive as the place was only half full (both years). I always thought they would sell more tickets and fill the place if the tickets were cheaper. Surprisingly enough I didnt go this year. I didnt think the shopping was that good either. Some good stands but a lot of non horse related tat!.
Click to expand...

i disagree, i have been going final day for last few years and its always been near full by the finale.

some displays dont get as many people in as they want to shop instead but they sell the majority of tickets.

as for the shopping, there is the same number of non horsey stands as at hoys which is the same venue pretty much.

there is always plenty of good horse stuff there imo.
 
Nowhere near full for the 4 performances I went to, and yes GM's prices per session were too high. They always failed to attract sufficient top riders from overseas. I felt they should have kept it at Sheffield instead of transferring to the NEC. It should be noted that the old spring SJ show that the late Raymond Brooks-Ward ran at the NEC also failed to make money back in the days when the sport had a higher public profile and terrestrial TV coverage.
 
SJFAN said:
Nowhere near full for the 4 performances I went to, and yes GM's prices per session were too high. They always failed to attract sufficient top riders from overseas. I felt they should have kept it at Sheffield instead of transferring to the NEC. It should be noted that the old spring SJ show that the late Raymond Brooks-Ward ran at the NEC also failed to make money back in the days when the sport had a higher public profile and terrestrial TV coverage.
Click to expand...

I seem to recall many years back there used to be a spring Hickstead meeting too....sometime in May if my memory serves me right...so 3 Hickstead meetings every year (The Derby was run over the August Bank Holiday weekend back then and what is now the RIHS was just the second Hickstead meeting of the year). Seems spring shows don't work....shame really :(
 
Actually there used to be 4 meetings at Hickstead each year (as well as the Schools event). Douglas Bunn's original idea was that it would be an excellent training ground for current and future international riders. For all too long this has not been the case with the reduction of the number of shows and the sad fact that the riders' and owners' needs are better catered for at shows abroad.

Over the years there have been other good national shows early in the outdoor season: the Kidds' place in Somerset, Woburn etc. but like the Hickstead spring meeting they were sometimes afflicted by bad weather.
 
I went to the British open for the first time this year ( i was lucky to win 2 tickets)
and Ive got to say it was a let down.
the arena was set out lovely we had fab seats so could see everything but there wasn't actually much on to see.
the shopping was poor they could ve put plenty more stalls in the shopping area which surely would've brought in more money ( pitch fees expensive ??)
and then there was the parelli which i only watched out of curiosity and couldn't see what all the fuss was about ( old fashioned horsemanship re-packaged) only my opinion dont shoot me !! i was surprised to see without any expensive training or special equipment i already do some of the stuff they were showing.
 
I went for the first time this year and I must admit i was very disappointed, shopping was not as good as HOYS but my main issue was the HUGE gaps inbetween the performances so you had no choice but to go and look round the shops or to go and get a drink etc. I had made up my mind I wasn't going back next year. I hope they do bring it back in 2012 but I do think they need to revamp.

Liz
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top