FOOD AND BEV: Cheltenham festival catering at more than a canter

The Festival™, presented by Magners, involves Jockey Club Catering tackling the momentous task of feeding the 265,000 spectators who flock to Jump racing’s spiritual home. Cheltenham Racecourse will become a pilgrimage for thousands of global fans and guests for the four-day Festival, 12-15 March. Exhilarating racing is matched only by the roar of the crowd and entertainment on offer in this Cotswolds hotspot.

New this year

Jockey Club Catering has upped the stakes this year and created its very own pub, the Horse and Groom. A relaxing and charming space with horseracing at its heart, the new punters’ local will overlook the final two fences and is hotly tipped to be a fans favourite, with a range of real ales, fine wines and best of British food created by Regional Executive Chef Tom Parry.

If you’re looking for some of the best views of the racecourse then head to the impressive Princess Royal Stand. You won’t be able to miss it, with state-of-the-art entertaining areas abuzz with hospitality boxes, bars and restaurants.

Returning favourites

A British icon of global proportions, The Festival™ reflects international catering tastes. Returning for the second year is the critically acclaimed pan Asian restaurant, Theatre@ The Festival™. An incredible hospitality dining experience with an exclusive three-course pan Asian menu delivering a fusion of flavours from across Asia, embraced and delivered via the farms of The Cotswolds.

Each Theatre@ guest receives an exquisite bento box starter with delectable dishes such as; black pepper fillet of locally sourced beef served with a cucumber kamahi salad and fresh plum sauce; or ‘lobster and lobster’, a dish of poached noodles served with a luxurious lobster oil drizzle, shallots and coriander cress, Cantonese ginger, spring onion and Brixham lobster tail.

For guests keen to experience the height of luxury, Chez Roux at Cheltenham is a stone’s throw from the final fence and is hosted by culinary icons Albert Roux OBE, supported by Michel Roux Jr. and granddaughter, Emily Roux. For the fifth year the family will bring bespoke menus to reflect the seasonality and provenance of Cheltenham’s local larder.

A focus on local ingredients is given to create the show-stopping menus across hospitality and public areas. 100% of the cheese used is from South West England; while 100% of responsibly sourced Scottish salmon is cured or smoked within 50 miles of Cheltenham (Severn and Wye) too.

Nick Campbell, MD at Jockey Club Catering, commented: “The food and drink, hospitality, and dining experiences at The Festival™ is second-to-none. Imagination and the very best of British produce are key ingredients for serving outstanding food & drink occasions to all our racegoers.

“We work year-round preparing for these four days in March when we produce over 45,000 fine-dining meals to be enjoyed by our guests including well-known faces, racing elite and Royalty.”

Economics at a gallop

The Festival™ generates an estimated £100million for the local economy, and sees the development of the largest tented village in Europe which will become home to 24 marquees, including the longest triple deck structure in Europe, with over 2.5 miles of internal walls. The scale of the event is reflected in the construction of 15 individual restaurants, 30 temporary kitchens, 74 mobile catering units and over 240 private suites.

Jockey Club Catering is a joint venture between The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British racing, and Compass Group UK & Ireland. The partnership was launched in 2009 with the aim of providing premium quality catering at all 15 of The Jockey Club Racecourses.

Horses running down the finishing straight at Cheltenham Racecourse




VENUE NEWS: M&S Bank Arena branding; Crystal Palace homeless initiative

The M&S Bank Arena Liverpool rebrand has been unveiled after M&S Bank became the official naming partner of the city’s arena.

Sue Fox, CEO of M&S Bank, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to start 2019 with the launch of the M&S Bank Arena – we’re incredibly proud to be the official naming partner of Liverpool’s top venue for music, sport, comedy and family entertainment and it’s a really proud moment for us to see the rebrand complete across the entire venue.”

The M&S Bank Arena is set for a busy year in 2019, which will see it host high profile artists such as George Ezra, Little Mix, Rod Stewart and Mumford and Sons.  The Netball World Cup is set to attract tens of thousands of global visitors when it comes to the city in July.

Arena with uplighting and purple LEDs around roof, large M&S Bank Arena sign on side with pink lighting around it.

Bob Prattey, CEO of The ACC Liverpool Group, which includes the M&S Bank Arena, said: “Last year we celebrated the arena’s 10th birthday and the next decade is going to be equally significant as we develop the programme, working closely with M&S Bank, a major brand that shares our ambitions for establishing the venue on a truly national and international scale.

“This year’s event calendar is our most varied and exciting to-date, ranging from Strictly Come Dancing – which took place on Tuesday in the rebranded M&S Bank Arena – along with a host of sporting events, concerts and family entertainment.”

The venue has hosted over 1,350 performances since it first opened its doors in 2008.  Entertainment highlights have included the MTV Europe Music Awards, the Davis Cup, Sir Paul McCartney, the MOBO Awards and BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

It has welcomed 5.9 million visitors since opening and the campus, also home to ACC Liverpool and Exhibition Centre Liverpool, has generated £1.6billion in economic benefit for the Liverpool city region.

Crystal Palace opens lounge to homeless

Crystal Palace FC are using a lounge at their stadium as an emergency shelter in extreme weather as part of a program to combat homelessness.

The Premier League club have teamed up with Croydon Council in what is believed to be the first project of its kind.

According to the Evening Standard, the lounge at Selhurst Park will be turned into a temporary overnight shelter for up to 10 rough sleepers whenever night time temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing.

Under the deal, people formally identified as rough sleeping are referred by outreach staff to the stadium, where they are welcomed with a camp bed for the night, a hot evening meal, breakfast and washing facilities.

STADIUM DEVELOPMENT NEWS: Meadowbank Stadium [VIDEO], Leamington FC land for 5,000 capacity stadium

Graham Construction is carrying out internal and ground works for the new £45 million Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh before demolishing the old building this spring and starting work on the new centre in summer 2019.

A fly-through video, produced by Holmes Miller and Visual Lane, has been created to give future users an impression of how the new complex will look when it opens in 2020.

Computer generated image of the indoor athletics facility at Meadowbank Stadium, with blue track and hurdles laid out.

Leamington stadium land

Leamington FC is developing a new stadium project with Warwick District Council. Leamington FC, Warwick District Council and Warwickshire County Council have signed an agreement to purchase land to make way for the development of a new sports hub. The specification currently includes a 5,000 capacity stadium installed with an artificial pitch, conference facilities, gym, cafe and community facilities on land adjacent to Europa Way and Gallows Hill.

Brakes chairman Jim Scott said: “Leamington FC very much welcomes this key milestone in our ambitions to create a new home for our club. A new stadium with improved access and facilities will help us fulfil our aspirations to move into higher leagues. It will also allow us to develop and expand our presence in the community through our programme of football related activities.”

JOBS: Groundsman, Emirates Riverside; volunteers for Open Nottingham Tennis

Durham County Cricket Club is looking to appoint a full-time, permanent grounds person to be based at Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street. Working alongside the existing team the main aims of the role are to ensure the playing and practise facilities at the Emirates Riverside are maintained to a high standard. The ideal candidate will have NVQ Level 2 Sports Turf Maintenance or equivalent qualification or 3 years working experience in a similar role.

Closing date: Wednesday 13 February at midday.

Photo of big screen and grandstand at Durham County Cricket Club
Emirates Riverside, home of Durham County Cricket Club

Full details from here.

Open Nottingham Tennis volunteering opportunity

Nottingham City Council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help at the Open Nottingham Tennis tournament (8-16 June 2019).

Nature Valley Volunteers 2018

The team would like to hear from potential volunteers who will be 16 or older at the time the event takes place and free for a minimum of three days during the tournament. An interest in tennis, events and great customer care is also helpful. The deadline for volunteer applications is Sunday 17 February.

In June 2019, the city will again host a week-long tournament at the Nottingham Tennis Centre. Having seen a sold-out finals weekend in 2018, the Nature Valley Open will combine a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) International (celebrating its fifth year) with a men’s top level Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour event; attracting the stars of men’s and women’s tennis as they prepare for The Championships, Wimbledon.

Demand is expected to be extremely high for places. Over 200 people registered for last week’s Ball Crew auditions aimed at younger volunteers. Being involved with the tournament offers many advantages and opportunities for those willing to take part. These include:

–        Have fun and meet new people with the backdrop of a world-class tennis tournament!

–        Gain experience and specific training in event volunteer roles

–        Add valuable experience to your CV

–        Enjoy lunch and refreshments provided on site each day

–        Chance to watch the tennis during allotted breaks

–        Access discounted tickets to the event for family and friends

–        Tournament branded uniform

–        A souvenir tournament programme for every volunteer

–        Free car parking in the tournament car park

Volunteers can expect to undertake a mixture of roles including court stewarding, ticket checking and wayfinding. More specific roles include practice court supervisors, ‘Explore Wimbledon’ supervisors, merchandise stand supervisors, information point operators, participation assistants, buggy drivers and player services hotel assistants (off-site).

The organisers aim to arrange individual timetables to offer a different role each day on site. This will offer a better, more varied tournament experience as well as the chance to work alongside lots of different people. There are some additional specific roles for which applicants can register an interest, later in the application process.

Applicants may also be required to undergo an LTA Enhanced DBS check for specific roles.

Volunteers should be available throughout the tournament from qualifying on 8 June through to the finals on 16 June. The minimum commitment is three days across the week. Days run from 9am-7pm (approximately, depending on the close of play).

New applicants must attend a selection session at Nottingham Tennis Centre on one of the following dates (various times will be available to choose from):

–        Monday 11 March

–        Tuesday 12 March

–        Wednesday 13 March

All successful applicants (new or returning) who are offered a role at the 2019 tournament will be required to attend a training session at Nottingham Tennis Centre on either Saturday 1 or Sunday 2 June 2019.

Cllr Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Localities said: “One of the huge success stories of the Nature Valley Open is the strength of the volunteer programme. Volunteers perform a vital role as the public face of the tournament, ensuring spectators and players have a positive, enjoyable and safe experience. It will be their responsibility to provide an exceptional level of customer service to everyone on-site and to represent our city. Thank you in advance for giving up your time and sharing your skills to undertake this important role at the tournament.”

Rebecca James, Nature Valley Open WTA Tournament Director said “The feedback we receive about our Volunteers and Ball Crew each year is always fantastic and we are hugely grateful for their time and effort. They help to create a truly memorable experience for all the players, visitors and viewers of the tournament. We look forward to welcoming them all again this summer, particularly those who will be returning for their fifth year as we look to celebrate the five year anniversary of the WTA event!”

Applications are now open! Find out more and download a role description by visiting: www.lta.org.uk/NottinghamVolunteers. If you have any further questions please email: TeamNotts@lta.org.uk.

Stadiums from a plane [PHOTO]

Danny Last, an amateur photographer and Brighton fan who has long been documenting football has kicked off a hit Instagram channel ‘stadiums from a plane’. The project started with a “throwaway tweet” back in December, according to Last. He has received photos from Molineux, Anfield and Stamford Bridge, and more local institutions like Grimsby’s Blundell Park and Canvey Island’s Park Lane. The’ve also arrived from South America, Mexico and the United States; most of Europe including Spain, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal, Poland, Croatia, Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Greece.

Screenshot of Stadiums from a Plane Instagram channel with plane wing and engine and stadiums below.

STADIUM DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Luton, Workington, Everton finance

The Planning Control Committee at Luton Borough Council has approved planning permission to build the new Luton Town stadium at Power Court. During the meeting, the Development Control Committee was addressed by Luton Town Chief Executive Gary Sweet, and 2020 Developments associates Sean McGrath and Michael Moran who laid out the many benefits that the new stadium would bring to the Club and the community at large.

In his closing remarks, Gary Sweet also demonstrated the Club’s ambition, were the developments to go ahead.

“It would instantly elevate our footballing ambition to another level. If Leicester City in a new surrounding can win the Premier League, then so can we, it will increase our support base and make sure Luton Town are permanently financially viable going forward.” 

Workington wellness

Workington Council is making new stadium plans key to the council’s bid to be a host for Rugby League World Cup games in 2021 which, if successful, would give an additional boost to the economy and promote sport in the area.

Speaking at a recent Executive meeting, Alan Smith, Leader of the Council said: “This project is all about bringing these sporting facilities into the 21st century. It is a major redevelopment of the area which meets many of the council’s objectives and a smaller proposal would not do this. But this is more than just a stadium. This is about being ambitious for our area and building a community facility which will be used by everyone and inspire the wealth of sporting talent in the area.”

Deputy Leader, Mark Fryer, said: “The project meets the priorities of the council and there is a strong economic and strategic case for it. The quality of it is due to the strong commitment of the partners, including the teams, the NHS and Sellafield, which collectively brings the vision for developing the area and building the great sporting facilities that we have before us today. ”

It is hoped that a planning application can be submitted by the end of January 2019. This has been delayed due to changes to the original design .

Late design changes to accommodate extra office space for workers from Sellafield have increased the estimated cost of the project by £10m, to around £25m. However, the increase in rental income helps to make the whole project more viable. It also meets the council’s priorities to boost the economy of Workington and make it more sustainable by bringing large numbers of workers into the town.

It is estimated the stadium would directly support 400 FTE jobs and 36 jobs indirectly, with a further 345 FTE jobs in the construction phase alone.

A full financial business case with operating and funding arrangements is still being devised and three potential funding models are being considered. The business case will go before council members and are subject to approval. The decisions are also subject to the granting of planning permission (application due Spring 2019). If everything is approved as planned, then construction is due to start in November 2019 with completion in the spring of 2021.

Everton’s financial muscle

Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri told the club’s general meeting that finance for the new stadium would come from a loan of around £350m from the private market, £100m expected from a naming and rights partner, and in the form of equity capital. Moshiri also said he is so committed to seeing the project through that he pledged his own money to assist in construction costs.

VENUE NEWS: St James’ Park to host Euro rugby finals; Headingley stand opens

The 52,000-capacity St James’ Park will be the centrepiece of Europe’s festival of world-class club rugby on 10 and 11 May 2019. The Challenge Cup final will be played at St James’ Park on the evening of Friday 10 May, with the blue-riband Heineken Champions Cup decider scheduled for the same venue the following day, Saturday 11 May.

Rugby fans in St James' Park

Headingley hurrah

The new Tetley’s South Stand at the Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds has opened with a capacity of 2,200 seats and standing 5,500. Built by Caddick Construction over the last 18 months, it replaces the old 1930’s terrace. G&H Building Services designed and installed all mechanical and electrical works as part of its £5 million contract with Caddick Construction.

VENUE CLOSURES: Rockingham and Towcester

Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, has begun life as a ‘logistics hub’ for the car industry – in other words the exciting oval circuit has become a storage car park. A sad end to the track that opened in 2001 and once hosted the British Touring Cars Championship (BTCC) and British GT, could host 52,000 fans and cost £45m to build. The grandstands have been branded an eyesore and will be taken down. 

Peter Hardman, the track’s chief executive, said: “We have known for quite a while that things were going to change.

“There are a lot of tracks in the UK and it’s a very hard business to sustain and Rockingham is a very expensive venue to keep operating.”

Towcester totalled

A couple of dozen miles away the horse jump racing track at Towcester remains closed after financial failure. The management’s foray into greyhound racing has resulted in closure across the board. Various news stories about a purchase and re-opening have as yet come to nothing. The area is expanding its housing footprint and a good bet would be this racecourse becoming the latest residential suburb.

Image of greyhound track in front of Towcester racecourse grandstand
Towcester Racecourse Company diversified into greyhound racing


FACILITY MANAGEMENT: IFMA benchmark report

Includes FM strategies for organizational agility and change management

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has released the latest product of its FM Research and Benchmarking Institute (RBI), the 2018 Operations and Maintenance: Qualitative Analysis Benchmarking Report. The report is a comprehensive analysis of the most recent operations and maintenance benchmarking survey of more than 2,000 individual responses representing 98,000 buildings in 35 industries. Of unique interest in this report is a section exploring facility management (FM) strategies for organizational agility and change management.

“Like the businesses they serve, FM professionals are themselves operating in a perpetual state of change,” said Nickolas A. Rocha, director of RBI. “Benchmarks have always captured a cross section of time to help inform strategic decisions, provide external validation or reveal operational shortcomings. For that reason alone, this report comes through in a big way, covering tools and tactics that define modern FM. On top of that, we’ve taken an extra step to ask FM professionals about their strategies for organizational agility. This analysis offers insights for how FM is thriving in a dynamic environment of change.”

The 2017 Operations and Maintenance Benchmarking Research Report focused primarily on financial metrics, while the Operations and Maintenance: Qualitative Analysis Benchmarking Report provides data from the United States and Canada on practices and tools being used by industry professionals in managing facility services quality. For example, the report describes outsourcing of in-house maintenance needs and preventive maintenance plans.

The report includes data-based insights that can translate into operational guidelines for:

  • Solid waste diversion 
  • Legislative mandates 
  • Energy management 
  • Green janitorial training and programs 
  • Maintenance management 
  • Planning 
  • Work requests and device usage 
  • Satisfaction with and perception of information technology services 
  • Benchmarking plans 
  • Customer satisfaction survey use and frequency 
  • Organizational agility 


FM professionals will be able to utilize this report to conduct a variety of analyses to determine competitive performance standing and identify best practices in operations and maintenance. The report is available for purchase and immediate download at: bit.ly/ombenchmarks18. The cost is US$325 (US$205 for IFMA members).

TOP 5 VENUE FOCUS POINTS FOR 2019

Each venue manager will be implementing a 2019 plan of action but the industry as a whole in the UK has some common challenges and opportunities. Here are our top 5 for the coming year:

Fan engagement and education around behaviour

An increase in racist chanting at football has been widely condemned. But its return to the terraces shows that training staff to manage fan behaviour continues to be a priority. The organisations to help are available so venues should reach out to them for training and materials.

Cricket World Cup

The one-day version is in England this year and there are jobs and commercial opportunities to be taken up. Stadium capacities are in good shape and if ticket sales justify it, there will be extra temporary capacity to pencil in. The ECB will be ramping up its technical and operational teams and training up volunteers. Roll on the summer.

Green innovations

The government is on the cusp of bringing in a bottle deposit scheme for takeaway drinks so now is the time to benchmark your recycling systems against the best and to adjust for the coming legislation and change of behaviour amongst fans. And now you can buy green in so many departments, even the pitch. The latest synthetic pitches are being manufactured from CO2 so do your bit for carbon offset.

NFL and MLB in London

The influence of American sports on stadium design in London has been significant, at both Wembley and now White Hart Lane. The sell-out NFL games and fan villages at Wembley show us why. They give the NFL an international presence and wider fan base and the fans spend big at the host venues. The London Stadium hosting MLB is already a success in ticket terms. The venues’ staffs will get great learning experiences which they can take forward into their more regular seasons.

Rugby Premiership investment in facilities

If the Premiership sells a part share in its business, there are already commentators urging the spending of the income on facilities, not on players’ salaries. The wage cap will help. Venue managers need to be ready to get their bids in for training complexes, new non-matchday facilities and fan engagement innovations.