Aintree Racecourse

Best Event

Red Rum 40 at the Randox Health Festival 2017

Proudly partnered by Objectives

• Celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the Grand National’s most iconic horse, winning for the third and final time in the legendary race that stops the nation.

• Engage, educate and excite the wide spectrum of racegoer that will be present during the three day Festival and immerse them in all things Red Rum.

• Drive footfall to the Red Rum Garden and surrounding area from all parts of the racecourse, assisted by the re-naming of ‘’ to the ‘Festival Zone’, with Marketing efforts centred on customers exploring different areas of the site and making the most of their day. Research from previous Grand Nationals suggested that racegoers were not making use of the full site and it’s facilities, meaning the experience and subsequent opportunity for retention was hindered.

• The story of Red Rum is broad and engaging – it resonates with all customer profiles, as there is something special for everyone. We wanted to pull this together to sit under one compelling theme, creating an event within the Grand National Festival that is both fun, unique and also memorable.

• Present the unique story of Red Rum in a fun and modern way to engage with a younger audience whilst also retaining the traditional feel to appeal to the more seasoned racegoer, creating an emotive connection for both audiences.

2 Delivery

• Creation of ‘Stable 46’ exhibition at the Festival, containing memorabilia and legendary artifacts from Red Rum’s history. • An immersive ‘4D’ beach experience, containing the sights, sounds and smells of beach, where Ginger McCain trained Red Rum in the 1970s. To achieve this, we filmed footage of a horse riding on the Southport Sands, capturing the sound of the hooves thundering along and completed the multi-sensory effect by diffusing the aroma of the beach. via vapour diffusing technology. • ‘Ride Rummy to victory’ enlisted the use of green screen technology to give customers the opportunity to receive a unique photograph of themselves clearing the last fence of the historic 1977 Grand National. • A 1970s replica horsebox, strikingly similar to the one Red Rum used was acquired and fitted with a screen showing highlights of his magnificent wins as well as post-race interviews with Ginger McCain and Noel Le Mare • Renowned sculpture and artist Phillip Blacker, who produced the iconic Red Rum statue at , was enlisted to produce mini-replicas which were available to purchase. • A full re-brand of the Red Rum Garden and surrounding area to highlight the achievements of Aintree’s greatest hero.

3 Results

• Ride Rummy to Victory – 1,732 print outs across three days, 1,194 customers who emailed the image to themselves and a social media reach of 74,342 • Southport Sands 4D Experience – Large crowds throughout the three days sampling the sights, sounds & smells of Southport beach. 787 people entered a prize draw to win tickets – over 60% of which was new data. • Stable 46 – Over 3,300 customers passed through the Museum during the Festival, including the McCain and Le Mare families and former on Red Rum, Tommy Stack. • Rummy’s Horse Box – Never less than 200 people at any one time in the Red Rum Garden area, excellent qualitative feedback from customers reminiscing about the archive footage. • Replica Rummys – Popular throughout with stunning level of detail and 267 sold to customers wanting a memento. • Red Rum Garden – Increased footfall of 14% and higher catering spend of 9% year-on-year in that area, meaning over £70,000 additional income to the racecourse year-on-year.

4 Supporting Information

Behind the scenes on Southport Sands shooting for 4D experience - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYRleyizqEo

A video review of Red Rum 40 experiential activity – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nKiMVuiKoM

‘A History of a Legend’ – a short piece of film detailing Red Rum’s most historic moments – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwjBSwyzAD8

Quotes from the Le Mare family (Owners of Red Rum), the McCain family (Ginger McCain was Red Rum’s legendary trainer) and Tommy Stack (jockey who rode Red Rum to victory in 1977) :

5