It is nearer the end of the horse-racing season at my local course. It has been a busy season with twenty meetings. In the days leading up to an event there is a lot of activity by the grounds people – watering the course to make sure the ‘going’ is right, cutting the grass, fixing the railings, setting out the ‘jumps’ and so much more.
The picture you see is on the back straight, with two fences having been freshly groomed to make sure that they are in top condition for the races. When we are at the races we rarely see this part of the course, so I thought I would show that just as much effort is put in here, as on the home straight where the spectators gather. Safety for the horses and jockeys is paramount.
This racecourse is unusual though. It is usual for a racecourse to be know for ‘flat’ racing, where there are no fences to jump, or for ‘national hunt’, where there are fences to jump. This course does both – and on the same day. This does surprise many people.
Worcester is a lovely course – it is set next to the River Severn, the longest river in the UK, and surrounded by mature trees. It usually attracts a good crowd of people and to hear the cheers and excitement as each race progresses is always fun to hear – win or lose I am sure everyone has a good time. Whenever I go it is always good fun.
Now what caught my eye was the way that the fences are moved between races – creating either the ‘flat’ or the ‘jumps’ for the races. As you can see they are large and to move these would normally take a lot of time and work. They have cleverly designed detachable wheels so they can be rapidly rolled sideways though a moveable part of fence, which is then replaced.
This made me think about businesses that can create this flexibility in their offering. It also made me think of the surprise element that this could create, if clients knew about the flexibility of the offering. This new discovery of the flexibility would I am sure impress potential clients too, just like it does the race going people here at Worcester.
So a few questions:
• What seemingly simple thing could you ‘design’ for your offering that would extend the appeal to your existing clients?
• Would the adaptability of your offering make it have an appeal to a client base you currently don’t serve?
• In the preparations for your next ‘race’ how well do you really prepare?
• Is there more that you could do to make your ‘course’ look well groomed?
• Do your people act like a team or merely as a group of individuals?
If you need some help with this do ask, I may just be able to help.
My best wishes,
Peter
