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COMMENTARY DECEMBER 7, 2012 TRACKSIDE at the Valley by Liesl King At the Asian Racing Conference in Istanbul this July, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, pointed out that the future of racing lies in the ability to be able offer an experience that is fun and easy to understand, while embracing technology at the same time. After conducting intensive customer studies, the Club came up with the "Happy Wednesday" concept, as a way to offer racing as trendy entertainment. In densely populated Hong Kong, close contact with horses is simply not possible, and with Happy Valley being close to the central business district, racing has been packaged as must-do evening's entertainment, that is trendy, vibrant, and interactive. Themed nights throughout the season and a wide choice of venues cater to racegoers' every need. Located on the second and third floors of the Pavilion Stand is Adrenaline, a trendy, stylish bar and lounge where changing neon lights highlight the asymmetrical entrance and the curving staircase. It has become the playground of a young, vibrant crowd and has been operating at full capacity every Wednesday since opening in April this year. Seating on the second floor is minimalistic but functional with comfortable sofas catering to large groups sitting together, while the area in front of the bar is taken up with two of the world's largest multi-touch interface tables. Named the IBU System, the tables allow up to eight players to look up information on any horse, jockey or trainer in a race, watch a video of its trackwork, watch it in the parade ring or place one of five types of bets. To start the process, a customer taps his smart card, called a J Tap card, on the table, thus verifying his identity. By simply touching the horse's number, he can access all the relevant information indicated by an icon of a jockey, trainer or horse. Once the user has studied his preferred runners and observed their latest trackwork, he can then place a bet by simply dragging the number of the horse he has decided to bet on to one of the five betting options. Currently the system offers win, place, quinella, quinella place and jockeys' championship bets. The table system initiates a smaller touch screen showing possible bet values and calculates a possible payout for each. To finish, the user just taps his smartcard on the table and his bet is complete. Should it be a winning bet, the amount is added to his account and he can access his cash by taking his card to the cashier. Upstairs, cocktail tables provide seating for eager players in the Tipsters Challenge game. Here customers are interviewed on camera about their favorite horses and lively discussions often ensue. A rolling menu with a tapas buffet caters to the hungry, while the stylish bar can conjure up any cocktail you can dream of. With Happy Valley hosting a crowd of between 13,000 and 15,000 each Wednesday, Adrenaline serves young professionals, eager to include racing in their electronic lifestyle. Adrenaline and its IBU system certainly bring an innovative and interactive racing and racecourse experience to its customers. Another new addition to the entertainment area is The Gallery. A sophisticated, racing-themed restaurant, it offers a stylish vibe, delicious cuisine and a unique digital dimension. Dedicated racing apps such as 'iRace' and 'Race Simulator' were developed for iPhones and iPads and quite literally place the racing action and experience in the palm of the customer's hand. If they happened to have forgotten their iPad at home, the Club will provide iPads free of charge, with the apps already preloaded. The 'iRace' app provides traditional racing information, such as racecards for any meeting in an easily understood, visual format, making it incredibly easy for customers to explore the information digitally. The 'Race Simulator' helps customers to understand and tap into the dynamics of horseracing by simulating actual races at a given meeting. With a reliable WiFi system, digital-savvy customers can find all the racing info that they require at their fingertips. And for the customers who just want to have a beer while relaxing after work? The Beer Garden, situated next to the home straight, has room for up to 4,000 racegoers, who can indulge in their favorite tipple, eat food from their favorite outlet (yes, there is a McDonalds) while watching the field thunder by. Happy Valley's "Happy Wednesday" is a combination of catering to the needs of a technology savvy generation, while making racing fun, vibrant and trendy and if the capacity crowd tonight is anything to go by, then they have certainly got it just right. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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