top of page
Search

HAS THE HKJC BECOME TOO MUCH OF A ONE MAN BAND?


With a new byline covering the New Year’s Day race meeting at Shatin and writing about “a slow start to the day” before a “festive atmosphere ultimately drew almost 50,000 spectators including nearly 10,000 from the mainland”, it was hardly any surprise for Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO and official cheerleader to describe the day as “terrific”.



Written by someone named Mike Chan, we particularly liked reading this little morsel:


“Meanwhile, a retiree surnamed Yeung, said he was attending (the races) because his wife and some friends planned to play mahjong and she wanted him out of the house”.


There was also something or another about a part time security guard in his seventies mentioning that “spaces had filled up more slowly than usual with many in Hong Kong leaving for the mainland” and “the cheaper food”.


But in the eyes of the CEO, the day was “terrific”. What else could he say?


Us, we thoroughly enjoyed the Flemington New Year’s Eve celebrations, which broke with tradition and produced something memorable and fun for families and racing fans.




One would hope that someone in Winfried’s position plus, of course, having the support of his various handpicked teams, can at least make the effort of showing those not closely involved in horse racing in Hong Kong a different and enjoyable experience. Surely, this is a priority for the future of the pastime?


Then again, this is easy enough to say when knowing full well that people make a city, and the majority who go horse racing in the city have done this for very probably three decades and long for the good old days- though most never set foot at JJ’s or Club BBoss etc. 


Can they accept change or are they happy to cling to the past and what is familiar to them?


How important is this customer group to turnover? Same goes for those tour groups from the mainland.


Maybe this same thinking is what made the government bring Air Supply who were celebrating their 50th anniversary for the Countdown to 2026 variety show?



Quite frankly, both the government and the HKJC would do well to look at bringing in some of the excellent cost effective lookalike and sound alike groups from Australia who perform the best of ABBA, the Beatles, the Bee Gees etc etc.


My personal feeling is that we’re at a point in the history of Hong Kong where the majority of those who bother to go out will accept anything that’s given to them as long as they don’t have to pay for it.


I have been told as much plus in a city where less and less Western music is being played or heard, how many would know Bad Bunny from Bruno Mars? Not many.


Hong Kong is what it was and there’s proof positive why, at least when it comes to music, many of the top international acts bypass Hong Kong and perform at least 2-3 shows in Singapore and whose fans from around the region are happy to travel to Singapore just as they do for the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.


With so much Western music heard in the Lion City and some excellent local bands playing funk and Jazz, it’s not easy to compete with Singapore on this level and which is why champion gallopers like Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior are so important for the image of Hong Kong racing.


For how long, however, can their stories and mentioning the Conghua training facilities and talk of racing in China keep being repeated and repeated and repeated before it all makes Jack a dull boy?



Perhaps other tools in the HKJC shed need sharpening like how news about all the various donations made to the community seem to travel under the radar because of what some professionals outside of the city say is a rather weak and “stodgy” communications strategy.


Can there not be thinking that goes beyond the obvious and which doesn’t just plod along with the HKJC team running around looking busy and tortured, but actually unable to produce a few effective deliverables?



One understands that most, if not all of this, is to get people to bet and “Gamble Responsibly”, but why can’t the HKJC look at giving something back to the mainstream community?


This can perhaps be in the form of relevant, effective and positive Public Service Announcements about a wide range of subjects, and not another round of horse racing designed ideas of “entertainment”that don’t appeal to nearly anyone.


For example, just for starters, and to get it out of the way, can’t SOMETHING be done with the spooky white elephant that is The Hong Kong racing museum with on exhibit being a couple of stuffed former champion horses?



Meanwhile, whatever happened to those exciting plans talked about almost a decade ago for the heritage arts and culture building known as Tai Kwun when a highly respected arts professional from Sydney was flown in to run the project? He didn’t last long.



Recently, following the HKJC’s partnership with Simon Fuller and his X1X Entertainment, wasn’t this heritage building supposed to undergo yet another revamp by being included in a reality show throughout Hong Kong to find a Chinese member for the group known as Now United?


Apparently, the reality show took place- but behind closed doors. And the results of this apparently rather shambolic experiment in entertainment marketing was what?



All we have seen when it comes to the marketing of Tai Kwun has been a surreal video featuring Australian jockey Hugh Bowman aimlessly walking through the building.


This oddity is the desired image for a arts and culture centre like Tai Kwun? Really?



We have worked with and enjoyed the company of the German CEO over the years, and have found him to be knowledgeable, interesting and someone with a good sense of humour.


Having said this, more recently, we have seen a very different and perhaps even a more inward looking Winfried.


No man is an island and everyone needs to be inspired by those around them to shake off The Big Sleep and get back to being busy doing and making dreams come true.


Being a one man band can be as dulling as the sound of one hand clapping.


Realising this and being INSPIRED is the panacea for real happiness and making good things happen.





FOOTNOTE


At least for the time being, Hong Kong is facing quite a few challenges and with money too tight to mention.


This is when in whatever business we’re in, we need to work with what we have, try and improve them and look at different ideas that can become new and exciting business streams.


Not everything will be a success, but by trying, who knows what might be created?


Creativity cannot be planned. It just happens and is the only real magic around because there’s nothing up your sleeve.


Creativity comes when you’re least expecting it and there’s a need to grab it before it disappears for good.



Comments

bottom of page