Students gain an insight into the horse racing industry

Students preparing to enter a recession-hit jobs market stepped furlongs ahead when they were given an insight into the business world of horse racing.

A group of MSc Marketing students from Glyndŵr University were invited to Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse to get a behind-the-scenes look at the business and its communications with sponsors, jockeys, racehorse owners and members of the public.

The students were given a tour of course facilities and received a presentation about the broad range of marketing initiatives undertaken by the racecourse.

Jan Green, senior lecturer in management at Glyndŵr University, said the visit provided students with a brilliant opportunity to see how the knowledge they’ve learnt in class is applied in a real-life business.

“The students loved the whole thing. The presentation which they were given was very high class and provided the students with a very detailed picture about how the racecourse attracts and retains its customers.

“With the current business climate as it is, it’s more important than ever before for our students to gain an inside knowledge and exposure to the business world,” added Jan. “Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse is a great example of a strong local business in the leisure industry and experiences from the visit will certainly help increase the students’ employability.”

Jeannie Chantler, general manager at Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse, said: “We were delighted to welcome the students here. We’re one of the most-visited venues in the county of Wrexham and the racecourse is a very important part of the community. We want Wrexham to grow for everyone’s benefit and we welcome any links with the university. It’s fantastic for the town that there’s now a university here and we’re more than happy to help its development where we can.”