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Business News Deals Live Business
VMS secures deal to lead live music at three ARC racecourses, as Jockey Club sets up music venture
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 9 January 2014
Live music company VMS has announced a deal with the Arena Racing Company, which operates fifteen race courses around the UK, to deliver music events on an exclusive basis at three of those sites, in Uttoxeter, Wolverhampton and Newcastle.
Confirming the deal, VMS MD Steve Forster told CMU: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected by ARC to be their chosen supplier to deliver live events at three of their racecourses. We put forward what we felt was an excellent proposal focussing on not just the booking of the artist but also our expertise in event delivery, commercial management and ticketing and we are well underway with delivering the programme of events for 2014”.
Meanwhile Mark Spincer, MD of ARC, which was created by the merger of Arena Leisure and Northern Racing in 2012, added: “Though we have always delivered a high quality and successful live music programme across our estate, as a larger group it was felt the timing was right to open the delivery of our events to the market, consider our options, and see if there were any ways in which we can improve our offer”.
He went on: “Throughout the tender process VMS showed what their skills mix and delivery would bring to the table, and we are delighted to be working with them at three of our courses. We are really looking forward to working with VMS and their team and know that together we can deliver ongoing success to what is already an important part of our customer’s experience and the ARC business”.
ARC’s deal with VMS comes as another major player in the UK racing business, the Jockey Club, launches its own live music venture Jockey Club Live as part of a plan to step up the number of concerts at its sites.
Andrew Wilkinson, one of the people behind the new Jockey Club Live venture, told the Financial Times: “The ever increasing interest in live events means there is a growing opportunity for venues of all sizes, particularly racecourses that are generally not hamstrung by licensing restrictions and objections from neighbours, to provide a range of music and entertainment”.
