John McDonnell
I'm from Clonmel, Co Tipperary and I don't come from a racing background as such. Growing up through school, I always had a strong interest in racing in general. My mum and dad brought my brother and I racing through our teenage years. My dad was a primary school teacher, but he always had a good business head and he went into on-course bookmaking in 1999. That gave my brother and I purpose and a reason to be going racing. I think when dad took out his licence I was about 13 or 14 and we went point-to-pointing all over the country. Dad continued teaching and grew the business. He invested quite a bit into racecourse pitches right around Ireland. It is my brother's business now and my dad works with him.
I wanted to go my own route. I was never a gambler as such, but I was always interested in broadcasting. I finished school and I went on and did a Degree in Marketing. I did that in what was then Waterford Institute of Technology. I then did the British Horseracing Authority's graduate programme which brought me to the betting firm Coral in England. I did my placement on the racing desk in Barking in east London. I did a summer with them and it was a great experience. I worked with some really knowledgeable people, including the likes of James Knight who is still there. I then saw an advert for TEAMtalk (BSkyB), an internet radio service that was syndicated out to bookmakers. Back to England I went, to Leeds, and I spent a year there getting a grounding in live broadcasting in a studio environment. I really enjoyed it and Tim Thornton, who is now at Sky Sports, was my boss at the time. It was an environment that you could make mistakes in as you weren't on camera and I don't think it was a huge audience, more recreational punters as such. You could get your grounding there, learn your craft and build your confidence.
I then joined BoyleSports where I was part of the studio team and I enjoyed that. An opportunity then arose with Bar One Racing, with added responsibility, that I was keen to pursue. That again was retail broadcasting, but there was also management of their PR and sponsorships. I was conscious of building my own profile and I didn't want to pigeon-hole myself as a betting shop broadcaster. I thought there was more in me. While I was in Bar One, I actually went back to studying and did a Diploma in Public Relations and a Masters in Digital Marketing. It was off my own bat, but Bar One were very accommodating at fitting in my work hours around my studying. Barney O'Hare was a very loyal boss and as well as that he is a racing fan. While betting companies invest in racing to get business results, he is a genuine racing fan. His investment in Irish racing has been phenomenal and he developed quite a strong portfolio but, as an independent bookmaker, he faces challenges as well because the corporates are getting stronger. All of these corporates have a very strong social media presence. It is an effective way of getting your message across instead of advertising. Technology is developing all the time and I think customers put a lot of emphasis in the quality of your app and website. They need to be top-notch. The customer experience is huge from a digital perspective as there's lots of choice out there. Retail broadcasting is what is termed experiential marketing - you are always trying to improve the customers' retail experience, be that through using ambassadors, content and podcasting. I was with Bar One for four years.
I didn't go back and study for the good of my health, I wanted to use it. I was trying to apply my new academic knowledge to the work environment. When doing the Masters, I studied with people in different industries - for example from Lidl and Tesco. It was an eye-opener what you could learn with them through project work - it is good to come out of your comfort zone. A Marketing Executive role came up in Tattersalls Ireland in September last year. I had just finished my Masters and it was kind of the right place and right time. I applied for it and I thought the fit was right. I was really impressed with their team when I met them and they have a strong board led by Simon Kerins. Richard Pugh is there as well and they are all respected within the industry. I felt that by joining such a well respected branding team it would benefit me in the long-term. There's a lot of new faces in the sales industry, so I am looking forward to meeting new people and establishing new relationships with Tattersalls Ireland's existing clients as well. Relationship building is a big part of the role and is another important aspect of it.
It is a very, very broad role - it is anything from PR, press releases, telling the Tattersalls Ireland story, social media, through to traditional advertising as well. Managing the media schedule as such. Obviously, with every role the bedding in period can be challenging and some things are easier to pick up than others. It is very enjoyable, I have to say. It is very varied and, if I'm honest, I wanted to move away from the betting industry for quite a while. The varied role suits me and there's lots of digital aspects to it. We are working ahead all the time, so this morning I was working on the September Yearlings Sale. Each sale is at a different point in the calendar and each sale has its own identity. We are at entries for the Derby Sale, we are at entries for the Breeze Up Sale and we are at nominations for the September Yearlings Sale. Depending on where you are in the calendar, that guides your message and what content you are putting out. Every sale has key dates attached to it - close of nominations, close of entries and the sales day itself. They are all key dates that you have to work back from. They dictate your schedule.
The Caldwell Construction dispersal sale was a unique sale. The slogan leading up to it was that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for purchasers to buy a Grade 1 winner. Those opportunities don't come up very often or at all. One well-known journalist said to me beforehand that this does not happen. The build up to it was quite intense, but I embraced it and learned from it. Mary Lanigan, my manager, co-ordinated the branding, the merchandise and getting the catalogue out there. The news broke on Thursday evening of Thyestes day (in Gowran Park) and it was as significant a news story to us as the public. We had to act there and then on the initial press release. The following day was spent getting the catalogue together and writing the profiles on the horses, sorting the merchandise and advertising. There is a lot of different aspects to a sale and it was so short and sharp, it was unique. It was a venture into the unknown for everybody. How it was going to go and were the horses going to make the money we'd like them to make were the questions in our minds. We were conscious that Caldwell Potter could well break the record price for a National Hunt horse sold at public auction, and he did at €740,000. The fact that Sir Alex Ferguson was involved in the purchase meant that all the tabloids picked up on it as well. The story went well outside the traditional racing media. It was great to see the big players there and it just goes to show the desire of these wealthy people to get involved in racing. It is very encouraging. The next few months are going to be very, very busy with the Breeze Up Sale coming up at the end of May. The breeze-up market is one that is getting bigger and bigger. Breeze up horses used to be perceived as horses that didn't go on, but recent results show otherwise. There is a huge demand for places in our Breeze Up Sale and the inspections are taking place at the moment for it. Then we roll into the Store Sales and then the 50th Derby Sale is going to be the big one on 26th and 27th June.
Caldwell Potter was the star attraction of the Caldwell Construction dispersal sale© Photo Healy Racing
The Irish racing industry is brilliant. It is very inclusive and there are great opportunities. Jim Martin and Emma Meehan were the first people to give me a go at doing racecourse master of ceremonies in Dundalk. From that, I took in Cork for a while and Naas have been very good to me. My broadcasting background helped and when the mic is on, just go for it as such is my motto! What I would say to a young person in the industry, is to move around and look at all the different avenues - don't stay still. Get as much experience as you can because when you hit that 30 mark, it makes you more appealing to an employer. I have to say the atmosphere at the last two renewals of the Dublin Racing Festival (DRF) has been exceptional. A combination of strong attendance and quality racing helps to improve the experience. The DRF is now the meeting I'd take a first-time racegoer to.
John was in conversation with Michael Graham.
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