"When Bill Owen thought about the serendipity of it all, he made a decision that placed his organization at the forefront of those leveraging for long-term gain from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. Having received a $500,000 Matching Funds Grant from the W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Foundation - specifically designated for renovations and improvements of the historic Lexington Opera House - Owen, president and CEO of The Lexington Center, put two and two together. At a September 25 press conference held on the Opera House stage, Owen closed his remarks saying, "In these times when Lexington is preparing itself for the world stage, this Lexington stage is preparing itself for the world."
It has taken some time and the unfolding of events to enable area business people to wrap their minds around how to prepare for and benefit from the 16-day global event with its anticipated draw of 500,000 competitors, fans and tourists and estimated economic impact of $150 million.
Dick Hurst, owner and president of Hurst Office Plus, was among those crowding an Embassy Suites conference room for the September 19 Commerce Lexington "Good Morning Blue Grass" breakfast featuring Jack Kelly, 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games CEO. Hurst said he is enthusiastic about the Games' potential to benefit the community, especially its downtown, and he is hopeful that small businesses like his will have the opportunity to be a part of it.
"We are really wondering what the attitude of the FEI Games (will be) toward local business. Will there be an effort to work with small, family-owned quality businesses?" Hurst said. "What's been presented is that they are looking around for people (to act in) support roles, and that's important to (small business) - that we have an opportunity to fit in with this great event."
In an interview that can be heard online at bizlex.com, Kelly seemed to anticipate Hurst's concern. "We think everybody's going to want to be able to say that they had their part, and we're going to try to do it in a way that's cost effective for them. We don't have any expectations that people ought to give us money or invest in the Games because we're here and they ought to do it because we're here; it ought to be because it works for them and it matches their objectives and their personal beliefs. So at some point over the next four years, we're going to give everybody a chance to be a part of the Games, and hopefully what we've created and put together is meaningful to them as well."
Kelly added that the Games will provide local businesses with unique opportunities to market their brands and services "from either a promotional standpoint, from an entertainment standpoint, (or) from an identification standpoint. They'll find that there are some very real opportunities to spend some of their marketing dollars and to just spend some of their consumer dollars, and then personal dollars, on being part of the Games, attending the Games, and having a good experience."
Kelly suggested that businesses especially consider carefully how to cater to visitors coming into the area for five or six days, attending one event each day at the Horse Park. "We can fill their other hours with things that they'll find attractive and compelling, and quite frankly we have to communicate those things."
In that same Bizcast interview, FEI Secretary General Michael Stone said the participation of local businesses in Aachen, Germany, site of the 2006 Games, compares favorably with what is planned for Lexington. "I think the opportunities for local businesses here in Lexington to support the event will be huge, because the structure of the event is very different to Aachen. In Aachen, we had eight global sponsors who were all on the same level. They basically mopped up every single (marketing) right there was. Here, Jack is going to be able to structure differently to allow local businesses and the local community to really be involved. From the FEI point of view, that's what we want, because we don't really want to have a global group of sponsors moving from event to event. We like to have some big sponsors involved but also local communities, because they get behind and support the event in all sorts of different ways."
Negotiations are said to be in the final stages on construction of a four-star luxury hotel at the Horse Park, and at least one other new hotel could materialize in downtown Lexington before 2010. Even with those additional rooms, however, overnight and extended-stay lodging will be tight - something Stone thinks Lexingtonians ought to consider. "I have no doubt that there'll be people from all over Europe who will want to rent houses, take hotels, and we're dealing with very high net worth individuals in equestrian sports, as well as the ordinary families. So these people who will come, they look for houses to rent, they'll come with their families."
Local businesses anticipating heavy trade from the visiting throngs might do well to consider foreign language training for staffs. Stone noted that "one of the most interesting things that I don't think the people of Lexington realize yet is that the number of foreign voices that are going to be here in Lexington in September and October of 2010 is going to be staggering."
Many participants are going to be coming into the area well before the Games so their horses can become acclimated. "Some of the teams have come in four to five weeks beforehand. I think the majority will be here a week beforehand," said Stone. "I mean you're talking about a lot of people; you're talking about 850 horses at least."
That creates opportunities for horse farms to market space for competitors to stable their horses and work them out. In turn, said Stone, "there may be some of those opportunities that we may never even know about, because these people are savvy spenders of their own money and will just go into the marketplace and find something. Again, it will be a very strong impact that we may never fully understand."
2006 Show Jumping Silver Medalist Beezie Madden, in Lexington for a recent event at the Horse Park, said she is excited by the thought of how first-time visitors to the Bluegrass region will react. "I think they'll be surprised by the beauty. I mean, right from when you fly in, it's beautiful around here, and I know a lot of people are impressed by that the first time they come here. The city is impressive with its restaurants and hotels, and I think they're going to really like it."
Entrepreneurs finding their niche and hoping to market products bearing the official logo of the Games will be required to work with a merchandising and licensing company, said Kelly. "All Pro Championships out of Louisville is our partner, and many of those budding entrepreneurs have great things to sell and will need to do that through All Pro, but All Pro is looking for the great ideas. We've all seen every year a couple of really great onsite niche products that just sell the heck out of themselves during the Games, and we're certainly looking for those sorts of things."
Clive Pohl of the Lexington architecture firm Pohl Rosa Pohl attended the Commerce Lexington breakfast and said he was impressed by Kelly's approachable nature. Pohl also said he hopes the four-year planning window for the event will encourage Kentucky to consider a contemporary approach for highlighting itself and its heritage.
"We don't have to be Churchill Downs over and over and over again to be Kentucky," Pohl said. "What's being presented to us is an opportunity to be fully Kentucky and still be forward-looking and still be progressive. The challenge is agreeing on what that looks like."
Sympathizing with those who are not yet certain about their role in the event, Stone reiterated that for 16 days in the fall of 2010, Central Kentucky will be transformed. "I think the scale is probably quite difficult to comprehend at the moment but what I mentioned before about languages, it's going to be enormous. The different languages that are going to be experienced all over Kentucky is going to be phenomenal, and I really think it's this international exposure that is where Kentucky as a state can benefit."
You can listen to Tom Martin's interview with Jack Kelly and FEI Secretary General Michael Stone online at bizlex.com/podcaster.php