Welcome to express Eventing

Welcome to my Blog...I have never done this before, but thought that you may enjoy a few stories from behind the scenes as we prepare to launch Express Eventing.

It is exciting that at last this is all coming to fruition. I have been working on this project for nearly 10 years, very much stop start, however we have been very active in the planning and preparation for the last 2 years.

How did it all start? I have always felt, long before Twenty 20 cricket, that what we needed in the sport was a showcase where new 'converts' could come eventing, and understand it, in a simplified format. We have the most exciting sport, as evident from the numbers that come to Badminton and Burghley, yet it is either a long drawn out event (a three day taking five days!) or very complicated to understand as there are so many horses competing, in what appears to the uninitiated as a random order. (How do you explain scrambled sections to a newcomer?)

I wanted to provide an event where the top riders could come to compete and show good sport, where spectators could be entertained in surroundings that offered top class hospitality. A venue that every spectator could see more of the event to enable them to be educated and understand more about the sport. Better understanding = better enjoyment.

When John Peace and I started working together the format was developed, a 'pit stop' created, a team amassed and all we needed was a venue! We spent a long time working on several different venues but these high profile sites all came with difficulties, many quite large. After one particularly difficult period, probably when I was at my lowest and about to consign the idea to the dustbin, I think I said something like....' find me a venue and I will create a competition....'

It was then suggested if we wanted to take the sport to the people lets go to the city and run in a stadium!!! You can imagine my reaction, however with thought this proved to be a great idea. One seat would certainly see all, it would enable us to run the event almost anywhere, and it would certainly offer great hospitality opportunities. Well then if this was a good idea...what stadium?

The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is certainly one of the best in the country, and what is more it has a roof. This was a most exciting breakthrough, by default we could now create a winter series that would not detract from the summer international events. What could be better, eventing becoming an all year round sport?

In one of the early meetings at the stadium when we were discussing dates I think I said something along the lines of '....we can be in and out of the stadium in 2 days, you will hardly know that we have been here....' I have lived to regret this statement. We now find ourselves staging the initial event the day after the Wales v Australia International Rugby!

Next challenge, how do we convert a rugby stadium into an event course? There have been many long discussions with course builders, designers etc as to the logistics of this exercise. I am sure it will all happen but I am thinking of finding some ex-Sergeant Major who can mastermind this exercise..if anyone has a suggestion!

We are building a great team to produce this event, there are huge numbers working on Hospitality, Sponsorship, Marketing, Advertising, Press and PR, Logistics, Rider and Owner Liaison, Building, Rules and Legal issues...and so it goes on. Everyone masterminding and developing their areas. I am somehow trying to co-ordinate all of this to deliver this exciting event.

I will try to keep you up to date with 'life behind the scenes'....the roller coaster trip that we are now on as the countdown is well and truly underway.