HORSE-RACING INDUSTRY DESPERATE 4 NEW FANS!

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association is  Desperate for New Fans - Calls for Emergency "Market Summit" - Hires Harvard Polling Expert & Turf-Writers & Bloggers to help with marketing ideas!

Why didnt they just ask us, the horse lovers, rescuers, advocates and protectors, and even lovers of the race? We would tell them to pull their heads out of their butts, wake up and take the lead in the race to end racehorse abuse & slaughter! 

NTRA MARKETING SUMMIT TO FOCUS ON NEW FANS ! 

by Blood-Horse Staff
Date Posted: August 19, 2008

Edited press release

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association' s Marketing Summit, to
be held Sept. 21-23 at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas,
will feature a special 90-minute session on Sept. 22 called "Reaching
a New Generation". The workshop will be moderated by John Della
Volpe, founder and president of SocialSphere Strategies and director
of polling at Harvard's Institute of Politics, and will focus on
tactical strategies that racing can employ today to engage and retain
new fans.

Joining Della Volpe in his presentation will be five members of a
newly created NTRA online marketing task force: Dana Byerly, 42, from New York City; Jessica Chapel, 34, from Brooklyn, N.Y.; Patrick
Patten, 30, from Matawan, N.J.; Troy Racki, 26 from Loma Linda,
Calif.; and Kevin Stafford, 30 from Hanover, Penn. All are active
bloggers, handicappers and online contributors.

"The presentation will be a living, breathing Web 2.0 collaboration
with some of racing's best fans," said Della Volpe. "We have scoured
the Internet for racing's most ardent supporters, then we created an
online community and gave them an assignment: Develop a plan to
market the sport to a new generation of fans. Over the course of
about six weeks, the group will be spending dozens of hours meeting,
debating, and challenging each other's assumptions -- the results of
which they will present to the industry at the NTRA Marketing Summit."

The three-day conference will also include a Monday, Sept. 22,
luncheon speech and Q&A session with NTRA President and CEO Alex
Waldrop; a Tuesday roundtable presentation by the NTRA's
Horseplayers' Coalition; and updates on several NTRA programs and
initiatives, including advertising and marketing, the Daily Racing
Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, the NHC Tour,
legislative/ regulatory issues, promotions, television, public
relations and NTRA Advantage.

The Summit will begin with a private handicapping tournament for
attendees on Sunday, Sept. 21. Following a full day of sessions on
Monday, the Summit will conclude with a half-day session on Tuesday.

"We look forward to a lively and provocative gathering sure to
provide many timely and relevant strategies for the year ahead," said
Keith Chamblin, senior vice president-communications and industry
relations for the NTRA.

Signers, below are the people we need to contact to tell them OUR ideas of what the horse racing industry can do to keep and bring more fans; You know what to say! Let them hear it now before the Sept. 21 summit date.

John Della Volpe can be reached at any of the three (3) links below;

SocialSphere: John Della Volpe's Site;
http://www.socialsphere.net/socialsphere-web-20-research-and-strategy.html

Harvard Institute of Politics Website;
http://www.iop.harvard.edu/

John Della Volpe's FaceBook Page;
http://www.facebook.com/people/John_Della_Volpe/34512

and THE BLOGGERS can be reached here;

Dana Byerly NYC
http://www.greenbutgame.org/

Jessica Chapel, Brooklyn, NY
http://www.jessicachapel.com/railbird/

Patrick Patten, NJ
http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/author/ppatten/

Troy Racki, Ca
http://thorbredracing.meetup.com/9/members/7758766/

Kevin Stafford, Pa
http://theaspiringhorseplayer.com/

To learn more about our "Friends of Equines" Industry Accountability Campaigns, visit these links;

Friends of Equines Site;
http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines/marketingtaskforce.htm

The Horse Racing Hall of Shame;
http://www.freewebs.com/horseracinghallofshame

Thanks for caring! Together, we can make a difference!