James Crespi - racecourse director at Goodwood - on planning for Glorious Goodwood 2023 and on his personal journey that took him from the racecourse to the West Wittering estate and Epsom Downs racecourse, and now back to Goodwood.
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00:00 So this week or two before Glorious Goodwood is how the parade ring is looking
00:04 in very nice condition and we're here to talk to somebody who will be familiar to
00:12 Goodwood race goers from a few years ago James Crespi race course director
00:17 haven't we seen you before as they say? You have indeed Steve. You were at Goodwood
00:22 previously you were away for eight years and now you're back so just tell us a
00:27 little bit about that that sort of personal journey first of all. Yeah of
00:30 course well I worked at Goodwood for ten years half my time on the motorsport
00:34 events and then the rest of it up here at the racecourse and I left eight years
00:38 ago to go and run the West Whittering Estate so I swapped to race course for a
00:44 beach which was quite a surreal experience and then after that I went to
00:49 work for the Jockey Club and ran Epsom Downs race course and had a rather
00:54 eventful derby this year and now here I am and must say really glad to be back
00:59 at Goodwood. Yeah the job you did at Goodwood before and the job you're doing
01:05 now a lot of similarities has that been sort of replicated in in what you've
01:10 done elsewhere for example what was the you know what was it like going from
01:14 here to West Whittering? Were you doing some of the same things or was it completely different?
01:19 Yeah similar I mean a lot of it was that sort of estate management and you know
01:22 obviously you're dealing with hundreds of thousands of people you know no
01:27 different to the West Whittering Estate here so you know I certainly the big
01:32 thing I took from you know coming away from Goodwood was that attention to
01:35 detail and if you're going to do something do it really well so a lot of
01:40 that sort of customer experience you know that that real sort of magic that
01:45 we that we can do here at Goodwood that's certainly something I hope that I
01:48 was able to sort of take with me you know the last eight years. And the fact
01:52 that you've come back suggests that when you were here before you rather enjoyed
01:56 it and felt you've made a difference. Yeah absolutely I mean I guess the
02:00 place has always felt like home so when I was given the opportunity to return it
02:05 was you know something something I couldn't could turn down at all you know
02:09 it's an incredible race course in my opinion the sort of most beautiful one
02:13 in the world you know we host the pinnacle of the sort of flat racing
02:17 calendar in ten days time and I remember from you know years gone by when when
02:24 the festival was on sort of felt like you're at the center of the world so to
02:28 come back and be part of that again yeah feel very fortunate. One of the things I
02:33 remember you saying to me last time you were here when when you were planning
02:36 for a glorious week is that once it starts it's like you're running a small
02:41 town it really is that you know there's that much to think about and to do and so
02:46 many different strands to pull together. Yeah absolutely and nothing's changed at
02:50 all and in fact it's got bigger I mean the structure we're sitting in now
02:54 you know the in the eight years I've been away you can see how the venue and
02:58 you know the facilities have have increased and you know we're sitting
03:02 here in this incredible bar with you know an upper deck that looks onto you
03:07 know the best-looking parade ring in the country and then behind you out to the
03:10 Solon the Isle of Wight you know so in terms of of that yeah absolutely it's
03:16 yeah it's just great to be involved in that again. And plans for this year how
03:21 are they coming together? Yeah well all systems go and all on course. Yeah I think
03:25 touch with the weather at the moment it's been on our side we've obviously
03:29 had a lot more water than we we did this time last year so Ed and his team
03:34 haven't been as flat out but they're still running around yeah lots of lots
03:40 of painting lots of building lots of well I mean the most exciting build at
03:45 the moment is the Sequel Garden and you know that is a real sort of unique
03:49 facility where you are literally walking into an English country garden so we've
03:54 got people in there now building that almost you know looks like a film set so
03:59 yeah there's there's a hive of activity but going well at the moment. So you're
04:03 not quite at the stage yet where you now want the first day in 11 o'clock on that
04:07 Tuesday to come. No. There's still a little bit to do. Yeah there is. But you will be there.
04:12 You know those we get a lot done on the run up you know you sort of work long
04:17 days and what have you but team have worked hard and I think the place looks
04:20 really well and you know the finishing touches come in next week all those
04:25 colorful magnificent banners and what have you that really make the event sort
04:29 of ping will be put in place. How have ticket sales been because we hear a lot
04:32 about the leisure industry having had a hard time you know there's a cost of
04:37 living crisis on the people have got you know fewer pounds and pence to spend
04:42 have ticket sales struggled or have they been okay this year? I think our ticket sales
04:46 have performed well you know coming back in I was I was pleased to see that that
04:52 we are you know we're still up there but at the same time not surprised because I
04:57 think the one thing Google can offer is that feeling at an event that you don't
05:01 really get anywhere else and that you know I think that sort of you know that
05:06 it's testament now to our sales the fact that they they are up there and
05:11 performing well you know there are there are still still sort of tickets
05:17 available but you know they're you know they are shifting so we would you know
05:21 definitely definitely get ahead and book up. End of the week tends to sell out by the time it comes around doesn't it?
05:26 Yeah yeah and during the week itself will you get a chance to enjoy any
05:30 racing will you be running around everywhere and I'd like to say I'll get
05:34 to enjoy the racing but no doubt there'll be a lot of running around in
05:37 between it but always used to have make a point to go and watch a race on the
05:43 trundle that was always a sort of a little sort of tradition you know annual
05:48 tradition that we had so that's the plan and hopefully everything will you know
05:53 go smoothly so we can still do that. And just to give us give people an idea of
05:58 the sort of sheer scale of the event you know during the week there'll be
06:01 something like a hundred thousand people over the five days coming in how many
06:05 people are going to be here working on it and making it happen?
06:10 Yeah it's a good question I mean I think you know the catering staff alone are probably
06:15 touching sort of six seven hundred from chefs to waiters to bar staff and then
06:22 we have everyone else that makes it work behind the scenes so it's good question
06:26 I'd probably say there's another 2,000 people here actually you know making
06:30 making it happen yeah various different jobs. And when the week is over you'll
06:35 be able to breathe again will you go down to West Whistering for the day?
06:38 I'm not sure I'll be, no I think that's a bit of a busman's holiday for me now but you know
06:44 we're a week later this year so as soon as the festival is out the way we'll be
06:48 focused on the August Bank holiday which again is another really great weekend of
06:53 racing here and obviously a lot of a lot of entertainment for the children and
06:57 families as well so it's another one to sort of to make sure it's in your diary
07:01 for coming up events. Well good luck with the rest of the planning and very best
07:05 of luck to the whole team for the week. Thanks Steve good to see you again, cheers.