As Gary Pyott of Association 1st, and Chairman of the Aventura Marketing Council/Chamber of Commerce (AMC), welcomed in members of the AMC Chairman’s Roundtable to the beautifully renovated Flamingo Room, it was obvious there was a new energy and new ‘feel’ to Gulfstream Park. Greg DiVincent, Senior Director of Marketing at Gulfstream Park, circulated amongst the guests, making them feel very special as Master Pianist Moises Herrera provided wonderful background music. The buffet luncheon was delicious and became a topic of conversation as guests networked while choosing which of the many great entrees and side dishes to enjoy.
DiVincent introduced Joe Lopez, Gulfstream Park’s Vice President of Venue Management and Hospitality, who spoke about the ‘new look’ of Gulfstream Park. “This is a new era for Gulfstream Park…we’re in the midst of modernizing everything. We’ve invested $20 million in the current renovations with new paint, a new roof and new dining experiences. We’ve reduced our grandstand in front and added more dining experiences. Our new Breezeway Bar is a rite of passage! It’s our #1 bar, and we’ve just increased capacity by 30%. We’ll be activating Pegasus Park starting with the San Genero Festival there March 19 – 22 with 70 local food vendors, amusement rides, bands and performances. This holiday season, from October through mid-January, we are in discussion with Ilumni to produce a 10 million light show that attracted 20,000 guests a day for 60 days in other locations. If we can do half that, it will give us a great opportunity to introduce thousands of new guests to everything that Gulfstream Park offers! We just recently launched our new brand called 1/ST, which signifies 1/ST in safety, 1/ST in hospitality and 1/ST in entertainment. Our parent company’s focus is on modernizing the sport of horse racing, and wants to invite you to the future of racing intertwining horse and rider safety at all our thoroughbred tracks: Golden Gate Fields, Santa Anita Park, Pimlico, Maryland Jockey Club and Gulfstream Park .”
A video of Belinda Stronach, Chairman and President of the parent company, gave her vision on re-branding as 1/ST. “1/ST is all about leading, innovation and about re-imagining the old model and how to do things better. 1/ST racing, 1/ST horse care, 1/ST live, which is the experience we seek today. We want to make the whole experience more fun, more easily accessible and more worthwhile. We renewed our focus on horse and rider welfare, and thought it important to show leadership for horsemen, trainers and horses to be medication-free, because that’s where we are going in the future.”
Lopez added, “The fourth running of the Pegasus World Cup held at Gulfstream Park on January 25th heralded a new era in the sport of thoroughbred racing in North America by requiring equine athletes in both races to compete free of any medications on race day. The Invitational Series had an impressive list of contenders in both the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) races. After the fourth running, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and approximately 25 of its accredited aftercare organizations accepted a check for $80,000 from Gulfstream Park. The gift was one of the largest purse contributions to aftercare at a major racing event. This major event attracted international celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod to enjoy the festivities along with over 15,000 attendees. Musical headliners were Grammy winner Nelly and recently unmasked virtuoso T-Pain in the Pegasus LIV Stretch Village, a collaboration between David Grutman’s Groot Hospitality, of LIV nightclub fame, and the Pegasus World Cup.
Pyott closed the meeting by congratulating Gulfstream Park and its leadership for taking everything in a new direction. “You’re benefiting everyone in this room because we live close by, support your racing, restaurants and bars. And we appreciate everything you’re doing!”
For more information, gulfstreampark.com; aventuramarketingcouncil.com
