LAST week this column had details of the first half of Horse Racing Ireland’s annual seminar where racecourse executives heard from Chris Bevan, head of marketing at the Australian Turf Club, David Armstrong, CEO of the Racecourse Association in Britain, Mark Spincer, managing director of Arena Racing Company’s racing division and Drew Fleming, CEO of the Breeders’ Cup.

This week we have an update from the final two speakers, Melanie Andresen, head of customer strategy at Victoria Racing Club (VRC), and Mark Killingley, head of digital and communications at Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The aim of the seminar was to learn how other racecourses and sports are dealing with the challenges of Covid-19, and preparing for the return of spectators.