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Churchill Downs Incorporated and LRA Worldwide Partner to Improve the Racetrack Experience
Program to Complement Racing Company's CRM Installation
HORSHAM, Pennsylvania; February 15, 2005 - Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN) (CDI), the parent company of the legendary Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby, announced that it has retained LRA Worldwide to help develop a Customer Experience Management (CEM) program at its seven racing venues throughout the United States. LRA, a leading CEM consultant and research company located outside of Philadelphia, PA, is charged with helping CDI develop service standards to ensure the optimal guest experience, from parking lot to pari-mutuel window, and all points in between.
The CEM program developed for CDI racing operations will act as a complementary adjunct to its current enterprise-wide Customer Relationship Management (CRM) installation. That project, which has been documented on a monthly basis in CRM Magazine, is providing CDI with unprecedented amounts of information about its guests at all of the various interactive "touch points" at its facilities, from betting habits to food preferences. The CEM efforts will ensure CDI's ability to translate that knowledge into exceptional, real-life guest experiences at its tracks.
"We realized that the CRM project was going to provide a rich stream of data to all of our operators," said Andrew Skehan, Chief Operating Officer of CDI. "What we were lacking was an across-the-board approach to ensure that we were able to take that knowledge and translate it into an experience that our guests would truly value, every time. The CEM program that we develop with LRA will provide our management team with the confidence that our front-line team members are well-equipped to deliver that desired 'CDI experience' on a consistent basis."
Several of CDI's holdings, such as Churchill Downs, Hollywood Park and Arlington Park, are legendary venues in their own right, with a distinct service culture ingrained over years of operation. LRA and CDI will ensure that the unique cultures of the various venues are not lost, but leveraged as a more global CDI service culture is created for all locations.
"The feedback that we've received thus far is that all of the track presidents recognize the need for this project and are very engaged in helping to craft the ideal CDI guest experience," said Bush Bell, an LRA Vice President and the Account Manager leading the effort. "CDI has identified the development of a company-wide service culture as a necessary component of its CRM program, and there has been tremendous engagement in the process on all fronts, from 30-year veterans of the racing industry on down."
In the past three years, LRA has exponentially grown its client base in the sports and entertainment industries. Churchill Downs joins the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The PGA TOUR, Troon Golf, the ARAMARK Corporation (Stadiums and Arenas Division) and the Delaware North Companies (Boston Bruins, FleetCenter, Sportservice) in enlisting LRA to help implement a CEM program at its venues or events.
"The sports industry is one of our fastest growing sectors, as more and more operators are realizing that the 'build it and they will come' model no longer applies," said Rob Rush, CEO of LRA Worldwide. "CDI, like many of our clients, is taking a proactive approach to ensure there is no erosion of its brand, to really focus on its customer experience, and to make sure the grandstands stay full."
About Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns and operates world-renowned horse racing venues throughout the United States. The Company's racetracks in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Louisiana host 121 graded-stakes events and many of North America's most prestigious races, including the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, Hollywood Gold Cup and Arlington Million. CDI racetracks have hosted nine Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships – more than any other North American racing company. CDI also owns off-track betting facilities and has interests in various television production, telecommunications and racing services companies that support CDI's network of simulcasting and racing operations. CDI trades on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol CHDN and can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.
About LRA Worldwide, Inc.
LRA Worldwide, Inc. is a leading consulting, organizational development and research company that specializes in Customer Experience Management (CEM). LRA helps companies and brands design and deliver the optimal customer experience across all key touch points using an integrated suite of services that measure and improve service quality, customer satisfaction, employee performance, loyalty, customer advocacy and profitability. LRA specializes in "operationalizing the brand" - turning brand promise and customer strategy into operational reality. LRA's CEM practice areas include CEM Strategy Design, Standards Development & Content Management, Organizational Development & Training, Research and Quality Assurance & Mystery Shopping; these are either deployed together in a strategic manner to continually monitor and improve the customer experience or deployed individually to address a specific tactical client need.
LRA's clients include some of the world's leading companies and brands, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, the PGA TOUR, Albertsons Supermarkets, the NBA and First Niagara Financial Group. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.LRAworldwide.com
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