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BENJAMIN F LINDHEIMER Lindheimer o Opinion That Racing Fans Must Be Completely Satisfied Arlington Washington Park Head Believes That Advertising Pays PaysCRETE CRETE 111 June 13 Benjamin F Lind ¬ heimer the motivating spirit behind the Arlington ParkWashington Park coordi ¬ nated programs in Chicago racing believes those two tracks will capitalize on the pro ¬ motional methods of the organization of which he is so much a part during the forth ¬ coming season Were great believers in advertising pointed out Lindheimer when visited in his Loop office We spend 150 000 in advertising publicity radio and direct mail advertising because we believe that it pays dividends And I think our increased business of the last year is directly traceable to the extra efforts our entire organization put forth We increased the value of our stakes and purses and then put forth a little extra effort in our promotional end to at ¬ tract the racing fans to pay for them This year were offering the most attractive pro ¬ gram of stakes and handicaps offered at Arlington Park in the past ten years and the most valuable stakes program in the history of Washington Park ParkFew Few racing association executives go into this business of managing a track as thor ¬ oughly as does Lindheimer the real estate man turned racing executive It is not dif ¬ ficult to find out haw he has been able to make so many improvements in the conduct and operation of his tracks because he con suits the court of public opinion to find out what complaints the ordinary racing fans have to make about his and everybody elses race tracks When he thinks he has found something which should be corrected he calls in John D Jackson general manager of Arlington and Washington Parks and they go into a conference with the beard of di ¬ rectors of the plants to find out what can be done about correcting the mistakes being made madeSOLVE SOLVE CONCESSION PROBLEM PROBLEMFor For instance Lindheimer found that the average horse player made more complaints about the concessions at the race tracks than he did about any other department Consequently wljen it came time to sign a contract with the concessionaire he had the track lawyers draw up a contract which gave the association a percentage of the gross receipts and reserved the right to approve the prices which would be chaiged for the popular articles sold at the track lunch stands and restaurants When the lawyer for the concessionaire protested and said Dont you know that under that con ¬ tract you could put us out of business Lindheimer pointed out Yes and if the racing fans are not satisfied with your food and prices it will be the racing association which will suffer As far as the average racing fan is concerned he doesnt even know who the concessionaire is He identi ¬ fies the concessions with the track Any resentment is going to be directed at us and were only protecting our interests and your interests when we see that the prices and food are right rightWhen When Lindheimer came into the racing business he looked around at his racing plant and found that what was lacking most was enough seating capacity to take care of the fans who came out on big days If they cant find a seat when they come out the first time certainly they wont come back again after having had to stand on their feet all afternoon afternoonAlong Along those lines were doing something at Arlington Park that we think will take care of the surplus fans Last Fourth of July our big day we actually had about 46000 people at Arlington Park You couldnt move around out there thereNow Now I look for an increase this year Say we get 10000 more people out there on the holiday if it is a good day and that is not expecting too much with conditions the way they are and the extra efforts we are making to get people interested in our racing what are we going to do with them We cant ask them to crowd themselves into the space which wasnt adequate to take care of 46000 people last year yearWell Well were having accommodations made for them in the infield Were having a place to sell tickets by hand put up in the infield and were applying to the commission for permission to sell there on big days with the understanding that the windows will be closed five minutes or so before the race is at the post postWere Were also going to have lunch stands out there so that the public can buy something to eat and something to drink Were going to erect lavatories out there and they can be concealed so that they wont spoil the general appearance of the track Were also going to put up a hospital tent out there with doctors and nurses and were going to make sure that it is properly policed policedCATER CATER TO PATRONS PATRONSEven Even if we dont make any money on our infield setup weve got to have it to serve the people who want to come out to Arling ¬ ton Park on the holiday Its better to lose a little money on something like that and have our racing fans comfortable than it is to have them so dissatisfied with accom ¬ modations that they wont come back be ¬ cause itselfOn in the long run it will pay for itself On the racing end the thing that pleases Lindheimer most is the reception he received among the horsemen on his recent trip East We just do our best to satisfy them but I find that more and more of them are plan ¬ ning to race with us each year The yearThe Arlington ParkWashington Park ex ¬ ecutive also looks for the turf racing to be an attractive part of the Chicago racing program this year These grass races also attract a different class of horses than your regular races and they make a pleasant novelty for your card Weve been working on the course since last fall and I think well have the finest grass course in the country in another year or two
