Fun Money Race Nights at your hotel
Fully hosted race nights for hotels: an evening of horse racing played with fun money. No licence, no compliance, and nothing for your team to set up. You provide the room and the covers. I bring the rest.
required
in the room
per event
per event
Function space earns nothing standing empty
A race night turns a quiet midweek evening, or any flat period in the diary, into a full room, a served dinner and a busy bar. You buy no equipment, you train no staff, and you carry no risk.
It fills the dates nobody books
Midweek, off-season, the long stretch after Christmas. It gives your sales team a reason to pick up the phone in the months when there isn’t one.
It keeps everyone in the room
Teams at every table, six races, and a reason to stay put between them. The room stays together for two to three hours with something to talk about, and a room enjoying itself spends at the bar.
It is something new to sell
Add it to your dinner packages, your Christmas brochure and your conference rate cards. Most venues in the region are still offering a disco and a quiz.
It carries no licence
Fun money means no gambling, so no permit is needed and your premises licence is unaffected. Nothing is staked and nothing is won in cash.
How race nights for hotels run
I introduce the evening and run through how it works, then race one goes off after the starter while your team clears the tables. Same again after each course, with the final three races once service is finished. The room stays together from the first plate through to the prize giving.
Teams, split by table
Guests play in teams of around ten, using the seating plan you already have. Each table gets a race pack with programmes, betting sheets and £600 of fun money.
Back your horse
Teams back a runner from one to eight in each race. Minimum bet is £10 of fun money and they can stake as much as they like. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
Cheer them home
I compère the whole event on a radio mic and get the room cheering for their horse. Six pre-recorded races, with the noise building every time.
Crown the champions
The table with the most fun money at the end wins, and we finish on a prize giving. You or your client provide a prize for the winning table.
Who does what on the night
Everything I bring
- Professional compère for the full event
- Six pre-recorded races, professionally filmed
- Race packs, programmes and betting sheets for every table
- Branded fun money notes
- Projector, screen and full PA system
- Tote desk, run by me and my team
- A welcome screen carrying your hotel’s logo alongside mine
- Set up, sound check and full get out the same night
Everything you provide
- The room, set for dinner with round tables
- A power socket and easy access to load in
- A prize for the winning table, or your client brings one
- Your normal food and beverage service
If your room already has a screen or a house PA, say so and it comes off the price.
Straightforward, per event, all inclusive
Whether you resell the night inside your own package or simply recommend me to a client, the rate to you is the same.
Hotel entertainment nights, small corporate groups and private parties. Full setup, host, tote desk, fun money, PA, projection, races and all printed materials.
Larger corporate groups, conference socials and incentive evenings. Enhanced AV, larger screen, premium lighting, extended hosting and tailored race content.
Reduced rates for hotels running a regular monthly or seasonal night. Tell me roughly how many dates you have in mind and I’ll put a figure to it.
All rates include travel within Sussex, Surrey and the surrounding counties, full public liability insurance and PAT tested equipment. No hidden extras.
What it looks like on the night
Questions your GM will ask
Do we need a gambling licence?
No. A fun money race night involves no gambling whatsoever. Guests bet with printed Sussex Race Nights fun money, nothing is staked and nothing is won in cash, so no licence or permit is required and your premises licence is unaffected.
Will it disrupt our dinner service?
No, it is built around it. Race one runs after the starter while tables are cleared, and the same after each course. Your kitchen sets the pace and I work to it, not the other way round.
How much space do we need?
Any function room that seats your guests at round tables for dinner. I need a small area for the tote desk, a wall or stand for the screen, and a power socket. I have worked in rooms from ten guests to over 170.
What does our team have to do?
Set the room as you would for any dinner and run your normal food and beverage service. Nothing else. I set up, run the evening and pack away the same night.
Can we put our own branding on it?
Yes, and at no extra cost. The welcome screen carries your hotel’s logo alongside mine, and race names can be tailored to your venue or your client.
Can we sell it as part of our own package?
Absolutely. Buy the night at the partner rate, put it inside your dinner and drinks package at your own margin and present it as your event. Plenty of venues do exactly that.
What if a client wants to raise money for charity?
Then we run it as a Charity Race Night instead, which is a different format with a real money tote and a closing auction race. All the fundraising compliance is handled for you. That one is priced separately.
How far do you travel?
Sussex, Surrey and the surrounding counties are included in the rate. I travel UK wide for larger bookings, so just ask.
How far ahead do we need to book?
Whatever suits. I will hold a provisional date free of charge while you confirm with your client, with no obligation.
Who actually turns up on the night?
Me. Andrew Lake, with thirty years in live events behind me. Not an agency, not a subcontractor, and not someone you have never spoken to.