Global Team Horse Racing (GTH) was chosen ahead of formidable co-nominees as the winner of the Sport Industry Group’s ‘Event of The Year’ at the Hollard Sports Industry Awards ceremony in Johannesburg last Thursday evening.
GTH scooped this prestigious award from among a list of big names including Rugby World Cup Sevens (SA Rugby), the Spar Grand Prix (BLD Group) and the Hollywoodbets Super League (SAFA) and Angus Campbell, Marketing Director of GTH, enthused: “We were pleasantly surprised to have won this award, considering the stature and achievements of the other nominees.”
The innovative GTH product ticked all the boxes by engaging a young, diverse, and globally connected fan base for horse racing.
Campaigns launched between 31 August 2021 and 30th September 2022 were eligible for a range of awards, including Sponsor of The Year, Communications Award and African Excellence and Social/Environmental Impact, with Event of The Year being one of the jewels in the crown. GTH was also nominated for Audio Visual Content of The Year.
The Sport Industry Awards showcase, held annually, rewards the industry’s very best work, from a whole host of sports, brands, agencies, and rights holders, covering marketing, PR, digital, sponsorship, advertising, community investment, social media, and branding.
GTH CEO, Steve Ajax, commented: “We are hugely honoured and privileged to have won this award in the company of some big industry names. We believed from the start that GTH would be a game-changer with its thrilling, fast-paced, team-based, racing concept aimed at a new, diverse generation of fans.”
Ajax added: “The award is an endorsement of the outstanding efforts of our exceptional team. They persisted in the face of a fair number of challenges which required great effort but pulled off a phenomenal series. Their commitment is praiseworthy, and I extend my thanks.
“We have plenty more to come next year as, alongside our live events, we’ve set our sights on the Metaverse with our ground-breaking digital offer, Meta.Horse, a holistic horse racing experience based on our unique GTH format.”
Angus Campbell said that GTH had learnt a great deal with the pilot GTH Live Series and concluded: “It’s been an exceptionally successful year for us. Getting awarded Event of the Year is a huge positive for GTH and for racing. However, there is a long way to go, and we will keep pushing boundaries in everything we do.
“Our sincere thanks go to Hollard Insurance and The Sport Industry Group, the organiser of the Sport Industry Awards. They are dynamically engaged, set the agendas, and celebrate excellence within the industry.”
