Virgin Bet brought a little extra excitement to Goodwood’s August Bank Holiday Festival with the launch of its ‘Each Way Express’ – a VIP shuttle experience designed to reward racegoers before they even reached the track.
Goodwood’s August Bank Holiday Festival is one of the highlights of the summer racing calendar, attracting thousands of visitors to West Sussex for a weekend of top-class horse racing, entertainment and socialising.
This year, Virgin Bet took over the event with its ‘A Good Bet’ brand mission, creating a series of experiences designed to add more rewards and entertainment to the race day – including a rather unique journey to the racecourse.
All Aboard the Each Way Express
Getting to Goodwood can be part of the adventure, with the racecourse located more than five miles from its nearest train station. Recognising that the journey is an important part of the overall race day experience, Virgin Bet transformed the usual shuttle into something a little more memorable.
The Virgin Bet Each Way Express was a branded VIP shuttle taking selected racegoers from Chichester station to Goodwood, hosted by Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen.
Passengers were treated to an upgraded journey featuring Virgin Bet goodie bags and a few surprises along the way, setting the tone for the festival before they had even arrived at the racecourse.
The activation formed part of a wider Virgin Bet takeover at Goodwood, with the brand looking beyond the racing itself to create additional moments of entertainment and reward throughout the day.
Making Race Day Safer
Virgin Bet’s Goodwood activity also placed a focus on helping racegoers travel safely.
The brand partnered with WalkSafe, a personal safety app offering features including safer route planning and real-time journey sharing. The partnership was designed to encourage safer journeys to and from events, helping visitors feel more confident throughout their day out.
The collaboration reflects a wider focus on ensuring that the race day experience remains enjoyable while encouraging responsible and safer participation.
Queue Jump and the Virgin Bet Horsebox
The entertainment didn’t stop once racegoers arrived at Goodwood.
Virgin Bet app users could make the most of ‘Queue Jump’, giving them access to a dedicated fast-track queue at the Sussex Bar.
Meanwhile, all racegoers had the opportunity to visit the Virgin Bet horsebox photo booth, providing the chance to capture a souvenir from the festival.
Together, the activations gave visitors plenty of opportunities to interact with the brand away from the betting itself.
Bringing ‘A Good Bet’ to Life
According to Virgin Bet, the Goodwood takeover demonstrates its commitment to offering customers rewards and experiences beyond traditional betting promotions.
The brand’s ‘A Good Bet’ mission is centred around making betting exciting and rewarding while ensuring customers remain in control and bet responsibly.
Dominic Vye, Marketing Director at Virgin Bet, said:
“Rewarding our customers is at the heart of what we do at Virgin Bet, so we wanted to use Goodwood as an opportunity to think a little differently about the race day experience.”
He added that the brand wanted to consider the entire day rather than focusing on a single moment, creating experiences around the elements that matter to racegoers.
“It’s a great example of how we bring A Good Bet to life, by rewarding our customers beyond the bet itself, while always making sure betting stays safe and responsible,” Vye said.
Goodwood Looks Beyond the Racing
Tony Langenegger, Partnership Director at Goodwood Racecourse, highlighted the importance of creating an experience that extends beyond the action on the track.
“A day at Goodwood is about much more than the racing alone,” he said, adding that the Virgin Bet activation was a thoughtful way of recognising that every part of the race day matters to visitors.
WalkSafe Founder and CEO Emma Kay also emphasised the importance of making personal safety part of the experience rather than simply communicating it as a message.
The partnership, she said, helps put safer journeys at the centre of the event experience – from travelling to the festival through to getting home.
A New Way to Experience Goodwood
With the Each Way Express, VIP perks, photo opportunities and a focus on safer journeys, Virgin Bet’s Goodwood takeover aimed to demonstrate how brands can become part of the wider race day experience rather than simply appearing alongside the action.
For visitors, the experience began at Chichester station and continued throughout the festival, putting a little more entertainment and reward into a day at one of the UK’s best-known racecourses.
Find Out More:
- Goodwood: Goodwood Racecourse
- Virgin Bet: Virgin Bet
- WalkSafe: WalkSafe
