The Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia returned to Randwick Racecourse on Tuesday 9th April for the second annual, Continued Professional Development Day. The day is designed to explore ideas and continue to raise the stand of the FBAA and its Members.
Participants included accredited FBAA Members and their assistants as well as representatives from FBAA Associate Members, Inglis and Magic Millions. The day included a total of nine speakers and was further complimented by MC, Vin Cox, Managing Director of Yulong.
To open, FBAA members were addressed by a panel from Lloyd’s of London that included insurance broker Dan Bovington and underwriters Chris Williams and Niall Mckibbin. Hailing all the way from London, dialogue surrounded the intricacies of the niche equine insurance market.
Social Media experts Vicky Leonard of Kick Collective and Lisa Richards, FBAA Media and Marketing Content Manager, enlightened the group on strategies for social media interaction and targeting audiences based on research detailing the psychology of people and their social media habits.
The morning progressed to have Byron Rogers, Director of R&D at Stable Analytics in the USA, extrapolate on how the programming of Artificial Intelligence is being used as an efficient and objective judge within the thoroughbred industry. Further conversation surrounded how AI can be a valued resource within the bloodstock industry when identifying the traits of an elite thoroughbred athlete.
Following on, Benjamin Clifford Managing Director of Argonaught, deliberated on the market trends of high equity management. He discussed how to construct portfolios, stock selection, and raise capital in the gold industry and dissected how these same principles could be applied to the thoroughbred industry.
Proceeding lunch, Racing NSW Chairman of Stewards, Steve Railton, shed light on the operations and responsibilities of a Steward in the thoroughbred industry. He reflected on his time in Queensland, New South Wales and Hong Kong and highlighted the importance of transparency and integrity within the racing industry to ensure a safe environment for participants and confidence from the betting public.
James Ross, Head of Racing and Wagering at the ATC, gave an overview of the wagering landscape in Australia and the changes that are currently taking place. He explored the structuring of wagering within the ATC and its implications on the clubs, events, and its patrons.
The final speaker of the day was Vicky Leonard, founder of not-for-profit organisations Kick Up in Australia and Light Up in the USA. She focused on targeting the expulsion of misinformation within thoroughbred racing. A primary focus was targeted at the advocacy for the continuation of improving welfare standards within the industry and how FBAA members can contribute to the dissemination of positive and accurate information.
A special thanks goes to ATC for hosting the event for the second year running and all guest speakers who took the time to prepare their presentations and share their knowledge with the FBAA members. An honorable mention extends to Vin Cox who was integral to ensuring the smooth scheduling of the day and promoting cohesive collaboration between speakers and FBAA members.
