A web design company has shown it is a safe bet by helping a horse racing group to revamp its portfolio of sites.

Brighton-based KMD Consultants redesigned seven web sites for Northern Racing, one of the UK's biggest horse racing groups.

They are based on the company's site for Brighton Racecourse, which won Best Business Site at last year's Virtual Festival Web Awards.

Northern Racing decided to standardise its internet design as part of a move to centralise its business.

The sites for the group's seven courses, Newcastle, Uttoxeter, Bath, Brighton, Hereford, Sedgefield and Great Yarmouth, provide online ticket sales, corporate hospitality information, the latest going and weather details for upcoming fixtures.

Chepstow Racecourse, which operates in partnership with Northern Racing, has adopted the same format.

Brighton Racecourse was one of KMD's first customers when the company was founded in 1999.

One of its founders, Matt Horner, said: "The local link definitely worked for us. We held a lot of meetings and understood the racecourse's role in the community.

"Providing online booking has proved one of the best things racecourses can do.

If people decide on the day about going to the races, bad weather could discourage them.

"If they have booked a couple of weeks beforehand on the web site they will, most probably, still come along.

"By centralising their sites, Northern Racing will be able to make the most of their advertising opportunities and attract non-race day events."

The sites use the same general technology but each course can manage and update its own site's information and process sales.

Mr Horner said: "We are pleased with the feedback from the courses. We are now looking forward to building Northern Racing's own web site and will be continuing to monitor all of the sites to maximise their effectiveness."

KMD also produces multimedia presentations for companies like Capitol Radio and Cedar Communications.

Mr Horner said the company's business this year was ahead of expectations and turnover in the first-half had been more than for the whole of last year.

Northern Racing's managing director Rod Street said: "When Brighton's web site won an award, we decided to work with KMD on all of our racecourses.

"KMD provided a seamless transition from eight independently-managed web sites to eight sites managed centrally.

"The designers have provided us with practical, jargon-free advice, a high quality of service and very smart sites."

www.kmd2.com
www.brighton-racecourse.co.uk
www.northernracing.co.uk