View from upstairs - the daily challenges of the Chief Executive

One week to go!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:41:00 +0000

Life at "the Palace" is a hive of activity as the countdown to the 2010 season reaches it's last week.

High level/low level cleaning is reaching a crescendo (not sure if cleaning can reach a crescendo but it feels as though it is?!) and everything is being cleaned, polished and painted ready for the doors to open next Saturday. There is always excitement around opening and there is always a keen anticipation for the months ahead - we have the same excellent core team in place and we go into year two of the annual pass scheme.

A year ago we were treading unknown ground with the annual pass scheme as it was a totally new initiative & product for us to trial; this year we open with 98,ooo annual pass holders out there and the uncertainty this year surrounds how the scheme will perform in year two. We are maintaining the scheme pretty much unchanged - a very clean and simple message - "Buy One Day - Get 12 Months Free!" - and we hope it will be popular again with high levels of renewals and high levels of new subscribers driven by positive word of mouth.

We have produced an excellent annual pass holders booklet which summarises a whole raft of initiatives, discounts and offers across the year - there really is a wonderful array of ways for an annual pass holder to connect with us and to derive excellent value from the relationship.

We hope year two will exceed our expectations - watch this space!

We are also looking to refresh and re-launch our "Friends" scheme and to run this through our charity - the Blenheim Palace Foundation - which will be very tax efficient through the gift aid scheme and which will allow us to demonstrate a direct linkage between our Friends support and the extensive repair and restoration agenda that lies ahead. Friends will have a dedicated hospitality space on site as well as a special programme of evening lectures and talks - we hope this 'product' will appeal and that "Friends" numbers will grow over the coming months.

We open with a 6 week exhibition in the Long Library showing an amazing collection of photographs depicting the winning Gardens from the last 25 years of the Historic Houses Association + Christie's Garden of the Year Award. Around 80 framed photographs, commissioned from a number of the country's leading photographers, will grace the Long Library and will look stunning - a "must see" once we get open next weekend.

At home, the girls are working hard at school and making us very proud with their achievements whilst Tracy is hard at work planning our forthcoming project to refresh/enlarge our kitchen. Only 7 years in the planning and now finally about to become reality - will be glad to get it underway and to get it completed - and to maintain our sanity throughout!

The weather yesterday felt positively spring-like (but the forecast talks of more snow and ice - aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!) and we hope to launch next Saturday with a positive start which then carries us through with positive momentum for the whole season.

Come back and see us very soon; use and renew your annual passes; explore and connect with the updated Friends scheme and make full use of everything on offer this year at Blenheim Palace.

We need your support and we value the contribution that you make to the long term restoration of this priceless world heritage site.

Busy times!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:32:00 +0000

Too long has passed since I last was able to blog - apologies for that but it has been a busy two or three weeks.

Our week in Lech, Austria was just perfect - all four of us had a great week's skiing and all four of us returned unscathed - well, apart from a bruise the size of Africa on Tracy's leg from a mightly crash into one of her ski school colleagues! Both girls were brilliant in adapting to their full week of ski school and they exceeded expectations in the end of week ski school races with Annabelle winning Gold and Louisa winning Silver - they were so chuffed!

We returned to a snowy Britain - in fact much more snow fell here than in Austria that week - and we have been hard at work in preparing everything for opening on Saturday 13 February 2010 and in preparing generally for the season ahead.

The calendar of events for the year ahead is virtually complete but we still hope that a larger corporate booking or two, plus some potential film location business, may be achievable.

Work surrounding the emerging new organisation for Oxfordshire to drive forward tourism is progressing well and the next couple of months will be critical to determine whether this baby will be born and as to whether it will thrive - hopefully the private sector will engage with enthusiasm!

The last week has been dominated by my birthday and by the ongoing work to get the papers ready for our next Trustees meeting in early February. Turning 53 does not really seem much cause for celebration but, as always, Tracy and the girls have spolit me with lots of presents and we are off to London this weekend with the girls to see "Billy Elliot" and to do some other fun things.

And finally, yesterday saw closure on the prosecution of one our former employees for fraud. This has been one of the most depressing things that I/we have had to deal with - the fact that she is now behind bars for an 18 month jail sentence is some comfort but it has been distressing at so many different levels. The support and work from Thames Valley Police has been fantastic; the resolve and grit demonstrated by all of our employees has been impressive; and the determination to get justice and to recover a substantial amount of the money stolen has been appropriate given the huge breach of trust. This has hurt us all but we have a fantastic, loyal and dedicated workforce on the Estate and in a strange way it has actually made us all stronger and even more united us in our resolve to drive the business forward to new heights in 2010. This chapter is closed and we move on.

2010 is going to be an interesting year at many different levels - world cup; general election; new DMO for Oxfordshire; year 2 of our Annual Pass scheme; and so much more.

Please engage with Blenheim Palace in 2010 - we need your support and we value your input.

Have a great weekend.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:16:00 +0000

Christmas has flown by in a blur and 2010 has already arrived - best wishes to everyone for a very happy and prosperous new year.

We have had to do an early christmas clearance at home as we head off to Austria tomorrow for a week on the ski slopes - everyone very excited but tinged with sadness to see cards coming down and a sorry looking christmas tree stripped bare of its sparkling lights and decorations and already banished to the rubbish heap at the end of the garden.

Hopefully we will survive our week in one piece and we will post again when the real work for the year ahead starts from 11 January onwards.

Much was achieved in 2009 despite the gloomy predictions a year ago; lets hope that we will all fare well in 2010 and lets hope that we all enjoy much happiness and success.

Cheers one and all - be happy, have fun and be safe!

Not many "sleeps" to Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:16:00 +0000

This time of the year adopts a rather unreal feel as the "big day" looms closer and less work seems to be done each day!

The excitement is building in the Hoy household and my girls break up from school today - not a moment too soon as they are both pooped after a long and busy term.

This week alone has seen the following highlights:

>> Monday - Seasonal Staff Christmas Lunch in the Orangery. An excellent and well-earned opportunity to say a very big thank-you to the army of part-time staff who work within Operations and Retail. Every one of them makes a full contrinution towards delivering a wonderful experience to every visitor - their knowledge, their passion and their loyalty towards Blenheim Palace is first class. We again thank them for all their hard work through a busy year.

>> Tuesday - sneaked off to London to do some shopping - but don't tell the wife in case she gets too excited!

>> Wednesday - a busy day in the office - "Secret Santa" visited and delivered a much needed new pair of skiing socks (will be put to good use in the New Year) followed by a lunch out in Woodstock with the Marketing Team to say thankyou for all their hard work this year. The evening saw us heading in to London to see Annabelle sing with the Dragon School Choir in the Nordoff Robbins Christmas Concert in St Luke's Church, Chelsea. A fantastic event - with stars such as Alexandra Burke, Bill Nighy, and many others performing - but the real stars were the Dragon School - of course! Annabelle was very pleased to get Alexandra Burke's autograph and is very chuffed to have sung on the same stage as an X-Factor Winner!

>> Thursday - a day of mixed emotions - started in the dentist's chair, continued with the Christmas Managers Lunch (at which the Hoy Christmas Quiz was "enjoyed" by all - well by most anyway!!); carried on with the Middle School Christmas Concert at the Dragon (with Annabelle both singing and playing!) and ended exhausted on the sofa watching "Gavin and Stacey"

>> Friday - and into Friday when the girls break up from school. Both are on sleepovers tonight (but Annabelle has another Chamber Choir Concert at St Andrews Church in Oxford beforehand) ahead of the Dragon Sale back at school tomorrow. This event raises a staggering £100k or so for charity in 4 hours - amazing generosity - but Tracy will be glad to get it behind her as she is involved in running the sale for the first time this year. We are both off to a lovely party near Cheltenham this evening (weather permitting) so she can forget about the sale for a few hours!

After Saturday, Tracy and the girls can rest up until the "big day" and the "sleeps" countdown gets very exciting!

The year has flown by but I hope that everyone reading this has a well deserved break over christmas and that the christmas and new year time is both happy and rewarding for all.

Enjoy everything and re-charge batteries ahead of the new year challenges.

Many thanks for all the support that we have enjoyed from so many sources this year - not least the 97,000+ annual pass holders who have connected so positively with Blenheim Palace in 2009 - hopefully your new year resolution will be to connect again in 2010.

Take care and have fun!

Last weekend - the 2009 Awards!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:43:00 +0000

As we enter the last weekend of the Palace season, it is appropriate to look back on a busy year and to reflect upon the highlights - and challenges - through the year.

A summary of the 2009 Awards follows:

The Newcomer of the Year Award
Awarded to the amazing Annual Pass Scheme that has blown us all away during 2009. We are currently at around 95,000 members since this was launched back in February - a fantastic achievement and a very positive relaunch of our local profile - we hope everyone will re-connect with us and with an Annual Pass in 2010.

The "bounce-back" Award
Goes this year to the International Horse Trials held in September which "bounced back" from a washed-out event in 2008 - 4 days of fine weather delivered a very successful horse trials from everyone's point of view.

The "Little and Large" Location Award
Goes to 2oth Century Fox and their filming of Gulliver's Travels here at Blenheim Palace. Jack Black will star as Gulliver when this film launches Christmas 2010 but the real star will be Blenheim Palace - we enjoyed having them with us and we will enjoy being portayed as the Lilliputian Palace - home to Billy Connolly (King) and Catherine Tate (Queen)

The Umbrella Award
Is shared between a very wet Triathlon in June and the whole month of November - which was apparently over 200% up on the 27 year average for rainfall! The Triathlon was a phenomenal success despite the weather - but we hope for slightly better weather in 2010.

The "Wish you were here" Award
Goes to the "Festival for Heroes" event which tried to stage a concert in June to raise monies for the Royal British Legion but which failed to sell enough tickets and which ended up being cancelled - a great shame as it would have been a great day and it would have helped a very worthwhile cause. Maybe they will try again?

The "don't mention The Caravan Club" Award
Goes to The Camping and Caravanning Club who held their annual "Feast of Lanterns" rally at Blenheim Palace in August - a very well organised event and a great pleasure for us to host them this year.

The "could have done better" Award
Goes to Lancelot "Capability" Brown for not building the crest of the Blenheim Dam slightly higher (in the 1760's) so as to ensure compliance with the Reservoirs Act 1975! But he does get many commendations for the excellence of everything else he achieved!

The Environment Agency Award
Goes to all internal and external staff who worked on the restoration work surrounding the Blenheim Dam - a well organised and a well delivered project that has secured the future stability of the Dam for many future decades. Well done to Roger File, Chris Keeler and everyone at Bentleys.

The "cool dude" Award
Goes to Sean - the Bentley's Site Manager on the Dam Project - totally unflappable - and now on his annual sojourn in the Caribbean

The Bravery Awards
Tony White's wife and family, Paul Duffie, Veronica Thorneloe, the Frost Family - our thoughts and prayers are with them all as they remember loved ones at Christmas

The PR Award
Goes to David Cameron - our local MP - for quickly involving the Chinese Ambassador in a tree planting ceremony here at Blenheim last month and quickly naming the tree as the "Chinese Friendship Tree" - inspired thinking and we look forward to many visiting groups for China to see the tree as it grows!

The list could go on - but it has been a very memorable year where much has been achieved. We started the year not quite knowing what would happen but a combination of the "staycation" factor alongside the strength of the annual pass offer has delivered some fantastic results.

This has stretched our resources at times and it has certainty stretched our staff resources (and their patience!) through a long season - a huge thankyou to all of our staff for their huge input in delivering such high levels of customer service excellence throughout the year.

And so the Palace closes on Sunday evening and we then have two months to deep clean every nook and cranny - to both pass and satisfy any Ducal inspection - before we open again on Saturday 13 February 2010!

And so the cycle continues ...........

Great man!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:23:00 +0000

Since my last post, the anniversary has been and gone surrounding the birth of Sir Winston Churchill.

On 30 November 1874, 135 years ago, Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill arrived into the world here at Blenheim Palace - Blenheim's most famous son actually arrived several weeks early as his parents, Randolph and Jennie Spencer-Churchill, were weekending here at Blenheim - a very happy "accident" from our point of view and one that we 'celebrate' as actively as we can.

Much has been written about Sir Winston and he was of course voted as "our Greatest Briton of all time" in a poll conducted a few years ago. He was also the first man to be made an honorary citizen of the United States - by an Act of Congress on 9 April 1963 just two years or so before his death in January 1965.

His curls are on display in the Palace alongside other exhibits surrounding his very close ties with the Palace and with the family but it is on the wider international stage that his fame will stand forever.

He entered parliament at the age of 26 in 1900 having already distinguished himself as a soldier in several wars - he proceeded to hold a number of important ministerial posts over the next 55 years.

When World War II came to Britain in 1939, his authority and his oratory held great sway and his time as Prime Minister (1940-45) helped to turn the tide - who will ever forget his "We shall never surrender" speech on 4 June 1940 following the evacuation of trapped Allied Forces from the beaches at Dunkirk.

Sir Winston achieved so much and he possessed a sharp wit; he achieved a world reputation not only as a gifted strategist and inspiring war leader but also as a great orator, a talented painter and a stylish writed with a profound sense of history.

History will forever record his importance on the world stage and his influence today is as powerful as ever - his connection with Blenheim Palace (he was born here; he proposed to Clementine here; and he is buried nearby in Bladon) still acts as a powerful magnate to so many.

We receive many visitors from North America, and increasingly from the Far East/China, all hungry to explore the Churchill connection and we hugely value every visit and we strive to make every visit as memorable as we can. Indeed a recent delegation from China suggested that we should drop any reference to Blenheim Palace and merely promote Winston Churchill!

The Churchill influence also manifests itself in other powerful ways.

I met this week with a serving RAF Officer who wants special permission to propose to his girlfriend in the Temple of Diana in the Formal Gardens to the south of the Palace on one of our remaining open days before christmas - this is where Sir Winston proposed to Clementine on 11 August 1908. I need to be careful not to spoil their surprise by revealing too much, but both of them are serving officers in todays armed forces and they are both still hugely influenced and inspired by Sir Winston Churchill and his heroic deeds - wartime deeds that is not just the 'getting engaged bit!'.

We will make a very special exception for these special people - we feel it is our duty to do so - partly in memory of Sir Winston but also in recognition of the many challenges faced today by our armed forces around the world - and particularly in Afghanistan.

We will make it a very special moment for them and one that they will remember forever - I am sure that Sir Winston and 'Clemmie' would approve - and of course I hope his 'intended' says yes!

What a special time of the year as we remember a Great Man.

The Annual Cycle

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:05:00 +0000

As we head out of November and into the final month of the year, it is frightening to think how fast 2009 has raced by - just where has the year gone? - and that 2010 is virtually with us.

We are heavily into setting our budgets for April 2010 to March 2011 and we are hard at work sorting out our leaflets and our marketing materials to support the 2010 season - but before that we have a few weeks left before we close followed by a very hectic two month period when the Palace is closed (mid-December 2009 to mid-February 2010) and this heralds the annual deep clean when we try to reach every part - however high, low or hidden - and leave it sparklingly dusted, polished and gleaming ready for the new season.

2009 will always be remembered for the sensational success of the annual pass scheme; for the significant surge in visitor numbers (an extra 200k in the year!); for a number of iconic and memorable events and for the extensive location filming for 'Gullivers Travels'.

Looking into 2010 we start again from zero visitors and we must now be looking for a minimum of 500k visitors to maintain momentum from the current year and to maintain performance - sounds daunting but I have no reason to believe that the annual pass scheme will be any less successful in year two and thus this must represent a realistic and achievable target.

Next year will for certain see a General Election and a Football World Cup - who will win in each case and how will these "events" impact upon the country's mood and desire to enjoy their leisure time? General Election's can distract the country and World Cup's can either absorb our total attention (at the exclusion of all else) or it can put us into a deep depression! We shall see what evolves and I shall resist trying to predict outcomes or winners + losers!

What will the weather be like in 2010; what will happen to the strength of the pound, where will bank interest rates track during the year; and how will the recovery from the economic downturn pan out into the coming year - all factors that we cannot control but all factors that may (or could) (or will) have a significant influence on the performance of our visitor business through the coming year.

All of our managers are knee deep in budgetting - they love it really! - with excellent support and encouragement from Dominic and his team - and it will be tough to keep the focus on cost containment/control after such a positive year of trading whilst also driving repeat/new income streams for the business.

It will be interesting to see the first cut of the budget figures next week and to get an early insight into how things are looking - our progress over the last seven years has been exceptional but we cannot rest on our laurels and we must continue to push for 'growth with stability' so that we can continue to reinvest in the repair, restoration and conservation of this unique world heritage site for future generations to enjoy.

2009 has been a ground breaking year for so many reasons but that year - with only a few weeks to go - will soon be consigned to the history books and then we face the new challenge in making 2010 even more impressive!

It never ceases to amaze me how hard everyone works across the Estate and how unified we are as a team in both understanding the challenges across the business and in supporting + encouraging each other to drive the business forward - we are very fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated workforce at every level.

And so we must focus back onto the tail-end of the 2009 season - the Palace stays 'dressed for christmas' through to Sunday 13 December with our theme "Christmas Nostalgia - Toys, Treats and Treasures" bringing the Palace State Rooms to life and the fnal weekend (12 + 13 December) will see lots of choirs and singing in the Palace to give the season a good sewnd-off!

Our shops are full of wonderful gifts for christmas and from Tuesday we start selling our home-grown christmas trees - if you want to buy a "Blenheim" tree then call 01993-813196 or visit christmastrees@blenheimpalace.com to place your order.

Christmas is coming and so is the next year - enjoy this special time and thanks for all your support!

Wow! What a week that was!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Since I was last able to write early on the morning of Friday 13 November, it has been an extremely busy few days - a brief summary follows:

>> Friday 13 November

A wet and windy day (highly appropriate for Friday the 13th) heralded the arrival of various dignitaries to celebrate our various awards this year - but particularly the Siver Award for our Green Business Tourism Scheme entry. Lady Penny Cobham (Chair of Visit England) and John Williams (Chair of Tourism South-East) joined the Duke in welcoming David Cameron (our constituency MP) to Blenheim Palace for these celebrations. At the last minute we were notified that David Cameron was being accompanied by Her Excellency Madam Fu Ying, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the UK - she apparently wanted to shadow a British MP to see how they worked in their constituencies. Now this was a huge opportunity and after discussions surrounding Plans A, B and C, we eventually agreed to go ahead with the planned tree planting despite the rain. An inspired David Cameron (down to his shirt sleeves in the rain!) set about the tree planting and then invited the Ambassador to join him to signify the "Chinese Friendship Tree" at Blenheim Palace. A plaque will follow (well why wouldn't we!) and hopefully many thousands of Chinese tourists will flock to see the tree at Winston Churchill's birthplace! What had seemed a wet and miserable day turned into a triumph and everyone went away inspired and happy.

>> Saturday 14 November

A calm/sensible day which culminated in a delicious dinner at The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire where we met up with the Keane's and the Woodies - very old and very special friends from our Knebworth days. The Grove Hotel was heaving - wedding, parties and diners everywhere you looked. Almost too busy with car parks overflowing - but who says there is still any recession?

>> Sunday 15 November

An early return from Hertfordshire in time to get Annabelle to school for the Chamber Choir to perform in the Sunday morning service. Always moving to see Annabelle sing and she is thoroughly enjoying being in the Choir - they have lots of exciting engagements including being in the final 6 for the BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year and also a choir trip to Portugal next Spring - lucky girl!

>> Monday 16 November

Tracy and I headed into London for a special treat - we were invited to attend the Christies Dinner in their Great Rooms off King Street. A stunning evening where we were also able to see the HHA/Christies 25th Anniversary Garden of the Year Award Photographic Exhibition - some amazing photographs and an amazing exhibition - which incidentally moves to Blenheim Palace for 6 weeks when we re-open on 13 February for the 2010 season - assuming we can figure out how to display it!. With Victoria very very kindly looking after our girls at home, Tracy and I spoilt ourselves by staying at the fabulous Goring Hotel in Beeston Place. One of London's hidden delights and without doubt one of London's finest hotels - we had a wonderful evening and just for a change it was nice to pamper ourselves!

>> Tuesday 17 November

Attended the 36th AGM of the Historic Houses Association at The QEII Conference Centre in Westminster - an interesting and valuable day to network with owners and colleagues from across this important and valuable heritage sector. Saw many friends and enjoyed a very positive day - rushed back to pick up Annabelle from school at around 6pm as the choir were putting in extra hours in readiness for the BBC challenges that lie ahead next week!

>> Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 November

Up to Castle Howard in Yorkshire for the annual Treasure Houses of England Owners and Managers meeting and AGM. 450 mile round trip (carefully avoiding A1(M) closure courtesy of sat nav route through Doncaster and Selby) for a very positive gathering - for once our stunning performance this year through our Annual Pass scheme put us top of the class for visitor performance - something which both the Duke and I quietly enjoyed! We were looked after in sumptuous fashion - black tie dinner on Wednesday in The Garden Hall at Castle Howard; overnight at The Worsley Arms Hotel in Hovingham, meeting on Thursday back at Castle Howard in The Long Gallery followed by lunch in the Grecian Hall prior to departure and the long drive home.

Got back to Blenheim Palace just in time to attend the christmas reception for our press/media contacts as well as for our Friends of Blenheim Palace. A warm and friendly event which seemed to be enjoyed by all of those present - well done to all of those here at Blenheim Palace who worked hard to set up and deliver this important annual event.

>> Friday 20 November

And so the cycle completes and I am back at my desk and finally able to catch up on emails, etc. Today is the first day of our "Living Crafts for Christmas" event - we pray for sensible weather as we have to park cars on grass and nobody wants the underfoot conditions to become too severe. Last nights rain has not helped but we will keep our fingers crossed!

Phew - what a busy days - but throughout I have been inspired by how positive, how generous, and how engaged everyone is with regard to moving themselves and their business interests forward through the remainder of 2009 and into 2010.

Hopefully the "Chinese Friendship Tree" will flourish - and hopefully our fortunes will flourish alongside it!

Have a good weekend

Christmas is coming!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:12:00 +0000

October half-term out of the way, children back to school, in the midst of a very wet November and the christmas decorations are once again adorning our gates, courtyards and Palace.

Saturday sees the launch of our Palace Dressed for Christmas season with our theme "Christmas Nostalgia - Toys, Treats and Treasures" bringing the state rooms to life. Many toys have been kindly loaned to us (or should that be 'invited to stay') and loads of teddy bears, meccano, lego, cars, etc are carefully positioned amogst the trees and decorations so as to enhance a magical time to see Blenheim Palace. At this time of the year we are open Wednesdays to Sundays inclusive (through to Sunday 13 December) with various special christmas highlights for all to enjoy incding the "Living Crafts for Christmas" event from 20-22 November, Handel's Messiah performed in the Long Library on 6 December, and Festive Music and Carols over the final weekend - 12-13 December.

A great time to visit Blenheim Palace - and don't forget that the shops are full of tempting christmas gifts and our christmas trees are also on sale through most of December.

It has been a busy week having been away in Cornwall for a few days.

Cornwall was great fun - we rented a big house in Gillan (near Helston on the Lizard) with 2 other families from school and it was great fun throughout. 6 adults and 6 children got on brilliantly and we had great days out to the Maritime Museum in Falmouth, to St Ives, to the National Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, to St Michael's Mount + Porthleven and down to LIzard Point for some bracing fresh air! The slightly dodgy weather seemed an irrelevance and the evenings were filled with laughter and games (particularly some very feisty rounds of Scattegories!) - plus lots of food, wine and too much washing-up!

The only slight disaster occurred on the Thursday when all 12 of us were having fun on a large kids playground near St Michael's Mount (as you do!) and inspired by yours truly the adults were trying to run up a childrens slide - very irresponsible! All achieved it (eventually!!) but R (to maintain his dignity!) decided that it would be clever to moonwalk or surf back down the side and he ended up in a heap at the bottom with a badly damaged, bruised and swollen ankle. Not sure anything has broken but it was still very swollen (and turning a wonderful shade of deep purple) by the time we left on the Saturday - his wife, T, was singularly unimpressed as she was most likely going to have to drive all the way home whilst R "rested"! If only grown-ups could behave better!

A great week with fun people - would be good to return as Cornwall is such a pretty county and it was blissfully quiet having missed the main half-term crowds.

It has been a productive week but also a sad week as Remembrance Day this year seemed to carry so much more significance with Afghanistan dominating the headlines each day and all three remaining First World War veterans having passed away in the last year. So important that we never forget their sacrifices.

The weather forecast is dire for the next few days - hopefully we will all survive and that the weather will be kinder for our festive craft fair next week - this event needs fine weather and dry conditions for car parking - fingers crossed.

Have a good weekend and I will update you next Friday on a very busy week that lies ahead.

Have fun.

Half-term; Halloween and holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:24:00 +0000

The mild weather has given us a very strong half-term week with many visitors enjoying spooky Palace tours; ghostly trails around the Pleasure Gardens and (most spectacularly) the amazing autumnal colours and hues throughout the Park. We hope the dry mild weather will last through to the end of the weekend but the forecast implies rain + gales are on the way - of course they are as the Hoy Family heads off to Cornwall on Saturday for a week's holiday!

On Tuesday we "celebrated" the completion of the extensive works surrounding the Blenheim Dam and Cascade and we had a photocall with the press so that the Duke could thank the contractors/project team and so that we could announce that the area is open again and visitors can complete the walk around the lakeside and see the "new" cascade. I say "celebrated" but that may not really be the most appropriate tag as we have had to sink around one million pounds of our hard earnt money into ensuring compliance with the wonderful Reservoirs Act 1975 - with no government support or grant money available for this world heritage site - shameless! Roger File - our property guru - has led this project with great skill and all of our on-site teams (particularly Chris Keeler and his maintenance team) have supported brilliantly. The area looks fantastic and well worth a visit - and it came in under budget - phew!

Wednesday morning saw a crew from GMTV on site doing some live links from Blenheim Palace to showcase the mild weather and the stunning scenery - well I say 'live links' but it actually became a 'live link' (singular) as any slots between 7am and 8am seemed to get lost in the ether and we ended up doing one extended piece/interview at around 8.40am. Those that saw it say that Blenheim Palace looked amazing - strangely silent about my appearance - maybe it was my wrong side!! Always fun to get a chance to do "live TV".

Yesterday it was over to Broadwell (near Stowe-on-the-Wold) to give a talk to the North Cotswold Probus Club - a mixed "Ladies Day" gathering and a very full room to entertain. I hugely enjoy giving talks to Probus Clubs as the members are almost without exception absolutely charming - and in most cases they have had fascinating careers and they remain very interested and willing to learn/explore new things. Yesterday was no exception as they were a lovely audience but I am kicking myself that I was unable to stay for lunch due to meetings back here at Blenheim Palace as they had a mobile Fish and Chip Van delivering them their lunch. I had to walk out of the Village Hall past the Fish and Chip Van parked up outside to get to my car - the smells, the wafting aroma of fish and chips; the hint of vinegar - yum yum - it did smell delicious! I drove back to Woodstock feeling very very hungry.

And so I need to get my desk and inbox reasonably clear today as we are off down to Cornwall on Saturday morning for a week - bizarrely my girls get two weeks half-term holiday - and we have rented a lovely house on the south coast and a couple of other families from school are joining us - 6 adults and 6 children in total - should be fun! Lots of long walks and sightseeing - hopefully the weather will not be too unkind.

Tomorrow - halloween - is our wedding anniversary! 11 years ago Tracy and I got married and we had a very special day despite the fact that it rained cats + dogs for most of the day!

Here we are and 11 years on and our wedding anniversary again lands on a Saturday - lots of memories from that special day - not least Tracy arriving 30 minutes late for the service because she forgot her flowers and had to go home to get them! Not sure what the vicar thought as Tracy and her father in a vintage car drove into the church car park and (without stopping or saying anything!) drove out again to return to our home to get her flowers - whilst inside a nervous groom plus 200 guests were waiting patiently! The vicar kept his silence but he must have thought "she's done a runner!"

It all ended very happily and we will celebrate tomorrow!

Have a good weekend and I will write again after our short break in Cornwall.

Keeping everyone happy!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:42:00 +0000

With around 85,000 annual pass holders now subscribed since we launched back in February 2009, the scheme has been an unqualified success and we have had lots of very positive feedback - we are though facing our first real challenge as we tackle the forthcoming Living Crafts for Christmas event which takes place from 20-22 November 2009.

This event, a high quality christmas crafts event with around 100 exhibitors, is staged in marquees sited within the courtyards adjoing the Palace and as such it is the only event in our calendar where space constraints exist and where we need to work hard to protect flows, to avoid congestion and to ensure a safe environment exists for everyone.

It would be grossly irresponsible of us to blindly go forward into this event without considering how our high numbers of annual pass holders will connect with us over these three days and as to how this will impact upon the running of the event - we believe high numbers will attend and we have thus taken the difficult decision to restrict free entry to annual pass holders to AFTER 3pm each day and to ask them to purchase Park and Gardens tickets (albeit at slightly reduced rates) if they wish to visit before 3pm. We have extended the show opening times to 7pm on the Friday and Saturday in order to increase the access times for annual pass holders and we hope all round that we can keep everyone happy and safe.

Inevitably we are being shouted at by some but I believe it would be irresponsible not to have take some pro-active steps to "manage" capacity and flow at this important event - we apologise for causing any inconvenience but we hope the vast majority will understand what we have done and why we have done it.

It is a great christmas craft show and hopefully many will attend - and hopefully everyone will go away happy!

In the spirit of keeping everyone happy, we are always very willing to receive fam trips and other groups into Blenheim Palace as we are immensely proud to showcase this iconic world heritage site and to sow the seeds for future business generation.

This week we have received two such groups into Blenheim Palace:

>> On Tuesday we had a very high powered fam visit from top Chinese Agents organised by Trafalgar Tours - including Freddy Li (Regional General Manager for Greater China and Korea for Qantas Airways Limited) and Eric Li (Executive Director for Charming Holidays Limited). It was fascinating to meet with them all and very encouraging to hear their very positive predictions for growth in traveller volumes from China into 2011 and beyond. It has been a market that has been predicted to grow and to grow fast - so we await their arrival and we will give them a great welcome! The Chinese market has a very strong affinity with Blenheim Palace through their interest in Sir Winston Churchill - a very strong hook and one that also plays very positively into the North American market.

>> On Thursday we hosted a study tour from the Society of Local Council Clerks who were ultimately on their way to Daventry for their 35th Annual Conference. I gave them a talk on Thursday and started by informing them that I was also a Council Clerk! One of the quirkier sides of my role here at Blenheim Palace is that I am Clerk to the Blenheim Parish Meeting (which covers the area enclosed within the Park Wall) and as such I have responsibility for around 30 or so people and I control a healthy budget of £0! This compares with those that I met with on Thursday, who were mainly from America, with populations under their control (in one case) of up to 18 million people and a budget responsibility up to a maximum in one case of £1.1billion! Rather puts the Blenheim Parish Meeting in its place! They were a charming group and I have no doubt that Blenheim Palace left them very happy as they headed north for their three day conference.

Children across the country are breaking up for half-term and hopefully many will head to Blenheim Palace for some halloween fun. There is lots going on including a Ghostly Trail at the Pleasure Gardens which will be fun for everyone.

It only seems 5 minutes since they went back to school and already they are virtually into half-term and christmas is around the corner - time flies by but we must all make sure we take time to enjoy everything happening around us and to stay happy - life, after all, is too short and we each owe ourselves that pleasure!

Have a good weekend.

Positive vibes - onwards and upwards

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:19:00 +0000

It has been a busy and productive week - as well as a week that we are glad to put behind us!

The Trustees meeting on Wednesday - an autumn delight - went well and all of the various budgets and reports were duly endorsed by the Duke and everyone else. Always pleasing but such gatherings are stressful as you can never totally predict the mood or outcome from the meeting and there is always the risk that they can stray off at tangents into unplanned territory which can open up other issues, etc. Thankfully that did not happen on Wednesday and everyone was in good form - I must pay huge credit to Dom (the bean counter) and Roger (the property guru) for all their hard work and support both prior to and during the meeting - they put in a vast amount of work preparing papers for the meeting and it is always a relief to get 'sign-off' - such a relief that we always reward ourselves with a nice lunch and a glass of wine afterwards. This week we headed to Langan's in Stratton Street and had a delicious lunch - but then we all felt uncomfortably stuffed as we travelled back on the train later in the afternoon! Working hard now to get the minutes written and dispatched whilst the meeting is fresh in mind - this also provides closure and peace of mind before we have to focus on the next meeting!

Wrapped around the Trustees meeting have been some other interesting meetings in a busy week. Over at The Compleat Angler Hotel in Marlow on Monday for a Tourism South East BBO Sub-Regional committee meeting and then on Tuesday over to the Williams F1 Conference Centre in Grove to meet with private sector tourism businesses to get them to pledge support to the emerging Destination Management Organisation ("DMO") for Oxfordshire. Slightly disappointing turnout but those present seemed positive and hopefully we can maintain momentum and get this exciting new tourism delivery structure in place for summer 2010.

On Thursday we had our quarterly catch-up meeting with our catering provider, Sodexo Prestige, and it is always useful to focus on their prior performance and on the forward pipeline of activity as this is such a fundamentally important part of our business both for day catering and for conferences + banqueting. They are doing very well in a tough year - the surge in visitor numbers through our annual pass scheme has boosted their day catering revenues whilst strong wedding business has helped to offset a significant drop in conference and banqueting business - but there are signs that this area is beginning to slowly recover. We are an important contract for Sodexo and we are a tough client to please as we expect a 5 star service in every area - but they are working hard and we are making good progress in lifting standards in many areas. Our challenge to them is to lift the day catering standard so that we become a destination for the quality of the food on offer - we are not there yet but we are moving positively in the right direction.

Today we say farewell to the site foreman for Bentley's on the Dam Project as he heads off to his winter sojourn in the Caribbean - tough life! The dam project has slightly overrun timewise (by about 2 weeks) but has come in well under budget which is pleasing - and at least we now know that we are compliant with the Reservoirs Act 1975 and that "1 in 10,000 year flood risk" - phew!

At home it is very tense and exciting as Annabelle enters her last day as a 9 year old - the big "10" arrives tomorrow and she is VERY excited. We have finally relented and she will get her very own Pink iPod tomorrow - with "Annabelle Hoy - Princess of Pop" - on the back! To add to the exitement we are taking Annabelle and 8 friends on a very special birthday trip tomorrow afternoon - we are going to The Sound Cube in Watford where they get the chance to make a record and a supporting dance video. Annabelle has chosen "Toxic by Britney Spears" as her song and they have all been practising hard learning the lyrics - should be a fun day and I must resist muscling in and cutting a Chas 'n Dave number or similar at the same time!! Louisa - Annabelle's sister - and I are in charge of judging the 9 of them and we have created some fun awards which Louisa must assess - she will be Simon Cowell for the day!

Life as ever is entertaining and varied - lots of forward planning for next year but with an eye on closing out this season on a high. We will finish very close to 550k visitors and 100k annual pass holders - amazing numbers that could not have been predicted last January as we sat down to plan some front foor marketing plans for the season! I doubt if there are many businesses that have so radically transformed themselves in such a short time in the current trading climate - the challenge now is to look at the shape and delivery for 2010 to maintain and grow further!

Well done to all the Blenheim team - the support from the Duke and from the Trustees endorses and recognises everyone's hard work and commitment across every sector of the business - we are very fortunate (or should that be "they" are very fortunate) to have such a talented and hard-working team at every level!

Onwards and upwards!

Tussaud's + People

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:30:00 +0000

My 5 years with The Tussauds Group - from 1997 to 2002 - were some of the best years of my working life and they certainly were some of the most influential years in terms of shaping my career path.

I initially joined Tussaud's as Head of Operations (and ultimately Head of Retail as well) at Warwick Castle where I learnt a great deal about the running of a highly successful visitor attraction as part of a global multi-site group; and then in early 2000 I was given the chance to go down to Baker Street as General Manager for Madame Tussaud's and the London Planetarium - a huge honour, a big responsibility and a great opportunity.

The Baker Street operation was the cash cow for the business with c.2 million people snaking their way through the building each year - and the infamous queue outside the building!

I learnt so much during my time at both sites and I certainly would not be here today at Blenheim Palace if I had not served my time with Tussaud's - it gave me a point of difference and it added some commercial experience to my farming and land agency roots.

The most value though comes from the people and the connections made with a top organisation - many of whom are still on the radar today and many of whom we still engage with through our work here at Blenheim Palace. They really are a top bunch of very talented people.

We had a reunion/gathering in London on Wednesday evening and it was SO good to see many of them again - too many to mention them all but great to see Mike Jolly (former Chairman and Chief Executive of the Group) and Sarah Montgomery (former General Manager at Warwick Castle) - both will always be a very important part of my career and I owe them both a great deal. Sarah for employing me at Warwick Castle in the first place and Mike for everything through my time with Tussaud's and then for pointing the headhunters in my direction when the Blenheim Palace job was being recruited - I value both for their continued wise counsel and advise.

I was sad to leave Tussaud's in 2002 but Pearson owned the company when I joined in 1997 and then the venture capitalists arrived the following year and the tone and culture inevitably began to change. Despite delivering budget and driving the business forward, it was clear that I was not one of their appointments and when "your face doesn't quite fit" it is time to be pragmatic and move on - which is what I did in early 2002 before joining Blenheim Palace early the following year - the interim period was spent with the National Museum of Science and Industry (Science Museum, etc) but that is for another day.

I have been so lucky in my career and my Tussaud's time will always be some of the best and most valuable years of my life - both for what I learnt and for the people/connections that I made.

People shape our lives and that certainly has been true for me.

Back here at Blenheim we have dispatched the papers out to the Duke and the Trustees ahead of our autumn meeting with them next week - always a huge relief and a huge credit to Dom (bean counter) and Roger (property guru) for all their input and support but I lay awake last night worrying that our wonderful Royal Mail could still screw everything up. We will cross our fingers that all of the packages reach their destinations otherwise next week could be rather interesting!

Time prevents too much of a review of the last week but suffice to say that "Bike Blenheim Palace" was a huge resounding success - this home built event has rapidly (only it's second year) grown into a meaningful part of the cycling calendar. The Brompton Bike World Championships and the Time Trials were all fully subscribed; the new Sportif and Cyclocross events went well and overall we had around 7,500 people on site. Lots of people worked their socks-off in delivering the event but particular praise and credit must go to Paul Orsi (our Head Forester turned Rural Enterprises Manager turned Event Supremo) and his brilliant Rural Team for all their hard work and dedication around the event - the success is down to them with huge support from Operations, Retail, Catering, Marketing and everyone else!

Again people shape what we do and what we deliver - we have an exceptional team here at Blenheim Palace and they should be very proud at what is being achieved day-to-day and year-on-year.

Have a very good weekend

Just blogging!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:42:00 +0000

Reunions are great fun and I had the chance to go to an old friend's silver wedding anniversary party last Saturday (a long slog to Cambridge and back in the same evening) and linked up again with a handful of friends from my school days. Adam, Johnny, Tim and I were in East House together at The Leys School in Cambridge from 1970-1974 (or thereabouts) and it was wonderful to catch up with them again and to remember some of the highlights (and challenges!)from those days so many years ago. True friendship survives time remarkably well and although we only see each other at such events every 5 years or so, it is just as if we were still sharing studies and classrooms and enjoying each others company much more frequently.

I mentioned in a previous blog that my daughter was now bringing home latin prep which was somewhat challenging given that my last exposure to latin was probably 37 years ago. Indeed I will never forget being met by my latin master - Mr Eric Southern - at the door into the examination room for my Latin O-Level with the words "Oh Hoy - I see you have bothered to show up - bit of a waste of time really!" But I showed him with a (very) narrow Grade 6 "O" Level pass - that 'success' meant a lot to me as he was probably right - my latin skills were far from brilliant and I probably was heading for a fail without his inspired and motivational intervention!!

I still look back on my school days generally with very positive and happy memories and I see that same fire and enthusiasm in my girls as they return each day from school.

Annabelle did get elected onto the Middle School Council after a quick fire campaign persuaded all the boys in her class to vote for her - she is very chuffed and very proud!

Here at Blenheim Palace, September has closed with excellent visitor numbers - up 55% year-on-year - and correspondingly strong performances in retail and catering. The highlights in the month were the "dry + sunny" horse trials and a hugely successful Literary Festival. Into October, with the weather threatening to turn cold and wet on us, we look forward to Bike Blenheim Palace this weekend and a ghostly halloween at the end of the month!

The year (as always) is flying by and my paper this morning is carrying headlines around christmas cards + postal delivery - how depressing - but then I touched on that same subject last week with regard to election manifestos and the desire to be first and be early!

We are I suppose no different as we had our staff christmas party planning meeting - which I have the honour in chairing - this week and big decisions need to be made - none bigger than selecting the theme! We have narrowed it down to three choices - will it be "Dress to Impress!" or "School Disco!" or "Woodstock '69" - various staff will be surveyed on this and we hope to come up with the right choice that pleases the majority! I will confirm the chosen theme in a later blog - so you will have to be patient!

Lets hope that the weather holds for the last big Park event of the year this weekend and I hope that many people will be here "on their bikes" to enjoy this wonderful world heritage park.

Whatever you are doing this weekend - make it a good one!

Election fever!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:35:00 +0000

The one certainty looking into 2010 is that a General Election will be held and just like christmas cards and Easter Eggs appearing in shop windows, the early manifestos are landing on board/committee desks for sign-off, for approval and for launch. With around 8 months to go - good money on Thursday 6 May 2010 - it does seem excessively early but then the Government is frozen into inactivity so I suppose everyone may as well look forward and plan accordingly! There does seem to be an absurd desire to be "first out" in this respect - presumably in the belief that this will help shape policy.

In the last week alone I have seen documents from the National Farmers Union, the Country Landowners Association and the Historic Houses Association - all promoting their corner across their sector area. I fail to understand why industry sectors do not try to work more in harmony to structure one powerful manifesto rather than allowing a plethera of weaker manifestos to sit on the table with little chance that their demands will be taken fully on board. The Tourism Alliance exists (yes it does what it says on the tin - it tries to be an alliance across the tourism sector) and a strong and focused manifesto from them should be all that the tourism sector promotes - a clear set of demands carefully articulated and structured for the benefit of the industry. Will that happen - I doubt it, as every component part of the Tourism Alliance will no doubt also feel that it is their duty to churn out their own manifesto document (if only to justify their existence) which will then dilute the impact of the alliance document and the overall messaging. Let's wait and see but I am sure there are many many more manifesto documents in the pipeline!

On the election front, my 9 year old daughter has decided to run for office. Well actually the Middle School Council at school where she feels she can "represent" her class mates in a fair and balanced way. She has to make her campaign speech on Saturday morning to get chosen as her classes candidate and then elections will be held - probably this won't make the national news but I will let you know how she gets on.

It has been a strong week here at Blenheim Palace with good daily numbers - over 1,000 visitors each week day - in fine early autumn weather. The Horse Trials and Lilliput Lane event areas are virtually clear from their events and we have a very short breather before the Bike Blenheim Palace - "A Festival of Cycling" - event on Sunday 4 October. Numbers for this look very good so we pray that the weather stays settled and fine - for at least another week! Get the bike out of the garage; get the tyres pumped up; and get here to Blenheim Palace to enjoy a wonderful opportunity to cycle around the Park on that one day.

The Independent Woodstock Literary Festival last weekend has been hailed as a great success with around 100 talks/events from a wide range of literary stars across 4 days - ticket sales were healthy and the event has now established a good loyal following - certainly an event that is rising up the league table of "literary festivals" in the UK.

Autumn is a wonderful time to visit the Palace, Gardens and Park as the seasonal colours can take your breath away. The golden Palace, the rolling landscape, and the great lake spanned by the Grand Bridge contrast beautifully with the autumnal border of majestic oaks and chestnuts (not forgetting the "Harry Potter" cedar tree - but that stays very green!) turning from amber to golden brown over the coming weeks.

A perfect time to visit - we hope to see you here soon.

A week on ......

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:32:00 +0000

It is clear that writing a blog is no guarantee of reality - even one week on we are faced with the fact that Spurs did not beat Man U (much to the "bean counter's" delight next door) and that England did not bounce back against the Aussies in the One Day series. Indeed Spurs now go to Stamford Bridge where a second defeat on the trot must be likely (how quickly that bubble has burst!) and England are 6-0 down against the Aussies with only pride to play for in the final match at Durham on Saturday.

Staying with the sporting front, the world of FI is in turmoil with the meltdown at Renault. Flavio Briatore and his Director of Engineering have gone and the team are in shame for conspiring to crash one of their cars to facilitate victory for Alonso. Too much money swills around F1 which makes rational thought sometimes impossible - it drives teams and individuals to make irrational calls of judgement and to break the rules. Victory for the sponsors must come at all costs within a sport that is pregnant with excess - no doubt the sport will try to polish its image and bounce back but you can't help wondering how much else goes on that we are not aware of or which has not yet surfaced?

Back here at Blenheim (and into a more realistic world) we are basking in the success of a dry and very successful horse trials last weekend - Mandy Hervieu can take great pride in delivering a great event and in re-moulding and re-shaping much of the event from 2007. The additional things to do and see have lifted attendance significantly and have provided an excellent platform for 2010 and beyond. Well done to all concerned.

This weekend we are very busy with a multitude of different events taking place - in no particular order we are a primary venue for The Independent Woodstock Literary Festival (with a wonderful array of speakers - from David Cameron to Zac Goldsmith; from William Shawcross to Julian Fellowes; and many many more); we are hosting the Lilliput Lane Annual Collectors Fair, a Riding for the Disabled Event today and charity runs/walks on Saturday and Sunday for the Woodstock Harriers and Combe School; as well as prestigious dinners and functions throughout the weekend. We like to keep ourselves busy (!) - good luck to all across our Operations, Retail and Catering teams and thanks in advance for all your hard work in delivering efficiency and customer service excellence at all times. We have a great team in every area.

At home we are finally getting back into the swing of the girls being back at school and trying to get into a workable routine to accommodate homework, music practice, school clubs, tennis and swimming lessons and stagecoach. Already they look exhausted but hopefully they will get into their stride as it is a long term! My 9 year old has launched into latin this term and it certainly took me back to my school days when I helped her with her latin prep on Wednesday!

This week we have sadly lost Keith Floyd (who enjoyed a drink or two or three in the kitchen) and Patrick Swayze (will pottery ever be the same again after that infamous scene with Demi Moore in Ghost) - at breakfast on Tuesday in the Hoy Household Mr Swayze was described as a gorgeous hunk (I suppose the fact that he was once voted the world's sexiest man is some small justification for this) by my wife (!!) but at least it was encouraging (perhaps promoted by my loud and immediate protests) that both my daughters quickly endorsed the fact that I was a much more impressive hunk! Where would we be without the unquestionable love showered upon us by our children - thats not to say they are of course absolutely right in their judgement!

With so much activity going on around Blenheim Palace and Woodstock this weekend it will be busy but hopefully fun and problem-free - enjoy any connection you make with us and stay in touch - we hugely value all the support we get in trying to keep this wonderful world heritage site restored for future generations.

Have a good weekend and a great week

Sporting Fruit

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:23:00 +0000

Sporting pursuits have been a strong feature of the last week and will dominate the next few days as the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials take place under blue skies and glorious weather - a marked contrast to the mud and gloom 12 months ago. The site looks amazing and we should have a fantastic event weekend.

The week has seen mixed sporting fortunes at home and abroad - Andy Murray crashed out of the US Open to a Croatian; England stormed into next years World Cup Finals with a thumping victory over Croatia at Wembley; England's ladies failed at the final hurdle against the old enemy, and England's cricketers (without a Croatian in site) lost again to Australia in the One Day series.

I was invited down to the Rose Bowl in Southampton to watch the ODI on Wednesday and it was fun to watch my first day/night match. Still not quite sure I approve of players in pyjamas with a white ball and a black sightscreen but it was an entertaining and jolly day despite the result. We had the mandatory streaker (not one of our party!) who was spectacularly tackled - despite his fairly unmemorable tackle! - by a security guard before being led away to raucous jeers by the police; we had numerous "super heroes" entertaining the crowds by running like banshees through the grandstands - Batman was rather portly and slow; Buzz Lightyear rather shy and reserved; and Superwoman far too hairy for anyones liking (both chest and chin!)

The atmosphere was great throughout - despite a rather dull and one-sided match - but it does stagger me at the quantities of alcohol consumed - and the money spent - at such occasions. In just the area around us, people must have consumed upwards of 15 pints through the day (at times we felt like we were on a rollercoaster as we continually had to let them out to release the previous intake and purchase the next batch!) but what does distress me is the language and general tone with some people as the alcohol fuels their spirits - with young children nearby, the language drifts into the gutter. Quite how such standards can be addressed I don't know but such people are hardened drinkers and gamblers - how do they fund such pursuits as they must be spending vast sums each week - following England or their team - whether football or cricket. I know this all sounds very prudish but I have never condoned such language or such loutish behaviour - it spoils the occasion for so many others, it influences the young in earshot, and we seem powerless to influence change going forward. The English abroad - and indeed the English at home - have a reputation that needs polishing and improving - lets keep the good spirits and the healthy banter - but lets drop the alcohol fueled bad language, anger and abusive behaviour. End of speech!

So England's cricketers go on to Lords 3-o down in the 7 match series - of course mathematically they can take the series 4-3 but they were outclassed by the Aussies on Wednesday in every department of the game - most sadly, the Aussies "wanted" it more than England - they fielded with passion and energy throughout whereas England looked slow and listless - why is that given the money they get paid and the expectations of the watching public? I think we deserve better - watch out for the fightback!

Away from sport our attention today turns to fruit! The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers - whose motto is "God gives the increase" - are here at Blenheim Palace today presenting an Apricot Tree (the Duke's choice) to the Duke of Marlborough. Annually, the Company recognises the winning HHA/Christies Garden of the Year with the gift of a fruit tree and today around 100 members will attend a lunch in the Orangery as the tree is both presented and planted. The Livery Company was founded back in 1463 and it does a vast amount of good work within the fruit trade - it is also a very active charity carrying out much good work in and around the City of London.

Good luck to all on every front - whether sporting or non-sporting - the weather forecast is great for the weekend and it should be a good one!

Who knows - Spurs may even beat Man United for once!

That was the week that was!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:20:00 +0000

The last week has seen the end of August (and summer!), preparations for the annual Horse Trials, my wife is a year older and we remember the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII.

The August Bank Holiday weekend ran smoothly with a wonderful turn out of classic cars and a good crowd - the weather certainly affected attendance but the month overall has been amazingly strong - up 52% on last year. For the first year for many we have 'banked' very good numbers across the critical June to August period and this should now hold us in good stead for the rest of the year - the primary driver continues to be the annual pass scheme and we now have nearly 75k annual pass holders on our database. The target was always to hit 100k in the full year and this looks as though it could be achievable - an amazing outcome and great to see the Palace and Gardens busy every day - sometimes even despite the weather!

There is now a brief interlude on the events front until the International Horse Trials take place next weekend - the site is a hive of activity and the ground (touch wood!) is in superb condition at this stage. The memories of last years muddy cancellation are horribly fresh in the mind and we are all praying that the event is luckier this year as everyone - especially Mandy Hervieu the Event Director - has worked incredibly hard to 'recover' the event from last years cancellation and to deliver it successfully this year. The signs are all reasonably positive - weather permitting! It is a fantastic event and one of the crown jewels in our events calendar - even the non-horsey person has a vast array of things to do and enjoy - not least the shopping arcades!

The week saw my wife get a year older - always potentially a stressful occasion but at least she can take comfort in knowing that I am 10 years ahead of her! We had a great day out in London with the girls and I hope that we celebrated her birthday in fine style - and the highlight was seeing the matinee performance of Oliver! - what a fantastic show - great songs, great sets and great actors. Memorable stuff - I strongly recommend it to anyone.

This week many have remembered the 7oth anniversary of the declaration of war on Germany back in 1939 - a sobering reminder of those darks times. Neville Chamberlain set up a War Cabinet with nine members including two new ministers - one of them being Winston Churchill as the First Lord of the Admiralty - and it was only a matters of months until he took the helm of the coalition government on 10 May 1940 following Neville Chamberlain's decuision to stand aside - and the rest, as they say, is history.

Important to never forget our past as this has helped to shape the world we live in today - and even more important to remember that our actions and decisions today will shape our future and the future for our children.

Easy to be negative in the current climate of war and debt - but we must all work hard to shape the future as we can all make a difference - the glass is half full not half empty!

Have a good week!

"Classic" Occasions

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:55:00 +0000

The bank holiday weekend looms - normally heralded as the final fling of the summer holidays before the days start to shorten and autumn rolls in - and hopefully the weather (at least in the south) will support a "classic" british bank holiday for everyone - assuming of course that the extensive road works and predicted traffic congestion around the country will allow anyone to get anywhere!!

Our "classic" event here at Blenheim Palace is a two day Classic Car Show on the Sunday and Monday - a fantastic line-up each day of iconic vehicles evoking memories of a past era. The event is organised by Andrew Greenwood - a wonderful Yorkshireman who I have known for many many years as we used to stage similar events during my time at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire during the 80's and 90's - indeed this is the first year that we are looking to repeat a very success formula as the classic car shows at Knebworth over the August Bank Holiday weekend were always very popular and well attended.

The National Feast of Lanterns (organised by The Camping and Caravanning Club) took place last weekend and they should virtually be clear and off site by close of play today. This very "classic" british event - with 2,500 units and around 8,000 people - was a huge success and I was very honoured to be asked to give the official opening address at their ceremony to declare the rally open last Friday.

That ceremony was then followed by the Club Chairman's Dinner in the Indian Room at the Palace - a very "classic" setting by the Water Terraces - and I had the immense pleasure of sitting next to David Bellamy OBE who is the President of The Camping and Caravanning Club. David is a fascinating man to sit next to - very engaging, very interesting and great fun. At 76 he is still very active across the globe promoting and progressing his variety of issues - many environmentally based - and indeed he was off to Australia a few days after we met. He has written at least 45 books, he is President, Vice-President, Trustee or Patron of at least 28 organisations and he has a variety of Honorary Degrees and Awards - not a bad collection for someone who trained as a botanist at Durham University! A very "classic" british author, broadcaster and campaigner and it was a joy to meet him.

To more mundane matters - Spurs still sit at the very top of the Premiership - 3 games, 3 wins - but how much longer will it last? Memories are being evoked back to the "classic" double winning Spurs side in the 1960/61 season (Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay, Jimmy Greaves et al) as that was the last time Spurs won three games on the trot at the start of a new campaign .......... I wonder if League and Cup glory beckon in 2009/10 - we can but dream!

And finally my lovely wife and little girls have returned from a two week trip to America where they were staying with my wife's sisters - lovely to have them all back home!

Enjoy the bank holiday weekend and make it a truly "classic" occasion by visiting Blenheim Palace.

Sunshine (and showers!)

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:28:00 +0000

So much for the blisteringly hot summer that we were promised earlier in the year - even this week we have ebbed between a very hot mini heatwave on Wednesday into a breezy, wet and almost chilly Thursday - it could only happen in England. The impact on our numbers is huge - over 3,000 on Wednesday and less than 1,500 on Thursday - very hard to get staffing levels right with such extreme variances!

Many will feel cheated having been lulled by the forecast, by the exchange rate and by the credit crunch into a "staycation" summer - but still I sense that spirits generally are positive and that everyone is out there determined to make the best of it and to have a good time.

This weather - as long as it does not get too wet (and then muddy!) - works reasonably well for us as the forecast is not strong enough to drive people onto the coast or onto the sun lounger in the back garden but it is good enough to support a fun family day out - just somewhere like Blenheim Palace!

We have traded well through August with some busy weekends and with some exceptionally busy weekdays. We are enjoying seeing many of our annual pass holders returning frequently to connect with us and we now have well over 60,000 members with that total growing daily.

How we manage that database going forward is an interesting new challenge for us and we are looking to fill a new post - Head of Membership - as we go into 2010 and beyond. Details of the role can be found on our website and we hope that there will be someone out there with strong experience in this field who can drive this forward for us with regard to membership retention and membership gowth.

This weekend we are hosting the Camping and Caravanning Club Annual Rally - the National Feast of Lanterns - with over 2,500 caravans (and an estimated 8,000 people) on site. This has been 5 years in the planning and I am sure they will have a great weekend based here in the Park - they have a varied programme of events and activities and the northern end of the Park is a sea of caravans and motor homes. Hopefully the weather will be kind as the last time we hosted a major caravan rally - for The Caravan Club - the event was virtually washed out by heavy rain and the whole area became a sea of mud!

The southern end of the Park is already changing appearance as the early preparations for the International Horse Trials get underway - this prestigious and important event takes place from 10 to 13 September and we hope to avoid any repetition of the cancellation last year due to persistent rain and dangerous conditions.

Before the Horse Trials and in the centre of park between the two larger event areas, we have the August Bank Holiday weekend with a two day Classic Car and Motorcycle Show - always popular to see such stunning vehicles lined up on display.

All these memories of bad weather after past events are depressing - a positive attitude is required in order to push away the rain clouds and to secure good weather for these important events. They say lightning doesn't strike twice - fingers crossed!

Impossible to close this blog without a quick glance at the Premier League table - as a life long Spurs supporter the sight of Spurs at the top of the table (albeit after only 2 games!) is pleasing on the eye - probably won't last long but still better that last season when they were bottom. How quickly fortunes can change - as long as of course several millions have been spent in the transfer window!

Enjoy the weekend ahead and enjoy whats left of the summer - and don't forget to include a visit to Blenheim Palace within your "staycation" plans.

Woodstock - 40 years on!

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:53:00 +0000

It seems impossible not to write today about the 4oth anniversary of the Woodstock Festival which was held from 15th to 18th August 1969 - not actually at Woodstock but at Bethel in Sullivan County some 43 miles southwest of Woodstock, New York.

The iconic and now infamous event - billed as "The Woodstock Music and Art Fair presents An Aquarian Exposition in White Lake, NY - 3 days of Peace and Music" - was set-up with the expectation of selling around 80,00o tickets; it actually sold around 186,000 tickets; but an estimated 672,000 attended as the fences and controls failed to handle the crowds that arrived. Reportedly over a million people had to turn back because of traffic chaos and congestion!

3 days of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll followed as those present enjoyed 32 acts (some of the greatest names in rock) - Jimi Hendrix closed Woodstock with a memorable performance of The Star-Spangled Banner but this took place at 9am on a Monday morning as the event horribly overran due to a multitude of delays and poor weather - sadly many had therefore left by then and missed what was called "the greatest single moment of the sixties" by the New York Post.

The success - or perhaps that should be notoriety - of the festival has arguably fuelled every outdoor rock event since 1969 - it was the precursor for Glastonbury (now in it's 39th year) and it no doubt inspired Freddie Bannister to persuade David and Christine Cobbold to host their first concerts at Knebworth in 1974 with his "Bucolic Frolic" event headlined by The Allman Brothers Band.

My time at Knebworth (from early 1985 to late 1997) enabled me to engage with some amazing events and some entertaining people. The first concert that I was involved with was the Deep Purple event in Summer 1985 - my last was the two day Oasis event attended by 125,000 people each day. I learnt - and saw - a great deal; certainly a chapter or two in my memoirs if ever written!

I am now here at Blenheim Palace alongside this Woodstock - it still amuses us that people get the two confused - there must be an opportunity to capitalise on the linkage more than we do - now there's a project for the 50th year anniversary in 2019!

Everyone has heard of "that" Woodstock - around the world it had an impact on social behaviour that still has influence today - indeed the recent inauguration of Barack Obama got the headlines "Washington's Woodstock"!

Back to 1969, Chip Monck was the lighting director for the festival and became the last-minute master of ceremonies when Michael Lang (the co-promoter/organiser) clapped him on the back and said "We haven't hired an MC - you're it!". Amazingly his first act was to get over 500,000 people to pick up all their belongings and move back 10 steps - some metal sticks and a clothes line were then erected as the stage front barrier and remarkably this flimsy barrier was not breached over the whole three days of the event - such was the "relaxed" nature of the event throughout. Not sure that the same could be achieved today.

For those who attended back in 1969 and for those whose lives were changed by the greatest music festival in rock 'n roll history - enjoy the memories - even if they are somewhat hazy!

Refreshed

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:44:00 +0000

Apologies for the long silence but now back from a relaxing two weeks on the Algarve where the weather was glorious - hardly a cloud in the sky - sadly the same cannot be said for the weather back here!

Portugal was glorious and we had a great time enjoying time by the pool; time on the beach; wonderful restaurants; and time out a two very busy water parks! As I hurtled town the Torpedo ride at "Splash and Slide" head first on a small rubber mat (yes it does conjure an interesting image!) I did wonder whether I was losing my senses but I survived - as did my little girls who seemed to have endless energy for every ride in the Park - however fast, twisty, dark or dangerous. The Water Park experience is quite an eye-opener - a sea of flesh with every size and shape on view - but everyone relaxed, good humoured and having fun under the clear blue sky and hot sun. Shame that the English climate does not really support such outdoor Parks!

We travelled back last Saturday and it was a very smooth and efficient journey. We left where we were staying around 5pm and via Faro Airport and courtesy of Easyjet we were landed back at Luton by 11.30pm and home soon after 1am. Very convenient and a sensibly short flight to find such fantastic beaches and such reliable weather - I am a fan of Portugal and the Algarve as it ticks so many boxes - if the lottery numbers come up then I would certainly look to buy something out there so that we could go down there more frequently. If only .....!

Blenheim Palace has traded well during my two weeks away despite the weather being decidely iffy on many days - yet again powerful evidence of the strength of our "Buy One Day - Get 12 Months Free!" offer. Tracking life on a blackberry down on the Algarve is actually quite comforting as you know what is happening day-to-day, you can help/comment if needed, and you don't come back to any horrors or surprises - and even my wife now tracks her emails and messages on her blackberry throughout our time away so I feel less guilty!

We go into our second Jousting weekend of the year with the "Knights of Royal England" performing two displays each day for the next three days - together with falconry displays and other attractions including archery and face-painting - it comprises one of the strongest offerings for a great family day out. The weather forecast is encouraging so we hope for a busy weekend.

Beyond this weekend we have much to look forward to as we head towards our late Summer, Autumn and Christmas programme - so having returned fully refreshed from Portugal we look forward to continued successful trading and to seeing lots of our Annual Pass Holders returning on many occasions to enjoy everything on offer.

And if you were expecting a postcard - then it must be caught up in the Royal Mail dispute!

The Blenheim Palace A-Z

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:02:00 +0000

A - Awesome, Annual Pass, Awards, Action, Amazing and Assured.
B - Big, Beautiful, Battle Proms, Britain's Greatest Palace, Bold, Books and Banquets.
C - Classic Cars, Class, Caring, Calm, Cool, Canapes, Concerts, Change, and Children.
D - Dam Dams, Dukes, Daddies, Dedication, Depth, Dynamism and Detail.
E - Excellence, Energy, Experience, Edge, Emotion, Events and Eventful.
F - Fun, Frustration, Flu, Families, Friends, Funding and Fabulous Food.
G - Gasping, Gardens, Gullivers Travels, Greatest, Graceful, and Groups.
H - Happiness, Honesty, Holidays, Heroes, Hampers, History and Humour.
I - Integrity, Industrious, Idyllic, Iconic, Invaluable, and Incomparable.
J - Jousting, Jaunty, Joy, Jumps, and Judgement.
K - Kids, Kiosks, Keen, Keys, Knowledge, and Kindness.
L - Links, Litter (not!), Lambs, Lakes, Languages, Lawns and Lens.
M - Music, Magic, Mesmerising, Manners, Mums, Margins, Memories and Moles.
N - Notable, Noise, Neighbours, Nations, Nature, and Numbers.
O - Organised, Oxford, Oxfordshire, Opportunity, Optimism, and Oaks.
P - Portraits, Palace, Politeness, Professionalism, Passionate, Publicity, and Portugal!
Q - Queues (not!), Questions, Quirky, Quotes, and Quality.
R - Realism, Rain, Rare, Receptive, Reflective and Remarkable.
S - Sunshine, Showers, Sharing, Scale, Schools, Staff, Scandal, Stunning and Symbolic.
T - Treasures, Traffic, Tourism, Touchable, Tastes, Tradition and Trust.
U - Unique, Unusual, Unparalleled, Unforgettable and Urbane.
V - Vision, Visibility, Vitality, Value, Vast, Vulnerable and Vocal.
W - World Heritage, Wonderful, Winning, Weddings, Walks and Woodstock.
X - Xmas, Xerox, Xylopia and XXXXXX.
Y - Yes, You, Youthful, Yew and Yield.
Z - Zeal, Zest and Zenith.

...... and you mave noticed that Portugal was slipped into the "P" line - off on holiday for a couple of weeks but hopefully Blenheim will enjoy unbroken sunshine and lots of visitors whilst I am away.

Will be in touch again soon.

Inspired

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:29:00 +0000

What a busy week - but also what an entertaining mix!

A brief summary:

On Monday we held our summer trustees meeting here at Blenheim Palace - always a slightly stressful occasion but important to review and sign-off the prior year accounts and to look in detail at the current year and the future strategy. For the first time for a while we had new trustees present and thus the meeting lasted longer than normal as more background explanation was needed - but generally the meeting went well and we are in reasonably good shape into the current year thanks to the success of our "Buy One Day - Get 12 months Free!" marketing initiative - with now well over 50,000 annual pass holders signed-up! Did we inspire our trustees - I hope so!

On Tuesday a few of us were invited over to Pinewood Film Studios to see the Fox/Gulliver's Travel crew and to catch-up with their work - very inspiring to see their base and to see some of the sets that they have build in the studios and back lots at Pinewood. What an impressive place - an absolute maze of activity and buildings - stuff for the next Harry Potter film being build over there; scenes being shot over there for "The Clash of the Titans" remake; and scenes for "Gulliver's" being shot over there. We left inspired.

On Wednesday, we hosted a conference at Blenheim Palace during the day for Vision XS Limited surrounding PR, marketing and media services for the leisure/visitor attractions industry - a strong delegate list heard a strong panel of speakers and I was asked to say a few words of welcome at the beginning of the day. The organiser had forgotten to tell me that he had offered a bottle of champagne to any speaker who dropped a "Michael Jackson" reference into his talk - which slightly explained why the chairman for the conference announced that it would be a "thriller" of a day - so I missed out on that opportunity. The day went well and Blenheim Palace certainly inspired those present. In the evening we hosted a gathering for Oxfordshire Tourism - a great opportunity to get everyone together and to talk about a proposed new structure for tourism across the county - the aim was to inspire everyone about the new vision and direction - did we succeed, only time will tell but I hope so because the county needs a new tourism direction and this is a prize that we should all capture going forward. Watch this space!

On Thursday it was into London for a Treasure Houses Managers meeting during the day - London was heaving and hot but it was great to see the other managers from across the other houses and to share with them our experiences as we track through 2009. Always inspiring to share time with our colleagues and particularly pleasing for the first time for a while to be the best performing Treasure House across the group in terms of year-on-year visitor numbers - inspiring even! Back to Blenheim Palace in the evening for an important social gathering for the "Friends of Blenheim Palace". About 160 attended and it is so important for us to keep strong connections with this important group - they are our ambassadors, they help us preserve and maintain this important world heritage site and they are our connection with our local community. Inspiring to meet them all and hopefully they left inspired and more strongly connected with us going forward.

And into today - Friday - where the diary is slightly less manic. That said, we do have a number of Royal Horticultural Society Council members attending this afternoon as we seek to further progress discussions surrounding a possible joint venture with them here at Blenheim Palace. This could be the most inspiring development opportunity for many years at Blenheim Palace - fingers crossed that they leave inspired and they they continue to motivate and inspire their colleagues to move this forward.

We aim to inspire (and where appropriate to be inspired) every day - the inspirational Blenheim Palace makes this easy and the quality and excellence of our hard working staff rises this to new levels every day.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to make this such an inspiring week.

Fine Margins

noreply@blogger.com (John Hoy) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:39:00 +0000

We held our annual staff briefing last night after work - an excellent once a year chance to get everyone together in one place and to talk about the successes (and challenges!) across the business as we move through the summer months - and to then adjourn for some drinks and canapes and some team bonding!

Always a very valuable gathering but tempered on this occasion with the news that Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe - Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards - had been tragically killed in Helmand province in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb. Rupert's mother, Veronica, is one of our Head Guides within the Palace and many of the Palace staff knew her son very well. He was clearly an inspirational leader of his men and he will be hugely missed - our thoughts and prayers go out to Veronica and her family - yet another serving member of our brave armed forces who will not be coming home to his parents, wife and young family. Very very sad; just why are we in Afghanistan anyway with over 170 UK troops killed to date - it seems such a pointless conflict? Answers please on a postcard.

It is no doubt blisteringly hot in Afghanistan at this time of the year but it feels as though it has been equally hot here in the UK this week - but thankfully the heatwave is forecast to break today which should give us slightly cooler weather for the weekend. Unlike me to seek cooler weather given the needs of our business (dry weather essential!) but it can just get tooooo hot and that has been the case this week with people either on the beach or in the back garden. We have traded well but numbers have dipped as everyone has naturally become very lethargic - slightly cooler temperatures and the very slight risk of some rain will actually help our numbers - yes I know, we are very fickle and we are never totally happy with the weather card that we are dealt! Fine margins - too hot we suffer; too wet we suffer!

We have also had to work in these temperatures - not much fun. The main Estate Office is in a converted cottage at the entrance into the Park and it is a building that seems to have no air at all on a hot day - it is a furnace - especially upstairs where two or three of us sit. Every year we dust off "Project Nancy Boy" - an aspirational plan to install air-conditioning - but then we remember the cost, the time it would take to get it installed, the fact that we would probably need planning permission, and by that time the weather has cooled and we live through to another summer! The long range forecast seems to imply a "long hot summer" - could this be the time for "Project Nancy Boy" to become reality? Watch this space?

In complete contrast, space within the Palace itself is luxuriously cool even on the hottest day - the Duke's office on Tuesday was like walking into a fully air-conditioned room even though the temperature was entirely natural due to the stone construction of the Palace and the depth of the walls - they really did know how to build in the early 18th century! It is perhaps something that we should talk more loudly about in a heat wave - visit Blenheim Palace - a really "cool" place or "Britain's Coolest Palace" or "Chill Out " at Blenheim Palace!

We were pleased on Tuesday to get the bundle of papers out to the Duke and our Trustees for our meeting with them on Monday - always a slightly stressful time but the pack looks strong and we have lots of positive news to report so hopefully we will have a good meeting with them - but the margins surrounding success and failure are also very fine -we expect a good meeting and I will report next week on how we fared!!

We go into today and the weekend with "Murray-mania" dominating the sporting headlines - good luck Andy but it certainly gets tough from here in with Roddick and Federer in the way of a Grand Slam title - not least the first British finalist at Wimbledon for 71 years. Good luck also to the British Lions as they try to salvage some pride in the last test against the Springboks - it has been a weird series as the Lions dominated the second half of the 1st Test and the first half of the 2nd Test and yet they lost both games - albeit by a whisker in both games. The results could so easily have gone the other way and we could so easily have seen the Lions winning both tests but that is the roll of the dice - that's how fate determines such matters however fine the margins.

Back in Helmand province, you wonder how fine the margins were to have avoided the most recent tragic loss of life - leaving earlier or later; taking a different route, etc - rest in peace Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe - we will support your mother, wife and family in any way we can at this very sad time but through their grief I am sure that they are also bursting with immense pride at the glowing tributes for all you have achieved in your short life.