During today’s Board of Directors meeting on Jan. 16, USEF CEO John Long presented a report on the three-year strategic plan that began in 2007. He gave the USEF an overall grade of a “B” as the area needing the most improvement remains the membership services, which he graded a “D.” He graded Operations and IT an “A or A-” for their major improvements including the call center and customer service.

“We still have a long way to go on the strategic plan,” he noted, but added that there have been major steps taken in event management and marketing.

Long and the USEF Executive Committee also received the thumbs-up from the BOD for costs associated with relocating the drug testing laboratory from Ithaca, N.Y., to the association’s home base in Lexington, Ky.

Long cited several reasons for the move, including the difficult labor market, poor weather and the opportunity to take advantage of other drug testing contracts, perhaps with the Thoroughbred industry, to gain additional revenue.

“You are moving for the right reasons,” said Dr. Kent Allen, a member of the BOD and the chairman of the Veterinary Committee. “There’s a lot of work out there for world-class labs.”

Jamie Link, the CEO of the World Games 2010 Foundation Staff, provided an Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games update. As of today, 251 days until the WEG begins on Sept. 25, the figures include:

• WEG has reached 57 percent of overall revenue goals.
• 86 percent of sponsorship goals.
• 46 percent of hospitality goals.
• 52 percent of tradeshow goals.
• 45 percent of ticket sales goals.

Link reported the organization is well situated with the revenue and is just beginning a major marketing push for ticket sales. With 153,000 tickets sold to date, they expect ticket sales to increase dramatically this spring and when general admission tickets go on sale in April.

So far, 45,000 room nights have been booked in the 120 hotels enrolled in the WEG Housing Bureau, and Link expects the event will host about 100,000 room nights. He reported that hotel rates have dropped significantly since the Games were first announced, and there’s now a wide range of rates available for those who wish to attend.

For more information about the World Equestrian Games, the USEF Annual Meeting, rules changes, photographs and awards, see full coverage in The Chronicle of the Horse in the Jan. 29 issue.