November, 2013 – Wellington Chamber of Commerce Equestrian Season Kick-Off Luncheon
On Wednesday November 13th, 2013 the Wellington Chamber of Commerce had its monthly luncheon at the Wanderers Club in Wellington, Florida. Insightful information was presented by several prominent speakers involved in the equestrian community regarding the outlook for the 2013-14 season in Wellington.
John Wash, President of the International Polo Club said that the vision of the International Polo Club was to establish a world class facility that would attract the highest level of polo competition. He noted that of the 70 polo fields in Wellington, nine are at the International Polo Club. Wash said spectators of polo come from 20 countries around the globe and from 49 different states which equates to over 150 thousand spectators. He added that polo has an important economic role in the western region of the county generating many millions of dollars. International Polo Club celebrated a tenth anniversary season last year and Wash noted that last season they broke all records as well.
Also speaking was Noreen O’Sullivan from Wellington Classic Dressage. She stated that dressage has a rich history of over 31 years in the area. O’Sullivan has been involved in dressage for over 18 years and she has been overseeing and managing dressage events around Wellington for over 16 years. She noted that Wellington Classic Dressage was incorporated in 2006 and added that many Olympic riders qualified here in Wellington. In addition, many riders call Wellington their year round or seasonal home and those who don’t come back every year. O’Sullivan shared interesting facts as she mentioned that in dressage over 96 percent of the riders are women, 66% are college educated and 87% are over age 35. In addition, many of them have annual incomes of over $185,000 per year and 22 % own two or more homes. The average value of their homes is $594,000. Most own three vehicles, four horses, and compete six or more times per year.
Marla Connor, Manager of Gulfstream Polo, was also a speaker and she noted that she has been the manager there for 18 years. Gulfstream Polo was originally established in the small town of Gulfstream along the intra-coastal, but as things grew in the 60‘s they had to move west. Connor made it clear that they never charge admission and that there are grand-stands for public convenience overlooking every field. She added that in 2013 they had 22 teams and that this year they’re expecting to have more even more.
The last speaker was Mark Bellissimo from Equestrian Sport Productions. Bellissimo spoke of attending the FEI Convention in Geneva. He 
noted how amazed he was at how much talk there was there regarding Wellington. He said that the people were chatting about how Wellington horse shows used to be disaggregated and that now that’s history as things have changed and evolved.
Bellissimo credited his wife Katherine with helping him change the elite status of the sport and making it more accessible to the general public. In addition, he discussed The Great Charity Challenge which started five years ago and was an idea he and his daughter came up with. They raised $562,000 in the first six weeks of their marketing efforts. The Great Charity Challenge has been growing every year since.
Overall, all the speakers seemed optimistic of the future 2013-14 equestrian season.
For more information regarding the Wellington Chamber of Commerce contact Michela Perillo – Green at (561)792-6525 or write to [email protected]. Also visit the Wellington Chamber online at www.WellingtonChamber.com.
Photos and Write Up By: Jon Lipshaw – SharpShooter Marketing Group