Racing Victoria builds a digital foundation driving deeper consumer engagement with thoroughbred racing

Racing Victoria faced growing pressure from a legacy digital environment that had become increasingly complex and difficult to manage. More than 60 websites operated independently, creating inconsistent experiences for racing clubs, industry participants, and fans. Content was often duplicated, out of date, or difficult to find, making it harder for audiences to engage meaningfully with the sport.

This fragmentation limited Racing Victoria’s ability to deliver relevant experiences at scale. Audiences with very different needs were often presented with the same content, reducing its usefulness and impact. For an entertainment organization competing for attention, this lack of differentiation made it difficult to attract younger audiences and sustain long-term engagement.

Internally, content teams were constrained by rigid workflows and heavy reliance on technical resources. Updating or launching new sites was time-consuming, and governance was difficult to enforce across the network. As digital expectations continued to rise, Racing Victoria risked falling further behind, with a platform that could not support growth, agility, or the future needs of the racing industry.

Racing Victoria turned to Sitecore’s composable DXP to rebuild its digital foundation with a focus on delivering more relevant and engaging experiences across its network of websites. Using Sitecore’s DXP, the organization created a scalable multi-site architecture supporting more than 60 sites, each designed to serve a clearly-defined audience.

Rather than offering the same experience to every visitor, Racing Victoria differentiated content for racing clubs, industry participants, and fans based on how each group interacts with the sport. Fans were guided toward race-day content and stories that build excitement and loyalty, clubs were able to promote local events and memberships, and industry participants could quickly access operational and regulatory information. This approach ensured that every site felt purposeful and aligned to audience expectations.

"We’ve always invested heavily in the race day experience and as we continue to immerse ourselves in the broader experiential events space, where customer expectations are higher than ever, it’s critical our digital presence matches that standard. Being able to tailor content to different audiences means we’re building stronger connections with our customers well before they walk through the gates,” explains Ashley Kalb, Digital Product Manager, Melbourne Racing Club.

Marketers used audience insights and interaction history to prioritize and surface the most relevant content, improving discoverability and engagement without adding complexity for editorial teams. Shared content libraries and intuitive authoring tools, and Sitecore’s AI capabilities, enabled fast and consistent content creation while maintaining governance and brand consistency across the entire ecosystem.

The results were transformative. Racing Victoria launched 65 fully operational websites in a single day, an unprecedented milestone that demonstrated the scalability of its new digital foundation. Content creation time was reduced by 60%, driven by Sitecore’s intuitive content management capabilities that enabled marketers to create, update, and reuse content faster without relying on technical teams.

The shift to Sitecore’s SaaS DXP also delivered significant cost savings. AWS hosting costs were reduced by 65%, while overall platform performance improved across SEO, accessibility, and page load speed metrics. Content operations were further streamlined by reducing the number of templates from 500 to just 50, simplifying workflows and eliminating technical debt.

With all sites now managed through a single interface, content teams gained the agility to respond quickly to audience needs and market moments. Non-technical users were empowered to publish and optimize content independently, allowing Racing Victoria to scale digital experiences efficiently while maintaining governance and consistency.

“Racing Victoria are leading the way when it comes to digital engagement in the sporting industry, with the Sitecore platform enabling them to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time,” concludes Troy Outtram, Partner, Deloitte Digital.