The rain threatened to spoil our Day at Royal Ascot but dedicated followers of fashion and of course, the races themselves, refused to let the weather spoil their fun. Extravagant hats were briefly covered by umbrellas, and bold dresses with waterproofs, until the sun eventually came out.

I am greeted by Lucinda Barrett, from UK Swatch Group, who could not be lovelier to look at and to be looked after by. She guides us into the new building that is like a majestic marquee only with 4 walls and better conveniences and, most importantly, a private balcony offering fantastic views of both the race and the Royal Procession.

The benefit is that this gives access to areas of the racecourse which, although not Royal Enclosure, require a full formal dress code. I was dressed in my best and felt rather confident to walk beside the crowd and models alike. The Longines box provided plenty of waiting staff to serve our food and drinks and all of them went the extra mile with a smile. A wander around Royal Ascot can be breathtaking, as to see both men and women dressed in their finery on a lovely English summer’s day just adds to the day’s enjoyment, although we were warned not to go too far and stop when we see the burger barns as the “Silver ring” is infamous for not having the best audience.

We wandered about and saw the Ascot Racecourse, including the Parade Ring, where we were able to identify the horses with the shiniest coats and most muscle prior to making our final selection. But when it came down to it, I just chose based on their name and believe it or not, all 5 of my choices came up winners.  Sadly I had left my wallet at home or this column would have been written from a hammock in Tahiti.

I was also fortunate enough to have two rather memorable conversations: Starting with Gary England. An immaculately tailored grey morning suit, Top hat buffed to a sheen, the Royal Enclosure badge displayed, this whippet thin figure approaches me, there is no confusion. This is Gary England and he is the director of the show and I am but his humble guest.

 Articulate and theatrical when he speaks, this well-heeled gent seems to be way too calm for a man responsible for hosting over 300,000 guests.  Gary, who just a few years back, was a committed urbanite, working at the Barbican as head of commercial sales.  A rampant devotee of the theatre, once boasting that he took in performances six days a week, including both a matinee and an evening show on Saturdays.  But it was in 2005, that the sales and marketing director’s role came up at Ascot. And he confessed to us that he was more than a little hesitant. "If you had asked me then, I would have said that I’d never work out of London and never at a sports venue", he says.  But as we all know this isn’t any old sports venue. "I thought, I’ll go, open the building and do two Royal Ascots. It’ll look great on my CV and then I’ll come back to London", he remembers.

England describes his first nine months like “Being in a pressure cooker… When you open a new venue, you form such strong bonds with the team. You’re working 18 or 19-hour days to get the building open. You never know whether you’re going to get that chemistry and we were very fortunate. Missing the deadline was never an option”.

The continuing relationships with top British designers – beyond the catwalks and into long-lasting partnerships – is the other achievement that England is most proud of.  He started in 2008, with milliner Philip Treacy who offered his interpretation of Royal Ascot for the launch brochure – a striking series of monochrome shots of Martha Sitwell followed; in 2009, he enlisted the creative vision of Vivienne Westwood.

Now there is another story, England tells us he had set his sights on Westwood well in advance. “I had a list of designers that I wanted to work with.  Number one was Vivienne,” he says. “It was a case of calling her office every day for a number of months and generally making a nuisance of myself.  Eventually, I was given 20 minutes to pitch to her”. Fortunately, Westwood liked the idea. On the face of it, this designer famous for Punk, BDSM, and of course her political activism, might not have been the obvious match.  But England stayed true to his vision and had method to his madness, “She’s quite unique, very avant garde but her designs are also incredibly British. She has a great respect and admiration for the monarchy and tradition!”

This constant development of the brand is something that England is passionate about. “Royal Ascot has to be relevant if it’s going to retain its place in the calendar. Equally, you have to be respectful of the 300 years of tradition – it’s a very fine line”.

When it comes to Hospitality, “Service is just as important as the food; particularly in the current economic climate. Corporate and individuals are entertaining less which means when they do go out there is a real sense of occasion and a high expectancy that must be met. Furthermore, low cost airlines and an increase in European and international travel in the last two decades means that audiences are more discerning than ever before”. And how was the service?  In a word, amazing from start to finish.