Delivering across two memorable F1 and Formula E seasons
As the chequered flag comes down on another gripping motorsport season, we wanted to reflect on an action packed year, with our teams delivering for 10+ partners in Formula 1 and Formula E in 2022, with 2023 looking busier still. As Formula 1’s popularity continues to grow, our account teams hosted over 1000 guests at races this season.
From a B2B perspective, we continue to deliver hospitality programmes that deliver cut-through, with driver appearances from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon to speaker sessions with the likes of Will Buxton, Jennie Gow, David Croft and Tom Clarkson adding to our weekend programmes.
As interest in F1 continues to grow in APAC, and as the Singapore Grand Prix returned to the calendar after two years away, we hosted a ‘Back on Track’ breakfast, where we welcomed clients from the APAC region to hear from broadcaster Jennie Gow in a session moderated by Regional Director, Kathryn Rhodes and hosted by Group Business Director, Scott Branch.
In the Middle East, meanwhile, the season was bookended by Grand Prix’s in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, with our team on the ground once again helping to deliver two successful races. This was the second year running we had worked with SAGP, managing all local partner activity at the race, including fan zone activations and guest hospitality programmes. The relationship will continue into a third year, as the world’s most popular racing series returns to Jeddah in March 2023.
Beyond the F1 sporting and sponsorship factors, we’ve capitalised on local specialities and trends to make the guest experience even more memorable. For our Alteryx guests at their ‘home’ race in Austin, we arranged a hat fitting for attending guests to walk away with their very own perfectly sized cowboy hat at a private event.
Elsewhere, in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship we have continued to support the series organisers’ Communications and PR strategies and outputs in what has been described as ‘the most covered season ever’ as the electric race championship roared back after two Covid-19 affected years.
As well as promoting the race season, won by Stoffel Vandoorne, through always-on media engagement and a page-ready copy delivery service, the team were also on-the-ground in Monaco to launch the next generation of Formula E – ‘the Gen3’ car – managing media from all across the world at a press junket unveiling. By the season finale in London, broadcast live on Channel 4, the team had delivered record media coverage numbers across the year in their markets across sport, lifestyle and broadcast.
That was not the only car launch we were involved in either. When Jaguar TCS Racing asked us to support the unveiling of their Season 9 car, we duly obliged, creating a moment to meet the brief: A Launch Like No Other. The venue selected was Magazine, London. Hosted by Will Buxton and Derin Adetosoye, Jaguar’s new, Gen3 challenger was revealed in front of 400 guests, with our team responsible for delivering the full production of the event.
From an activation perspective, our NEOM account team – based out of the UK and the Middle East – hosted 240 guests at eight E-Prix’s and delivered three major communications campaigns yielding reach of over 118M. The team has also run regular employee engagement initiatives, including race screenings and competitions in NEOM communities, alongside giveaways for top performers. We have also managed the placement two year-long secondments of NEOM employees to the MEQ FE team, sharing knowledge and expertise between the two organisations.
We also helped long-term partner of Formula E, Saudia, shake things up with two content series that took fans inside the heart of the all-electric racing series, including tips around the technology that underpins the sport, and a more light-hearted segment showcasing the beautiful travel destinations on offer through the Formula E race calendar. Find out more on those, here.
Our Live team, meanwhile, were at the heart of the series for an 8th consecutive year, designing and installing event branding and signage at each race weekend on the calendar. A comprehensive team effort.
With a new season of the Formula E championship just around the corner and Formula 1 boasting its biggest-ever calendar in 2023, it’s now full focus on planning for another busy year of extraordinary work.
