4 - FIFA/CIES International University Network

ANATOMY OF AN EVENT:
BRITISH GRAND PRIX
The new pit and paddock complex - Silverstone Circuits Ltd
temporary structure partner GL
events Owen Brown provides
temporary high-end hospitality
suites, general admission and
catering areas, in addition to
administrative facilities, including
changing areas, helipad terminals
and media centres on a year-byyear
basis. Additionally Owen
Brown provides private hospitality
facilities at all BRDC events they
have a presence at, including the
annual ball held during the Grand
Prix weekend.
“We work hand-in-hand with the
Silverstone Operations team and
their designers to provide support
months in advance of our arrival
on site,” Alex Robertson, Managing
Director of GL events Owen Brown,
told SportBusiness International.
“We are fortunate to have a long
build period which allows us to be
flexible on site and to be able to
tweak plans and specifications to
suit a changing brief.”
Attention to detail
In 2009 Owen Brown supplied
12,000 square metres of
structures, and in 2010 their
operation included 270 linear
metres of their new ‘Absolute
Pavilion and Ultimate Pagoda’ - a
range launched off the back of
a £4.5million investment into
modern high-end structures.
“The 25-year relationship we
believe is down to us acting as more
than just a supplier to the circuit,
STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION
Silverstone boasted a turnover of £38.2 million and an operating profit
of £662,000 in 2008 and turnover, says Phillips, currently stands at
around £45 million, compared with £23 million five years ago.
By diversifying Silverstone into a successful multi-purpose venue,
within which the new developments play a significant role (the new
conference centre should bring in an extra £3 to £4 million in turnover
by 2013), and the turnover target is £50 million for the year 2012.
Barrow says that Populous’ masterplan “envisages a university, a
medical and high-technology research centre - as well as the obvious
things like corporate hospitality and spectator areas. It’s a complicated
equation but very satisfying when you get it right. We often have clients
who look back at buildings built 20 years ago and say they are still
working beautifully - why is that? It’s just because they were made to
be flexible.”
The ultimate target is £100 million in turnover, Phillips bullishly states:
“We are the only profitable Grand Prix circuit in the world that stands
on its own two feet. You’ve just got to make a realistic investment and
be commercial about it. The 17-year contract [signed with Bernie
Ecclestone in December 2009] was certainly a huge move forward. Add
to that MotoGP [five-year deal from 2010] and World Superbikes [oneyear
deal for 2010] - which make up most of the major international
motorsport events - we’ve got a great calendar.”
we share Silverstone’s enthusiasm
for this important sporting event,”
adds Robertson.
“We have a dedicated project
management and build team, some
of which have worked on the site for
the 25 years. It is fair to say that they
know the site extremely well and
deliver the attention to detail that is
required on a project of this scale.”
Given a three-day attendance
in the region of 300,000 and
considering the huge scale of
developments still ongoing,
preparing Silverstone to host
the British Grand Prix is a
massive logistical and operational
challenge, says Phillips.
“When you break it all down
it’s all relatively straightforward,”
he coolly states.
“The first thing we do is make
sure more people aren’t put into
the venue than it can cope with.
We do this by putting a cap on the
number of spectators and looking
at the logistics of how people
move about - where the toilets and
catering areas are.
“Then it’s really access and
egress in the venue: traffic
management and car-parking, the
park-and-ride situation, heliports,
camping - all the other parts of the
infrastructure across Silverstone
- because we need to get people
both in and out quickly and make
sure they are happy they do so. It
sounds easy but there’s a lot of work
involved in it.”
“Traffic management issues are
something Silverstone has dealt
with very well over the past five or
six years,” adds Populous’ Barrow.
Spectator traffic management
was a traditional issue to the track
on the raceday weekend, a problem
largely eliminated with the
completion of the A43 Silverstone
bypass, a dual-carriageway road
just to the north of the circuit.
“I can honestly say that getting
to Silverstone is no longer a
problem. I usually drive up from
Surrey [around 100 kilometres]
and can get there in a two-hour
period every time with absolutely
no problems.”
72 SportBusiness International • No. 160 • 09.10