• Pit+Paddock’s “Polesitters Club” unites motorsport and hospitality for the ultimate race viewing experience at the inaugural Las Vegas grand prix.
• The Formula 1 Las Vegas race is a 50-lap contest around Sin City’s dazzling strip where the drivers will hit speeds approaching 220mph on the straights.
• The Pit+Paddock VIP viewing experience sits atop the Neiman Marcus specialty retail space which overlooks Turn 12, a corner that many have speculated to be the most critical (and action-packed) of the lap.
• Our VIP hospitality suite is supported by titans of the automotive and hospitality industries: Sparco, Bell Helmets, Neiman Marcus, and LVMH brands like Veuve Clicquot, Armand de Brignac, and Dom Pérignon.

The process is a puzzle. For Formula 1 teams, the expectations that they came to Las Vegas with have all but completely dissolved as data from the cumulative practice sessions has poured in to help refine their race packages. Thus far, the leaderboard has been wildly oscillating; the track is brand new for everyone, so (equipment aside) the playing field is perhaps as level as it could be this entire season, which leaves a lot of mystery on the table. For Pit+Paddock, our VIP hospitality experience was congruous to this tumult. What we believed to be the right path nearly ten months prior has pivoted multiple times, all while the city itself tried to make sense of every possibility to capitalize on the occasion. Even after securing a strategic partnership with Neiman Marcus, we were under the gun to fully renovate the viewing space and, more crucially after all our efforts, weren’t sure if Las Vegas would block our view for the race.

Nevertheless, puzzles are intriguing and ever-present for Pit+Paddock. As a marketing agency, it’s our job to figure things out and push boundaries for ourselves and our clients. The culmination of our efforts to create the ultimate Las Vegas VIP race viewing experience proved that we could do that on the grandest scale and in the most scrutinizing city imaginable.

CAPACITY CROWD

Our multitude of guests arrived early, in eager anticipation for the last of three practice sessions and the no-holds-barred qualifying bout at midnight. The latter would’ve been the first time that we saw the 20-car field go all-out around the Sin City streets in hopes of earning the highest possible grid spot for the Saturday night contest.

Our premium ticket holders reaped the rewards when the track went green, taking front-row seats to all of the racing action at the pivotal Turn 12 corner. Passerby’s tried to get in on the action too, riding the adjacent escalator up and down ad nauseam until they had their fill of sonorous F1 sound.

KEEP ‘EM COMING

Food and drink were aplenty from open hours until close. Fresh waves of American fare were on tap at every break in the action. This VIP service set the bar high for any race experience; F1 veterans relished the suite’s expansive menu compared to traditional circuit fare while newcomers confessed that experiencing any grand prix after this would be tough to top.

We’d be amiss if we didn’t mention our talented DJ who kept the momentum going when the track went quiet. The extra swag from Sparco helped too, allowing enthusiasts the opportunity to check out some useful weekend race gear that directly benefits from its F1 partnership. As a result, the Pit+Paddock hospitality suite was a full house from start to finish — a sharp contrast to our neighboring activations whose attendance ebbed and flowed with the race action.

THREE-WAY COLLABORATION

The penultimate day before the race was a good excuse as any to announce an extremely limited collaboration between Pit+Paddock, Neiman Marcus, and Sparco. Produced as an exclusive benefit to our esteemed, premium ticket holders and agency supporters, these coveted crewnecks were proudly donned next to our Armand de Brignac podium display. These sweaters were produced in “Slate Grey” and “Bone” — two modern tones that exude a high-end presence befitting the occasion.

TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO

With the Formula 1 festivities winding down, we couldn’t help but feel sad knowing that there was only one night left. But if Friday was any indication, Saturday night would be one for the memory books with plenty of on-track drama and shuffling before the checkered flag waves. Beyond the race context, Pit+Paddock’s presence in Las Vegas has been a testament to our monumental industry access; the Sin City backdrop opened new doors for how we could bridge those relationships across industries. Our strategic work to partner with Neiman Marcus and LVMH houses here adds layers of versatility and luxury that many agencies still struggle to harness, and we were privileged to flex our collective muscle to bring all of these important pieces together for the grand prix weekend.

 

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