ING Renault F1 Roadshow

The Event: Held in Sandton, Johannesburg, on the 29th of July 2007, the ING Renault F1 Roadshow brought Renault’s F1 cars to the public, giving them the opportunity to get close to the cars, the F1 teams and drivers, something which they cannot do at an international Grand Prix weekend.

This was the first time that this motorsport extravaganza has been held outside of Eurasia. The 10 city-centre Roadshow had only been held in the streets of major cities in Europe, Russia and Japan.

In line with Renault’s philosophy of opening Formula 1 to an ever-wider audience, The Event Company closed off select streets in Sandton and the team’s number one driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, and test driver, Nelson Piquet Jr., wowed an estimated 85 000 crowd, taking turns at the wheel of the world championship-winning R26 on the custom-built street circuit.

The crowd got to observe the technical set-up of a Formula 1 paddock area, enjoyed a parade of Renault vehicles and got to view a selection of imports never-before-seen in SA as well as the world premiere of two cars. On top of this, fans were treated to an expertly coordinated day of entertainment including rickshaws, stunt driving, drumming, dancing and acrobatics.

The Logistics: An exciting and challenging project for The Event Production Team, this event required a highly complex and detailed project management approach.

With a build-up time of only 36 hours, the event was executed against a very tight project plan and schedule of activity. The event required the management of around 1000 role-players, consisting of event managers, Johannesburg Metro Police, SAPS, track marshals, security teams, vendors, performers, caterers, vendors, cleaners and critical services.

Open to the public at no charge, and with the large crowds the event attracted, public safety was critical. Stringent safety measures were taken to ensure that the audience was kept safe at all times.

The Result: Renault’s philosophy is to broaden the sport’s appeal to the widest possible audience, while taking their fans closer to the heart of the action, and this is exactly what the ING Renault F1 Roadshow achieved.

The Event Company executed an event which met the client’s brand and marketing objectives and which measured up to the exacting standards set by the international ING Renault F1 team, making the South African event a very successful leg of the 2007 Renault F1 Roadshow.