4 lessons from Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a permanent fixture in the calendar of automotive enthusiasts across the UK and further afield. Each year, the event attracts thousands of visitors across its four day run and it seems that tickets are selling out faster than ever.
Understandably, the Festival of Speed (FoS), serves as a fantastic platform for automotive companies of all size to showcase their products and services, from new car launches and component developments to restoration services and the famed Future Lab, which highlights new and innovative technologies.
This year (2023), we were privileged to work with 12 clients to deliver their stands and these are the lessons we learned…
Efficient logistics are crucial
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is located at Goodwood House in West Sussex. While the area itself is beautiful, the narrow roads can cause problems for both exhibitors and guests.
This means that to maximise the time for builds and the final touches, keeping logistics as efficient as possible is hugely beneficial. Why make four trips when you can make one?
We were fortunate to have 12 clients and had we not meticulously planned our logistics, the whole experience would’ve been far less seamless for everyone.
The weather must be respected
On the penultimate day of the event, it was cancelled due to high winds and weather warnings - this was the first time in its 30-year history.
Guests and visitors were told to ‘stay away’ while exhibitors and events agencies had to batten down the hatches and ensure everything was kept safe and protected from the elements.
This hadn’t been an issue in 30-years of FoS however we were prepared as we always are. In the live events space anything can happen which means contingencies are a must!
People LOVE live events
From the first to the last day, FoS was as busy and vibrant as you’d hope - although some think it’s perhaps too busy.
Whatever your thoughts, make no mistake that the appetite for FoS (and live events in general) is enormous and the disruption that COVID brought about seems like a distant memory.
It helps that FoS has a truly diverse range of experiences, brands, cars and even refreshments to keep visitors entertained but the passion for live events is typified by FoS.
It’s a great platform for experiential
Make no mistake, FoS is an ideal platform for experiential campaigns and emotive activations.
Of course, their digital counterparts have their place but there’s not much (if anything) that can surpass the thrill of experiencing automotive activations in real life, fuelling all kinds of emotion.
From the watching the fabled hill climb or interacting with iconic vehicles, to driving down a near vertical drop or bustin’ some moves as a DJ plays their setlist, there’s limitless potential in terms of what brands can deliver at an event like FoS.
So, what next…?
We’re delighted to say that the attendance at this year’s FoS was nothing short of astonishing. The disruption to live events caused by COVID looks (touch wood) to be a thing of the past and the appetite to attend these types of events is enormous.
If you’re looking to exhibit at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2024, why not get in touch? We have years of experience working with the Goodwood Festival of Speed and we’d love to help with your next project.