A Day at the Races 5-1-2002

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts May 2002 Current Issue
May 2002
Short Cuts:
A Day at the Races

The Pit Stop Challenge at Daytona USA

Thanks largely to major TV network support, auto racing has gone mainstream with a vengeance. NASCAR now claims to have 75 million fans, more than half of whom are hard-core fanatics who watch at least nine hours of racing a week. With such a zealous following, racing-themed events are naturally on the rise, particularly in major speedway towns, says Holli Harris Hyatt, corporate, convention and association sales manager at Daytona International Speedway/Daytona USA.

Cities that are home to Indy car tracks are capitalizing on the theme, too, says Susie Townsend, senior manager of convention services and events at the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Bureau. Among the creative elements fueling racing-inspired events:

• An announcer kicking off the event with “Gentlemen, start your engines...”
• Piped in engine noises
• Black-and-white checkered carpeting and flags
• Wait staff dressed in pit-crew jumpsuits
• Photo opportunities in a race car or with a driver
• Teams competing in a tire-changing contest
• Virtual reality racing machines and remote-controlled race cars
• An oversize screen playing race footage
• Themed F&B stations, with names like Pit Stop and First Turn
• Stacks of tires filled with ice to hold beer and soft drinks
• Award ceremonies conducted in a replica of Victory Lane
• Chocolate race cars for dessert and die-cast cars as take-home gifts

For a crash course on the NASCAR craze, including statistics, track locations and race schedules, go to www.nascar.com.

• LOREN G. EDELSTEIN