SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS March 2007 Okay, we don't want to admit it, but deep down inside, we've all got a little Ricky Bobby in us. Like the wacky hero of Talladega Nights, doesn't everyone want to feel like a daredevil and experience life in the fast lane?
Well, there's no better place to do that than at Ricky Bobby's venue of choice: the speedway.
The Lineup
The most famous speedways in the United States, Indianapolis and Daytona, are also busy venues. "The biggest appeal with our trackside parties," says Rosie Wilson, planner for the Fort Wayne, IN-based Do It Best Corp. (a full-service, member-owned hardware, lumber, and building-materials buying cooperative in the home improvement industry), "is that attendees get to do something at the world-famous speedway that they typically wouldn't be able to do on their own while attending the Indianapolis 500 or Brickyard 400." Do It Best has done three trackside parties at Indy since 2000 and is considering another one for the future. "We haven't done one since 2003," says Wilson, "because we didn't want to get stale. But we're still asked, 'When are you going to do another track event?' You would not believe how many people were just thrilled to go to the track. We got rave reviews."
Wilson's trackside events were a part of Do It Best's annual trade show, which is set in May, fortuitously on the heels of "bump day"—the day just after the Indy 500 race. "In 2001, one of our exhibitors sponsored an appearance and autograph session with Arie Luyendyk (winning driver of the Indy 500 in 1990 and 1997). We also organized garage tours, and since it was the evening of 'bump day,' the drivers were still in their garages, changing tires and polishing their cars."
In 2003, Do It Best intensified its speedway program: "We offered a Friday night 'sneak peek' of our market floor in which members could make a 'pit stop' inour lumber departmentto 'pick up sticks' (in other words, place orders for lumber).We also purchased tickets to the Speedway Museum and offered our attendees a trip around the track. We had another Indy car driver, Jaques Lazier, as our guest. That year, we had nearly 1,000 people in attendance."
Kim V. Thompson, of TraMar Group, LLP, a convention and association management company based in Alexandria, VA, used the speedway for a dinner event for the National Association of Black Journalists: "We wanted to add something different for our attendees, since this was the first time we held the event in Indianapolis. We thought: Why not show them something they had probably never seen? The Indianapolis Motor Speedway offered great history and great education."
Florence L. May of Indianpolis-based Simply Hospitality organizes “behind the scenes educational programs” in conjunction with major convention groups including the National League of Cities (Economics of Motorsports and Behind the Scenes Tours) and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IndyCar Racing: The Science of Speed). "Our Speedway packages," she says, "are always an instant sell out on our online registration system, TRS. The tour capacity is always a major concern, regardless of how many tours we organize."
While Indy and Daytona are independently owned, Concord, NC-based Speedway Motorsports (SMI) owns and operates the Atlanta Motor Speedway; Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN; Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA; Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC; and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX. Each speedway may schedule a variety of racing events (Formula 1, NASCAR, KART, and more); however, depending on dates and times needed, events may be coordinated through the corporate office or at the track. "Staff can assist in coordinating speakers affiliated with motor sports, NASCAR show-car displays, and competitive racing opportunities," according to Ted Austad, special events coordinator for the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In January, when the Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted a group of about 250 Caterpillar salespeople, Austad told SM, "They conducted a meeting in the NASCAR Nextel Cup garage this morning, enjoyed a lunch in the NASCAR Media Center, and are currently participating in a "legends" car ride and drive, where they are competing in timed events with each dealership forming a team." The prize for the best overall time was tickets to the NASCAR event in March.
Join the Club
Each SMI track has a private Speedway Club, generally set in a choice location for VIP track viewing. Lori Dvorak, managing director for the Cabarrus Region eWomenNetwork, uses the Speedway Club at the Lowe's Speedway at Charlotte, NC, by special arrangement for eWomen's monthly networking lunches. "It's a perfect spot," says Dvorak, who also heads her own company, InVision 4, Inc. "The attendees can see the track, and sometimes we can hear the roar of the cars accelerating." The Club supplies display tables and a podium. "It's an excellent facility with great food and service," she adds. Larry Woodell of Concrete Supply Company has been holding sales meetings and the company's annual Christmas party at the Lowe's Speedway Club for the past five years. "We're all race fans, so it's a no-brainer."
Legend of NASCAR
Lisa J. Mikita, CMP, CAE, now with Lincolnshire, IL-based Association of Legal Administrators, remembers when she planned a special event for the "Big E" (for Eastern) show for the Automotive Service Industry Association, along with a couple of other co-sponsors, in Atlanta in 1992: "The welcome reception was themed with NASCAR, and to pay tribute to Richard Petty, who was retiring. Mr. Petty signed autographs and posed for photos." Fifteen years later, Richard Petty remains in the public eye. His business, the Charlotte, NC-based Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE), can be found at speedways throughout the country, including Walt Disney World's speedway ride in the World of Sports complex.
The RPDE can handle groups from 10 people up to 1,000 for teambuilding and between-meeting excursions; however, according to Chris McKee, spokesperson for RPDE, "The pre-meeting formula works best [for groups] in that RPDE does such a wonderful job of pumping people up with the dynamic experience we offer. We just did a group of 750 here in Charlotte last week for a multi-pronged event that was simply awesome." While Petty's appearances are now rare, due to his fully booked calendar, McKee says that, if Petty is available, he can be called upon for corporate group outings, adding, "Obviously, there is a fee involved under those circumstances."
When planning a NASCAR-style event, planners should not play fast and loose with the term NASCAR, which is a copyrighted brand name. "Owned by the France family," adds Austad. "All name and/or logo usage must be permitted through their organization. NASCAR-sanctioned facilities can offer the NASCAR association with the speedway, but cannot permit the usage of the name and/or logo for promotional purposes. We have a number of NASCAR-themed events (rentals) that do not use the trademarks for promotion, but for their program and its content."