Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024

In early 2024, SMG was asked by the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP) to support with international and motorsport PR & Communications in advance of its hugely important second edition in November of that year. SMG was also brought on board to organise and manage the efficient and smooth running of the LVGP Media and Accreditation Centre during the race weekend in the world’s home of sports and entertainment.

With a focus on driving widespread coverage and excitement for the much-anticipated Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024, SMG worked closely with LVGP’s in-house Communications Team to further position the race weekend as one of the top sporting destination events in the world. Following on from a high-profile first edition in 2023, there was a need to build upon the successes of the inaugural Las Vegas event as well as to address and manage any issues raised by F1 media and audiences coming out of one the most attention-grabbing sporting events ever to be staged. SMG’s network within the sport was called upon by the client to bridge some of the messaging gaps from Year 1 and to help foster a stronger relationship between the core F1 media pack and the Promoter as it sought to deliver an even bigger and better race weekend in 2024.

To this end, SMG supported LVGP’s overarching comms plan via well-crafted media strategies and creative storytelling, as well as careful and deliberate year-round media management, on-site paddock engagement and support up to and including the race weekend itself.

In doing so, SMG kept media updated on new and improved developments and plans for the 2024 race, delivered the key LVGP talking points and in turn, secured positive coverage in numerous premium outlets alongside vital media feedback for the client to process and incorporate into its planning. 

In order to support this task, SMG worked closely with LVGP to make the company’s senior leadership team – Chief Executive Officer Rene Wilm and Chief Commercial Officer Emily Prazer – accessible to media at various key points throughout the season, including at the Miami, Monaco, Dutch and US Grands Prix. 

Our team arranged regular press conferences, media calls and round table interviews throughout the season, attended by carefully selected and influential members of the international media that resulted in frequent positive coverage in the lead up to and including the race and its aftermath. This included managing media attendance at the exclusive ‘F1 In Depth’ event in Monaco featuring a high-calibre panel including Liberty Media CEO, Greg Maffei, F1 & LVGP CCO, Emily Prazer and representatives from the event’s key hotel partners at MGM Resorts, Caesar’s Palace and the Wynn. Moreover, SMG also oversaw invites to a special LVGP Yacht Party for F1 media and personnel that same weekend. 

Further round tables with LVGP leadership as well as the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority’s CEO, Steve Hill, were organised at the Miami, Dutch, U.S. and Las Vegas Grands Prix, as well as remotely in the lead up to the event. An example of this was an interview with Emily Prazer that resulted in a front-page article in the print edition of the New York Times sports section in September 2024.

SMG additionally secured media coverage for ancillary LVGP spokespeople and events including Gordon Ramsey, the LVGP Hub in the Venetian and much more.

SMG also played a central role in organising and managing all operational, logistical and technical aspects of the LVGP Media Centre, Media Accreditation Centre, Press Conference Room and TV Media Pen at the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024.

Our team successfully guided the media accreditation process, both on and off-site, ensuring all deadlines were met, all documents required by FIA and F1 were delivered in the correct formats, and all subsequent steps were carried out according to FIA and F1 regulations. SMG also managed a team of local staff who cross-checked and packaged all media passes ahead of the race weekend, as well as quickly assisting all local, international and race-to-race media who collected their accreditation passes from the allocated collection point, strategically located near the racetrack and Media Centre. 

Working alongside the LVGP team, SMG organised the complete operational set up of the Media Centre which ensured all the media’s needs – including their dedicated workspaces, meals, and ease of track access – were met during race week. Our team also acted as a direct point of contact for all media during race week and also drafted and delivered essential communications to all media in advance of their visits to Las Vegas, advising them of the best hotel options, the fastest possible routes between the Media Centre and important parts of the racetrack and paddock, and outlining Visa requirements to enter the United States of America. 

SMG also supported the set-up of the Paddock Press Conference Room and TV Media Pen, ensuring everything was in place ahead of the race weekend and subsequently manning each area, allowing all interviews to run on schedule, as well as allowing for smooth transitions for F1 drivers and members of the media to move between both areas during peak times.

The response from media to the new and improved media operations in 2024 was overwhelmingly positive, with many members of the media expressing their satisfaction with the ease of access to the track, frequent communications from the promoter, and the various upgrades to the media facilities from Year 1.