Energy drink and lifestyle brand Red Bull linked up with its sister outfit Oracle Red Bull Racing for a multi-tiered, inventive hospitality activation at the 2023 British Grand Prix titled ‘Red Bull Pole Position’
The Austrian based drinks brand teamed up with full-service event company Creation to design and deliver an inventive hospitality activation for Red Bull and Red Bull Racing guests through the 2023 British Grand Prix Weekend at Silverstone from 4 to 7 July.
According to the agency, the brief for ‘Red Bull Pole Position’ was simply to ‘create the ultimate hospitality space, breaking the mould of existing hospitality offerings to become the go-to Formula 1 destination’.
Its answer to the brief was an evolving, multi-use activation within a branded space located trackside on Hamilton Straight at the racetrack’s start and finish line which aimed to provide entertainment and hospitality for high profile celebrities, customers, guests and Red Bull athletes throughout the weekend.
Brand ambassadors, drivers and guests included Red Bull backed athletes like BMX star Kriss Kyle, trials rider and social sensation Danny MacAskill, actors, presenters and models such as Damien Lewis and Jodie Kid, sports stars like England rugby union winger Jack Nowell, and Australian F1 racing driver Daniel Ricciardo.
‘Red Bull Pole Position’ included a rooftop skatepark (created in collaboration with Monolith), an outdoor terrace bar with premium food service (delivered by Absolute Taste), a video wall, secluded seating booths, art installations and photo moments, the AlphaTauri clothing shop and a nightclub with a main stage that featured sets from renowned DJs – including Rudimental and TSHA – providing a soundtrack for the grid as well as being broadcast live across Sky Sports.
While Red Bull Racing Principal Christian Horner and current F1 World Champion Dutch-Belgian racing driver Max Vestappen also hosted live Q&As in the space.
Guests entered the two-storey Pole Position structure through two bespoke bridges linked to the Hilton Garden Inn hotel and the entrance to the space included a central staircase designed to mimic the stairs in the new Red Bull London offices (as well as an access lift).
After the race weekend, the hospitality space experience was amplified through an online video posted across brand and team digital and social platforms backed by a PR push.
Agency Creation led the project and managed all aspects of the delivery; from conception and design to the build of the physical space at Silverstone, plus technical design and production, through to coordination and programming of talent and content.
All the features of the space – from the skatepark obstacles, to the bars and even the toilets – were all fully bespoke, specially custom-created piece. Plus, to ensure sustainability, all assets and elements were designed either for re-use or to be recycled.
Creation Co-Founder and Director Tom Elkington stated: “Working on this project has been fantastic. Red Bull’s ambition to do things their own way and not conform to the norm, as well as their amazing pool of athletes, opened up possibilities that are not possible with many other brands, especially at a location such as Silverstone.”
“This project allowed us to pull from all of Creation’s departments in a strategic manner. Through owning the entire project cycle and acting as an extension to Red Bull’s team, we provided multiple cost savings and made sustainability decisions that actually created change,” outlined Creation Co-Founder and Red Bull Account Director Tom Whittle. “Sustainability is at the core of all our work and every single asset we produced for Pole Position, from the set flats to the flooring, will be either recycled or reused at future Red Bull events.”
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