Depending on their needs, meeting planners can choose
from a long list of facilities that include a number of alternative indoor and outdoor meeting venues, as well as the media centre, which has more than 1,177 square metres of space, featuring a conference room, a rooftop Luna Lounge, a cafeteria, press conference room, photographers’ room and an array of back-end offices. The Luna Lounge, a rooftop venue at the media centre, is ideal for cocktails or more formal corporate dinner events. WiFi connectivity and audio-visual equipment are likewise
available as part of Yas Marina Circuit’s modern IT solutions, a service largely driven by its experience during F1, when broadband technology is crucial to broadcasting the event worldwide within mere milliseconds of the action taking place. Yas Marina Circuit also provides five-star catering services as
it aspires to surpass guests’ expectations in terms of the culinary offerings. All these, he adds, form part of the strategy to attract corporate visitors to the venue. “The key thing for us is to get potential buyers on the site. Once they’re there, we know they will get hooked on the unusual experience offered,” says Raza.
CONFIDENCE MARKETING Aside from its strategic location, as well as diverse product and service offerings, Yas Marina Circuit’s F1 connection has proven to be a valuable asset when presenting the venue to potential corporate customers. “Clients appreciate the fact that if we can run an event like F1 with 40,000 to 50,000 people arriving on a weekend, we can handle anything. We use that as part of what we call ‘confidence marketing’,” says Raza. The circuit also liaises with hotels and leisure facilities from
across Yas Island. Corporate packages, for example, can be tailored to include golf course experiences, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi visits and special rates with hotels. Similarly, hotels can partner with Yas Marina Circuit to satisfy their corporate guests’ needs for larger meeting rooms. Such harmonious existence among establishments on Yas Island has been credited for building the island’s reputation as a multi-faceted destination. In the next couple of years, more projects, such as Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi and Yas Mall are expected to reach completion.
OFFBEAT MEETING ENVIRONMENT The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be held from November 2 to 4 this year, continues to be the highlight of Yas Marina Circuit’s annual calendar. Post-F1, the circuit will continue to buzz with excitement from business activities that showcase the venue’s motor sport attraction.
CIRCUIT VENUES
Yas Marina Circuit boasts a number of distinctive venues that can host groups of varying sizes and can be fitted out or customised in a variety of ways for conferences, meetings, exhi- bitions, events and parties. The circuit’s venues include:
MEDIA CENTRE: a highly versatile venue, ideal for large-scale conferences, symposiums, receptions and banquets.
YAS PADDOCKSUITES: large indoor and rooftop areas to be used separately or together. Te suites are ideal for conference breakout areas, exhibitions or dinners.
PADDOCKTEAM VILLAS: overlooking the Yas Marina on one side and pit buildings on the other, 18 three- storey team villas are ideal for VIP hosting or smaller private functions.
PADDOCK GARAGES: for the ultimate automotive event, the Paddock Garages are offered furnished or unfur- nished for product launches or team-building days.
YAS CENTRAL (FORMERLYTHE YASRACING SCHOOL): offers views of the circuit, Yas Links golf course and the Abu Dhabi skyline and is equipped with meeting rooms, inside and outside lounge areas and a full fleet of racing vehicles.
DRAGRACING CENTRE: regu- larly used by car manufacturers to test the speed of their cars or to hold an event.
TOP TIPS Book Yas Marina Circuit between two or three months before the intended event. For large conferences, book a year or two in advance as the circuit generates huge interest from local, regional and international companies. Yas Marina Circuit is currently handling sales inquiries for events to be held in 2015 and 2016.
Facing page: Yas drag racing Bottom left: Yas Marina Circuit Media Centre
“One of the areas where we’ve seen
a lot of development recently is team building. Quite often we receive requests from business clients to use the circuit for formal meetings, but also to carry out team-building activities. This adds an interesting flavour to the Yas Marina Circuit experience,” says Raza. The automotive sector, understandably,
represents the majority of Yas Marina Circuit’s corporate clientele. Multinational manufacturers with offices located in the Middle East and North Africa often book the circuit’s facilities for product launches, as well as part of an incentive programme to reward sales teams and other valued employees. For a team-building exercise, visitors
can take part in the Pit Stop Challenge, where groups compete to see who can change tyres the fastest. Yas Marina Circuit also offers a Camaro driving experience, where teams can see who is the fastest on the drag strip. “There’s a real camaraderie and
competitiveness to the feat. For some people that can be very exciting, but for others it can be quite intimidating. That’s where team dynamics come into play as colleagues encourage one another to take part in activities in a safe environment,” he says. Another popular incentive attraction
is riding in an F1 two-seater car driven by a former F1 driver. The one-of-a- kind experience requires passengers to undergo a medical test to make sure that they are fit to ride in such a powerful vehicle. “We bring in an ex-F1 driver because not everyone can drive the F1 two-seater. You need to have special training, which adds to the novelty of the experience,” he explains. Recently, the circuit has also noticed
an upturn in the number of companies outside of the automotive sector, such as Etihad Airways, seeking to book the facility for corporate events. Etihad holds its annual staff conference at Yas Marina Circuit’s media centre and team villas, which are often used by F1 teams during the Grand Prix, but also serve as ideal locations for various breakout meetings. “The villas are conveniently near the
media centre and it gives a more village atmosphere to the circuit. It is a lot more interesting than just walking along the traditional air-conditioned corridors of big conference centres,” he says.
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