Return to Resources
Engaging Formula 1 Fans at the Australian Grand Prix with an Interactive Map
Jun 16, 2022
5 min read
To help Formula 1 fans navigate the Australian Grand Prix event, Mappedin’s Responsive Web App was used to create a fully interactive circuit map that was integrated on their website. The maps were used to drive traffic on the website and delivered intuitive wayfinding to create a highly engaged fan experience.
The Customer
The Australian Grand Prix is a round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and was first held in 1985 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. Since 1996, the race has been held at the 5.278 km (3.280 mi) Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. As the third of 23 races (in the 2022 Formula 1 season), professional drivers race wheel-to-wheel in pursuit of points towards a championship title. The four-day event is attended by more than 400,000 people and watched by tens of millions around the world.
The Opportunity
Being a sport that pushes the boundaries of innovation and technology, the Australian Grand Prix was looking for an interactive digital mapping solution to improve the fan experience and aid navigation around the event grounds consisting of approximately 2.25 square km (560 acres). Event organizers were searching for a web solution that could leverage digital maps to increase web traffic by attendees visiting the main site for more information about the event’s on and off-track events, race schedule, and official F1 fan experiences.
Event organizers also wanted to lower costs and reduce waste by replacing traditional printed paper map with a digital and mobile-ready one that was accessible by all attendees from their own devices.
In addition, the Australian Grand Prix emphasized the importance of having access to a flexible platform that allowed for last-minute changes and edits to the map without the requirements of extensive development or significant inputs from a designer.
The Solution
Responsive Web App: The Australian Grand Prix implemented Mappedin’s Responsive Web Application to map the entire Albert Park Circuit and seamlessly integrated it to their website. The interactive map allowed all attendees to easily locate and search for more than 500 points of interest including grandstands, hospitality suites, food and beverage, accessible areas and toilets, entry gates, transportation stops, vendors, and other amenities.
The wayfinding features built into the Web App including smart search, category listings, smart labels, and optimized pathing, come together to provide an enhanced navigation and interactive fan experience. For instance, attendees can search for a hospitality suite that they’ve purchased passes for and use their device’s built-in GPS to easily locate and navigate to it using turn-by-turn directions. Mappedin’s Web App allows everyone to access venue maps across any device, from anywhere.
The Result
With an estimated attendance of more than 419,000 race fans over the four days of the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, it was imperative to implement a Mappedin web map solution to enhance the brand and be scalable, interactive, and mobile-friendly. The circuit map alone had more than 213,000 unique visits and served as a key point for driving web traffic. The website also recorded all-time highs of repeat visitors which was something the organizers have never experienced before.
The flexibility of the Web App allowed the Australian Grand Prix to make last-minute additions to the map and update it in real-time as necessary. Their social media team took the opportunity to increase user engagement by running social media stories for brand activations, music shows, and other key events that were happening throughout the event. Stories with links directly to areas of interest on the circuit map provided fans with turn-by-turn navigation to events such as driver meet and greets or special offers from vendors.
Innovative additions such as QR code signage was also placed around the event that linked directly to the circuit map which helped event organizers accomplish their goal of moving away from printed paper maps. The Mappedin solution was more cost-effective, saved the effort of printing and distributing paper maps, and allowed them to achieve a higher return on investment.
“The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is Australia’s largest pop-up event, meaning everything you see in photos and on the broadcast is a temporary structure. With hundreds of thousands of fans attending the venue annually, managing traffic flow and helping fans navigate the circuit, while showcasing the hundreds of activations and points of interest, has always been a challenge. The digital circuit plan and its integration into existing digital and physical infrastructure helped elevate the customer experience in 2022. It ensured fans were better connected and gave us another avenue to speak to those who attended, helping promote all the amazing on and off-track activities, along with the world class hospitality facilities available around the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit.”
- Joel Mackenzie, Digital Manager, Australian Grand Prix Corporation
Looking Forward
Mappedin will continue to support the Australian Grand Prix by transforming its digital experience and helping deliver the solutions they need moving forward. For future events, the Australian Grand Prix plans to integrate the map for ticket sales and other promotional activities within the website. At Mappedin, we want to provide indoor and venue mapping capabilities that enhance all industry types.
To learn more about our solutions for stadiums and events, and how we can bring your vision to life, subscribe to our newsletter or contact us today.
