Despite Formula 1 touting $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion in economic impact from a Last Vegas event, the race circuit and its U.S. owners at Liberty Media actively had to sell Las Vegas on the race’s merits and value. Emily Prazer, chief commercial officer for the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, noted signing on early secured brands like Heineken, T-Mobile a prime spot at the event, but also made a strong argument for its existence by making it the first race to generate $100 million in sponsorship over three days.
“When we first put the business plans together for Vegas, my whole point was the more sponsors you can bring in with experiential elements that add value, the better time your fans are going to have,” Prazer said. “Vegas needs to be the ultimate fan experience, so bringing in the likes of T-Mobile, Heineken, American Express…[they’re] the types of brands that local promoters across the world are desperate to bring in because of what they bring to the party.”
Start your engines
Just before the race events, Heineken and T-Mobile are among the brands hosting an opening ceremony on Nov. 15 featuring Andra Day, Bishop Briggs, J Balvin, Journey, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Thirty Seconds to Mars and will.i.am. There will also be appearances by Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil and 20 Formula 1 drivers—as well as a T-Mobile sponsored drone show.
Heineken has been working with Formula 1 since 2016, but it didn’t discuss having its name on Las Vegas’ opening-night festivities—or its event in general—until August 2022. By that November, it had secured naming rights and began getting the city and F1 fans acquainted with its low-calorie Heineken Silver brand launched earlier this year.
“We don’t want to be the beer of Formula 1 in the U.S,, we want to be the brand of Formula 1 in the U.S. …when Americans think about Formula 1, we want them to think about Heineken,” said Frank Amorese, vice president of media and partnerships at Heineken USA.
But showing up early means saturating the race with all things Heineken. Reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen currently serves as a spokesman for alcohol-free Heineken 0.0—which is the focus of all of Heineken’s track signage. There will also be a Heinken House party venue just after Turn 1 on Koval Lane behind the Strip with a full lineup of DJs
There will be Heineken photo stops throughout the city, bars at multiple locations, beer in the Paddock Club and branding in LED on The Sphere.
