Cars and carnival: Singapore gets the F1 formula right
Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsports but, as some host countries found out, it can be tough at the top to dish out offerings that will keep fans coming while having a healthy balance sheet.
Silverstone in Britain is a bastion of F1 but even in the sport's hotbed, attendance is falling: from 350,000 over the 2016 weekend to 344,500 last year and 340,000 this July.
Malaysia's Sepang circuit, with a capacity for 120,000 fans, has seen attendances decline from average crowds of between 70,000 and 80,000 on race day to only 44,611 passing through the turnstiles in 2016 before the plug was finally pulled after last year's race, ending 18 years of F1 across the Causeway.
Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsports but, as some host countries found out, it can be tough at the top to dish out offerings that will keep fans coming while having a healthy balance sheet.
Silverstone in Britain is a bastion of F1 but even in the sport's hotbed, attendance is falling: from 350,000 over the 2016 weekend to 344,500 last year and 340,000 this July.
Malaysia's Sepang circuit, with a capacity for 120,000 fans, has seen attendances decline from average crowds of between 70,000 and 80,000 on race day to only 44,611 passing through the turnstiles in 2016 before the plug was finally pulled after last year's race, ending 18 years of F1 across the Causeway.
Mr Bruce Drake has attended all 11 editions of the event held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The 62-year-old Australian, the managing director of a land surveying company in Perth, believes the Singapore Grand Prix's biggest draw is the combination of the night race's excitement and the entertainment that "makes it a great spectacle".
He said: "Looking across the water to Marina Bay Sands, with the backdrop of the Singapore skyline, is such an incredible view and when you combine this with the racing, it is hard to beat. You don't have to be an F1 die-hard supporter to have the best time here."
Tourism and cultural appreciation also receive a boost each time Mr Drake stops by, as he lists the Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, Little India and Geylang Serai as places he must visit. He also loves local treats such as kopi-o and laksa.
That the Singapore Grand Prix is able to mix F1, hospitality, food and beverage, and entertainment into one attractive package could also be down to the man who brought the race to the Republic - Mr Ong Beng Seng, managing director of the Hotel Properties group of companies, including Singapore GP and concert promoters Lushington. His wife Christina is a fashion-and-lifestyle maven who runs the Como group, which oversees F1 hospitality.
Singapore GP executive director Michael Roche explained: "It has been a great asset to be able to access Lushington's 28 years of concert-promoting and associated contacts with artists, agents and managers to help fuel and feed the required F1 line-ups each year.
"Equally, our groups' involvement with hospitality, hotels, merchandising, food and beverage as well as other standalone events have all contributed to the delivery of the demands of the Singapore race event."
While there are no figures yet on the number of visitors during this year's grand prix, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had previously revealed that in the race's first 10 years, over 450,000 international visitors had flown to Singapore for the event, generating an estimated $1.4 billion in total incremental tourism receipts.
And fans are not the only ones praising the Republic's ability to host this showpiece. Former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone had called the Singapore race the sport's "crown jewel". Current supremo Chase Carey said it is "the signature race for Formula One".
And two weeks ago, the twisty and challenging 23-turn track had defending world champion Lewis Hamilton calling the Marina Bay Street Circuit "Monaco on steroids".
The annual cost of hosting the race was estimated to be $150 million, although then Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran said last year that costs had come down by about $15 million to $135 million.
Mr Iswaran had also announced at last year's race that a contract extension with new F1 owners Liberty Media had been agreed, with Singapore hosting the event until at least 2021.
KEEPING THINGS FRESH
And a key to the continued success is to offer something fresh each year, as Singapore GP deputy chairman Colin Syn said: "Every year, we try to do different things and not stick to the same old routine. We have to keep refreshing the event to keep it attractive to people of all ages.
"We put ourselves on TV to millions of viewers internationally. We are just a small dot in South-east Asia, so the branding is fabulous for Singapore. They now know where Singapore is and it has really enhanced the reputation of Singapore as a country that makes things happen."
Such concepts included a new grandstand and entertainment venue in Empress Place and single-day Premier Walkabout tickets introduced last year. This year, a new hospitality suite called Twenty3 featuring Michelin-starred cuisine was rolled out.
The night race is innovative in F1 as it was a pioneer in hosting concerts inside the circuit park. It started in 2008 with a humble selection of just Carl Cox, a British deejay, and Jamaican reggae group The Wailers.
Since then, A-listers Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Bon Jovi, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Shakira, Missy Elliott and Mariah Carey have all appeared.
And in the last two years, deejays Martin Garrix, Calvin Harris and The Chainsmokers, whose tunes are the soundtrack of the millennials, performed here as a younger audience is targeted as part of a "concerted effort to follow music trends and be up to date with what the broader F1 audience likes", explained Mr Roche.
He added: "I think we would be errant to ignore the newer female solo artists (like Dua Lipa) or the deejay electronic music in our overall offerings. As always, we want a total lifestyle and entertainment event built around the centrepiece of F1 and on-track racing to appeal to the broadest audience possible."
This was in line with Liberty Media's approach to make F1 more inclusive and engaging, with the goal of widening its base of fans worldwide.
The US media giant completed its takeover of the euro-centric sport - the last non-European to win the drivers' world champion was Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 - at the start of last year and in an F1 report in January this year, it was noted that there was a significant increase in social media interaction.
F1 totalled 11.9 million followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, a rise of 54.9 per cent from 2016.
This month, F1 also signed a reported US$100 million (S$137 million) five-year deal to sell sponsorship to gambling companies and allow in-race betting in selected markets for the first time in the sport. Mr Sean Bratches, managing director of F1's commercial operations, described the deal as a "fan-centric move", as millions of viewers had grown accustomed to gambling partnerships in other sports.
Other planned moves by Liberty include a revamp of the existing race structure and potential salary caps for teams to freshen up the sport.
While other sporting events in Singapore have followed suit to combine on-field action with lifestyle elements off it - golf's HSBC Women's Championship at Sentosa Golf Club tried to woo the crowds in 2016 with a concert by British pop band Take That, while this year it was Korean boyband Monsta X's turn to entertain at Resorts World Sentosa - F1 has its special aura and brand value, noted Dr Sharon Ng.
The associate professor of Nanyang Technological University's division of marketing and international business said: "F1 is different (from other sports) as it attracts a different crowd and exudes glamour. Racing events typically evoke greater association of excitement and adrenaline than golf events, for example. So F1 events would attract young people, especially those who like speed and an adrenaline rush.
"The brands involved in F1, such as Ferrari, also bring with them some degree of glamour. And the organisers also did a good job of reinforcing this glamour and excitement by bringing in marquee singers. For example, many people were very excited this year that the top deejay in the world (Garrix) was brought in ."
Ms Jean Ng, STB's director of sports, believes that it is hard to make a direct comparison between F1 and other sports like rugby and golf here "as they are different and appeal to different audiences".
She added: "The sports tourism industry in Singapore has seen significant growth over the past few years and we are keen to continue nurturing it and pursuing suitable opportunities to support its growth."
After more than a decade, the Singapore Grand Prix has shown that it has gone from strength to strength, as it found a winning mix in its format.
The tens of thousands who walk through the entry gates annually are testament to the success. The night race, with Singapore's skyline as the backdrop, has marketed the whole of Singapore - not as a city full of crazy rich Asians, but as a city that can be full of crazy fun.
Just ask Mr Drake. The Australian is already planning his holiday next year to Singapore - and getting his hands on the "super early bird" tickets for the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.