Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/577438
J ason Dial enters a conference room overlooking the track at Circuit of the Americas with a spring y gait that belies his football-player frame. The CEO of COTA since 2013, Dial has brought along a giant sat- ellite-view map of the racetrack-and-amphitheater complex, ready to show off the latest features that, he says, will make this year's Formula One United States Grand Prix weekend, October 23–25, a must-attend event not only for Austinites and all Texans, but for the global, big-money set that jets to Monaco and other exotic locales for the circuit's other races. In just a few days, Dial will announce that Elton John and his full band will entertain spectators right after this year's race, and he wants to demonstrate how the track's giant infield will be trans- formed into a music venue that can accommodate as many as 70,000 peo- ple—five times the capacity of the complex's heretofore premier concert setup, Austin360 Amphitheater. Then Dial starts in on COTA's partnership with Pop Austin, the contemporary-art show that will coincide with the race this year and include an exhibition at the track, in addition to its main exhibit hall at Fair Market on East Fifth Street downtown. "So for the price of a ticket, I'm going to be able to go for the weekend of F1 and not only see the highest-tech racing in the world but also see an actual Andy Warhol or Richard Orlinski, and, at the end of the day, see a two-hour Elton John concert, the first time he's brought his full band to Austin in nine years?" Dial says, practi- cally bouncing in his chair. "Wow! What an incredible entertainment value." It's illuminating that Dial is focused on providing value on Formula One weekend. F1 events around the world usually are glitzy affairs attended by people who arrive in private jets, buy bottle service at special parties, and always dress the part of VIPs. When Formula One came to Austin in 2012, after several years of controversy over government funding and halting progress that more than once threatened to kill the project, one of the big con- cerns was whether anyone in Texas would care. Although F1 racing is the world's second-most popular sport—after soccer—it, like soccer, is simply not a big deal in this country. And, not insignificantly, F1's f lashy culture is some- thing of an odd fit with Austin's easygoing style. In some ways, the Austin Grand Prix has been something of a grand experiment. On one hand, all the extras Dial touts for this year's race weekend are part of an attempt to create as much appeal as possible for the glamour set. On the other hand, Dial is betting that if he makes Grand Prix weekend about more than a race, he'll be able to draw more mainstream Americans and Austinites who'll see it as a good value, an all-around fun experience. A former marketing executive with Procter & Gamble and the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dial is attempting a careful balancing act, and one he appears to be performing well as the race matures into a tentpole event on the Austin calendar. Attendance among locals has grown since the inaugural race, and Dial expects this year to reach new highs from locals and out-of- towners. "Last year the economic impact of the race—the dollars f lowing into Texas that wouldn't otherwise—was $900 million," he says, "and we expect it to be that or more this year." The race community has lauded the track itself, and fans consistently rate the event among the top F1 races worldwide. Yet, Dial knows he has work to do. "Our brand awareness isn't where I know it should be yet," he says. "And it's absolutely critical to our future success that Central Texas and Texas in general really embrace this event." The F1-Austin marriage has, well, other partners, too; namely the busi- nesses and events catering to visitors. "Everybody has had to adjust," says Ginger Leigh, one of the cocreators of Blu, the most successful homegrown race-weekend afterparty, which will be held this year at Brazos Hall following a three- year takeover of the W Austin downtown. One hallmark of an F1 weekend anywhere in the world is a nightly lineup of ever-more exclusive VIP parties—several of which are like traveling bacchanals that follow the race circuit from city to city. "This city wasn't used to seeing parties on the scale that accompany an F1-race weekend," Leigh says. "People come here, and they're like, 'OK, the barbecue is great, but we want all-night parties with Champagne f lowing, pretty women—New York– or Vegas-style nightlife.'" Blu has provided that, with bottle service and VIP tables, elaborate light shows, a Brazilian martial arts performance, and celebrity guests, including Matt LeBlanc and Keanu Reeves, as well as drivers from the race. But while all that sounds extravagant, it's intentionally a step less over-the-top than the previous two big traveling parties that came to Austin: Amber Lounge and My Yacht Club. "My take is that those parties are not for Austin people; they're more for people who travel the circuit," says Kevin Smothers, editorial director of Austin Social Planner, who follows the party scene closely. "My Yacht Club has trapeze artists hanging from the ceiling delivering bottles of Champagne to people. The overall theme is that the wow factor is magnified, and that's what the crowd expects." Smothers says much of the usual Austin social set makes it to the race itself—"there's a whole scene up in the suites,"—but he noticed only a "smat- tering" of that crowd at the late-night parties the past two years, after a heavy turnout the first year. "It'll be interesting to see how that plays out this year," he says. While My Yacht Club will be taking over Ballet Austin again, Amber Lounge has opted not to return this year, so the scene may be trending more toward locally created celebrations such as Blu and a new event co-spon- sored by COTA called Apex Nights that will take over Fair Market after Pop Austin closes each day. Unlike in Monaco or Barcelona, where the recreational and retail scene around F1 tends to involve mega yachts, in Austin part of the draw is ranch life. Dial says it's common for people in groups to rent a property outside "I'm goIng to be a ble to go for the w eek en d of f1 a n d not on ly see the hIghest-tech r acIng In the wor ld but a lso see a n actua l a n dy wa r hol or r Ich a r d or lInsk I, and, at the en d of the day, see a t wo-hou r fu ll- ba n d elton John concert? … wow! w h at a n Incr edIble enterta In ment va lu e ." —jason dial, cota ceo