Accelerating Sales: Festival of Speed Promotions

Accelerating Sales: Festival of Speed Promotions

The Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles taking part in many events. Which is held in Goodwood House, West Sussex, England, in late June or early July. This year it took place from Thursday 13th of July to Sunday 16th of July. Key events that Festival of Speed is known for include the Hillclimb, which is the heart of the Festival of Speed, where vehicles from the Main, Supercar, and First Glance Paddocks come together all on common ground on a track going through the center of the event, it’s a chance to show off their stunning machines and perfectly honed driving skills. 

The festival opened on ‘Full Throttle Thursday’ where the Duke of Richmond opened the 30th Festival of Speed. The event's key theme this year was focused on Porsche’s 75-year celebrations. Porsche had their own enclosure at the event which was named “Porsche Festival of Dreams”. This allowed visitors to immerse themself in cars from Porsche’s present and past. Some spotlight features included the Flower 356 which was created “to celebrate 75 years of the original dreamer Ferry Porsche”.

‍

As well as having this exhibition Porsche also had the central feature sculpture that is found at the front of Goodwood House designed for them by Gerry Judan. This is a key piece of promotion for Porsche especially as this is a key showpiece. The sculpture featured many of Porsche's old and new cars. Not only did Porsche get the central feature this year, but they also had some of their most memorable and influential road and racing cars placed outside Goodwood House every day. Along with this, a ceremony to celebrate which features bright colours and fireworks. This helps build a brand persona and makes Porsche a memorable company to take away from this year's event. Unfortunately, due to high winds, the event had to be canceled on Saturday but resumed on Sunday to carry on making memories. 

‍

Not only were the brands promoting the event, but The Festival of Speed themselves were widely promoting it. Even creating giveaways to get there followers interacting with the account. They used a wide range of channels to do this such as on their website, Instagram, and also Twitter. By doing this the event was able to reach out to a wider audience. While also building up anticipation for the show, all because they utilised their social media to the max. 

‍

All screenshots have been taken from Festival Of Speed’s Instagram.

‍

As we look at the social media activity surrounding The Festival of Speed we can see how these channels were leveraged for social and promotional outreach. By leveraging features such as hashtags and account tagging it became possible to promote the festival to a mass audience. 

With just the hashtag #FOS, you will easily see hundreds of thousands of posts from exhibitors, hobbyists, and other attendees, sharing their experiences. Building that excitement for the coming events, shows, and exhibits. With frequent and even daily posts, brands are able to consistently show their offerings and activities to consumers–moreover, with a reputable event such as The Festival of Speed, there’s a large audience on social media that is willing to engage.

Festival of Speed is a massive opportunity for brands to showcase their new ranges and offerings in front of an excited and enthusiastic crowd. This could be why so many brands choose to debut their cars at exhibits and the hillclimb. For one, Porsche is not the only brand to celebrate their anniversary at The Festival of Speed. With hundreds of brands present, huge motor brands such as McLaren and Aston Martin celebrate, respectively, their 65th and 110th anniversary with exclusive and highly anticipated line-ups. The festival also poses the chance for brands to debut new models at Goodwood including the: Lotus Eletre R and many others. There’s no better opportunity than a massive festival where potential buyers and enthusiasts can see these cars in action and engage with these brands through their exhibits, stalls, and spokespeople.

‍

Overall, the Festival of Speed is a great place for brands to interact with a large audience over a couple of days and get their brand name out there. Especially with the audience the festival attracts, many will be there filming the festival as they go around the sections, and being there with a creative stand can be an incredible way to make yourself memorable at the show and stand out in the crowd.

Want to find out more about promotional events why not read: https://www.promotionsinteractive.com/blog/our-back-to-school-promotions-guide