The 4th Annual Black Book Motorsport Forum – exclusive motorsport networking

October 26, 2017 ICMS Admin News

Author bio
Dr Deakin is a Member of ICMS and Concussion Fellow for TOCA, currently completing a Concussion in Sport degree in the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Cambridge.
Twitter: @DeaksND

 

 

 

Tuesday 22nd August saw the return of the Black Book Motorsport Forum, held at the 5* Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in Whitechapel, London. The venue was easy to find; just a short walk from the Tower of London and I could already see the trophy cars gleaming in the (weak UK) summer sunshine. A fantastic venue only a few short miles from London City airport and within easy reach of London Heathrow; perfect for national and international attendees.

Now in its 4th year, the Black Book Motorsport Forum is open to individuals representing teams, promoters, manufacturers and sponsors, but is unique in also welcoming the motorsport enthusiast. This is a truly global event with representatives from a plethora of international mainstream and niche championships on both two- and four-wheels, be they new arrivals this season, or historic well-established events.

An extended breakfast set the tone for the day with organizers creating flexibility in the programme to allow attendees to fully network and engage. BBMF’s 2017 delegates started the day with a Keynote One-on-One Formula 1 interview with Frank Arthofer, Head of Digital and New Business at Formula 1 at Liberty Media. This cemented the theme of the day, with a focus on novel fan engagement strategies and exploration of the digital motorsport world.

Panel discussions throughout the day bought representatives from NASCAR and MotoGP to the Teams panel with Shell, Estrella Gallicia and Monster Energy in the Sponsors slot. Constructor representation was similarly varied with representatives from Ford, Audi, Nissan and Hyundai to name those in but a single session.



Stimulating discussion and debate was sparked in the ‘Long Haul’ panel where representatives of the FIA World Endurance Championship discussed damage limitation after the unpredictable loss of Porsche and the ultimately inevitable loss of Audi. The future of the FIA WEC was discussed and the 2018/19 calendar reshuffle mooted prior to its announcement shortly after the forum.

The day continued with a Challenger Panel, exploring new niche motorsport championships and how they reach a wider audience, represented by Formula Drift, Pirelli World Challenge and Roborace. The focus then shifted to explore the digital frontier of motorsport and how the industry can drive fan engagement through social and OTT (online) platforms. The panel here was eclectic; McLarenJacksonville Jaguars, Arsenal and Project 44. The McLaren influence continued in the Integration and Innovation Panel with some interesting viewpoints from Goodyear Dunlop Motorsport on tyre development and integrated technologies, such as detection systems for weather or grip change.

The penultimate session harked back to the theme of 2016; hybrid vehicles and the electrification of motorsport. Unsurprisingly therefore, it was Formula E that took centre stage, with teams MahindraPanasonic Jaguar and DR Virgin Racing discussing the new US NYC addition to the calendar.



The closing session of the day brought back Allan McNish together with Karun Chandhok to discuss the new era of Formula 1 under Liberty Media. Surprisingly the post-discussion debate found its way to the place of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in the 2018 calendar and a lengthy debate followed about the BRDC’s decision to invoke the break contract clause, the influence this would have on other F1 circuits and ultimately the fate of UK motorsport should this historic fixture disappear.

 

The one-day Black Book Motorsport Forum brought together 250 attendees discussing the industry’s most engaging and cutting-edge topics with 30 highly-qualified speakers. The semi-structured nature of the event encouraged attendee engagement, punctuated by competitions and culminating in a cocktail reception. This exclusive event provides an opportunity to engage on a personal level with representatives of international motorsports championships, across a broad range of vehicles.

A virtual summary of the 2017 event can be found here:



And interest can be registered for the 2018 event here – http://www.blackbookmotorsportforum.com/.

 

 

 

Author disclosure: ND attended BBMF as a Representative of the ICMS.

All BBMF images are subject to copyright (2017 SportsProMedia Limited) and are found at: http://www.blackbookmotorsportforum.com/galleries/black-book-motorsport-forum-2017

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