Formula 1 cars compete in the Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome on May 8, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Formula 1 is no stranger to live events, producing dozens of races around the world each year.
But this year, tied to its Miami Grand Prix, the Liberty Media-owned racing competition is testing a new idea: a live summit on sports, entertainment and business.
Called F1 Accelerate, the top is a collaboration with WSJ’s Custom Events, the business unit of Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journaland will be held at the Rubell Museum in Miami, Florida on May 4, the day before the start of the Miami GP.
The world of entertainment will be well represented at this invitation-only summit, with Top Gun: Maverick filmmakers Jerry Bruckheimer and Joseph Kosinski set to discuss their next F1 film with Brad Pitt, production of which will begin this summer and will be distributed by Apple.
Additionally, Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden and F1 Academy Managing Director Susie Wolff will discuss the importance of female storytelling; F1 star Lewis Hamilton to discuss using his platform to drive change; and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei will discuss the future of the sport, with other attendees from the entertainment world expected.
“Formula 1 is a sport built on innovation, which is why we are using the Miami Grand Prix platform to bring together such a diverse range of talent from sport, entertainment and business to discuss how we can “We all continue to accelerate positive change in our industries and beyond, it’s hugely exciting,” says Formula 1 Chief Commercial Officer Brandon Snow. “We hope this is the first of many Accelerate Summits and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Miami next month.”
Custom Events from WSJ produces live events in collaboration with corporate partners (the WSJ newsroom is not involved), leveraging the company’s experience producing engaging summits like WSJ Tech Live to turn engaging conversations into live experiences.
“We are delighted to work with Formula 1 on this exciting and innovative event,” said Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of the Newspaper. “This is a testament to the Dow Jones brands’ ability to create space for decision-makers in business, sports and entertainment to address some of the world’s most important issues.”
The Accelerate summit also comes as F1 is in the midst of a bigger push in the United States. Although the sport has long been popular around the world, Liberty Media has made it a priority to expand its presence in North America.
This means increasing the number of races to complement the United States Grand Prix (which has primarily been held at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas for the past decade) to include the Miami Grand Prix (which debuted last year) and the next Las Vegas. Grand Prix, which will debut in November.
The F1 Accelerate Summit further expands the sport’s reach in the United States by bringing together leaders from the worlds of entertainment, racing and business, and making this event a must-attend event.
