F1 behind the scenes with Sarah Martin, Director of Operations, Singapore GP
JASSMIN PETER gains pole position with Sarah Martin, Director of Operations, Singapore Grand Prix, and peers behind the scenes in the lead up to the adrenalin-fuelled F1 night race.
As Director of Operations, Sarah describes herself as a jack of all trades. She heads a team involved in non-race related operational planning and logistics such as sourcing, contracting and planning. This includes the extensive entertainment programme consisting of multiple stages with over 300 acts throughout the circuit park. She also oversees the gate and grandstand operations, security development and execution, food and beverage vendor arrangements, emergency planning and the recruitment and training of more than 1,400 service staff.
TF: Biggest challenge converting a business district into the F1 circuit and entertainment precinct?
SM: Creating a circuit of this nature and size is like working on a jigsaw puzzle - no one detail is unimportant. We work closely with the police and the vendors, and each have different needs and demands. Coordinating partnerships and handling logistics is a phenomenally challenging task. And to think we work this hard for months to coordinate and build up the infrastructure only to tear it all down at the end of day and start from scratch - literally - the following year!
TF: Major logistical nightmare?
SM: It's difficult to pinpoint just one. Although we have a huge entertainment line-up, the Singapore GP is not just an entertainment programme as there are multiple events taking place at the same time. And many vendors, restaurants or contractors coming on board to work with us for the first time often neglect to realise the complexities of scheduling access. It's not acceptable to set up a stall one day before any major event. In reality we require six to 10 days lead time. So it's an ongoing focus to educate contributors on best practices as we attract new participants every year.
TF: Any difference between planning for a night race and a day race?
SM: The Singapore GP goes from day to night - we start at 3pm and end at midnight. So we're essentially planning for both a day and night event. While there isn't a huge difference when planning for both night and day, there are a few practicalities to be mindful of. The choices of lighting, for example, to ensure day and evening requirements are catered for. Also certain entertainment programmes work better in daylight so scheduling is paramount to the success of the entertainment.
TF: How do you manage the crowds?
SM: We work with 15 security companies and train some 1,000 Institute of Technical Education students on three levels - online engagement, workforce skills qualifications and onsite training. The students assume roles such as Access Control Officials, Customer Service Officers and Information Ambassadors and they each receive a Singapore GP certificate of participation for their efforts, along with remuneration based on their specific roles.
Around 60 percent of our spectators are locals and 40 percent foreigners. And because the entire area goes through a complete transformation, even locals who have been walking the same streets for years are usually confused as to how to manoeuvre around the circuit. So it's important to train our valuable security and usher staff to ensure they exercise great customer service when guiding international visitors and spectators.
TF: Has operations and management become easier since the Singapore GP's début?
SM: While operations and management definitely become easier, I believe we are our own culprits in making things difficult for ourselves. We're constantly striving to improve event lightings or entertainment and always looking for
new challenges.
For example, every year we convert Connaught Drive into a hawker centre-styled dining destination serving local delights. However, this year we've decided to introduce international cuisine such as Japanese, Mexican and even a beer garden. So we try to up the bar and challenge ourselves every season.
TF: Any memorable Singapore GP moments?
SM: During the lead up to the first Singapore GP, we were working long hours and had jam-packed schedules. On a particular day, I was onsite at the race tracks and there was a helicopter flying above us filming footages of the area which was being projected on a large screen nearby. I remember looking up at the screen for a split second and was blown away by what I saw. Right before my eyes was the glitzy, glamorous and glittering lights of the city and the stunning infrastructure we had created. It was a feeling of wonder and awe.
Known your FI numbers...
5.073km Track length
686,609m/sq Total land area of the circuit park
350m Length of pit
$40 million Cost of building the pit
61 Laps around the circuit
298 km/hr Maximum speed recorded on the circuit
10 hrs Of track action
2,640 Tyres for all race cars
1,500 Lighting projectors
2,600 Concrete barriers
469 Fire extinguishers on standby
55 Grid Girls
1,004 Marshals
17km Distance travelled by TrackJet machine to clean the track surface
$5 million Entertainment budget for 2011
400 Entertainers
30,000 Concert spectators at the Padang daily
82,800 Glasses of beer drunk
70,000 Glasses of champagne consumed
244,050 Spectators over three days
1,529 years Combined age of vintage cars that participated in the Driver's Parade
Posted Sept 2011
