Formula Student
Formula Student
How The Agency Cleo stepped in to supply operational leadership for an event with many moving parts at Silverstone GP circuit.
The business
Europe’s most established educational engineering competition, now in its 26th year
Flagship of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
Historic event hosted at Silverstone Grand Prix circuit
The objectives
Ensure successful operational delivery of Formula Student
Support IMechE’s in-house event operations team
Manage enormous technical complexity across a demanding event site with a busy agenda
The solution
Supplied operational guidance pre-event and throughout onsite delivery
Oversaw build and setup of indoor and outdoor event campus
Maintained strict safety of all event stakeholders within safeguarding guidelines, Motorsport UK regulations and Silverstone procedures
Strategy
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Consultancy
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Operations
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Freelance Event Support
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Onsite Logistics
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Strategy • Consultancy • Operations • Freelance Event Support • Onsite Logistics •
Formula Student is a competition to develop enterprising young engineers and encourage more people to enter the engineering field. The annual event is put on by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), a prestigious membership organisation that’s steeped in history but also focused on innovation.
Faced with an employment gap, IMechE needed a mentor to provide operational stability and onsite support to help their in-house team deliver the 26th edition of their flagship event. The Agency Cleo stepped in to supply the operational guidance they needed before the event and throughout the weeklong onsite delivery.
Set to run at Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, the event posed a unique array of health and safety requirements. Alongside young person safeguarding, the event adhered to strict Motorsport UK regulations and Silverstone procedures.
The build of the event campus included an array of temporary structures alongside tenanted areas within Silverstone, and the project requirements spanned catering and hospitality, hot works, electrics, internet, furniture and more.
With the event showcasing groundbreaking innovation ranging from esports and simulation to AI vehicles, the fast-paced timeline incorporated track competition, live streaming, commentary, judging, live results, awards ceremonies and an exhibition of luxury vehicles from sponsors including Jaguar Landrover, Mercedes and Bentley.
A huge variety of event stakeholders made for a complex registration remit. Over five days, over 3,000 people attended the event venue – competing teams, drivers, faculty advisors, volunteers, committee members, event safety staff, venue staff, suppliers and contractors, exhibitors, sponsors and spectators. And when the chequered flag was waved on this year’s Formula Student, we’d already started consulting the IMechE team on operational processes and strategy to shape and improve the next edition of this leading-edge event.
“The Agency Cleo was brought on to ensure the successful operational delivery of Formula Student as well as oversee the wider operations team onsite. We received very positive feedback from our team following the processes that The Agency Cleo implemented for this year's edition. They brought calm to the project management office despite it being very busy, solving problems and making decisions in a structured and practical way. Affable with all event stakeholders from venue and suppliers to high-level committee members, they were always assertive in matters of health, safety and security, successfully prioritising the most important aspects of the event.”
Naomi Rolfe, Formula Student Project Manager, IMechE
