Businesses away from F1 circuit rev up deals and activities to draw crowds

SINGAPORE: Businesses are gearing up for the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend (Sep 20-22).
Hotels in and around the Marina Bay Street Circuit are expecting revenue to be better than last year.
But for businesses on the fringes of the action, it usually means less customers whenever the Formula 1 event rolls into town.
The Museum of Ice Cream at Dempsey Hill, for instance, has seen visitor numbers drop by up to 30 per cent over race weekends in the past years.
“F1 is this monolith that kind of sucks up all the activities during those (few) days. Generally, most people will either not have enough time to do other things, or they already have a programme,” said its general manager Colin Chung.
He added that road closures discourage those not going to the race – especially locals – from venturing into the central region.
“They just won’t want to drive, or (deal with) the hassle of (public) transport. So there will be some impact for us, a knock-on effect,” he said. “We tend to see a quieter weekend.”
This F1 season, the museum is hoping to turn the corner by enticing visitors to make a pit stop at its premise for some pre-race treats before heading to the tracks.
It is working with the Singapore Tourism Board to offer all F1 pass holders a one-for-one entry with the purchase of an Anytime Ticket.
The ticket allows holders fast pass entry without prior time slot booking required on the visit date, alongside unlimited ice cream.
Mr Chung said he hopes this can sweeten the deal enough to at least retain its usual visitor numbers – the museum gets about 500 to 700 visitors on a single day on regular weekends.
“There’re so many things happening over the F1 weekend and we need to compete with the rest of the activities,” he added.
Other businesses in the vicinity are also hoping to attract visitors by having more F1-related deals and activities.
At Gallery26 Dempsey, people can visit a gallery showcasing the history of the Singapore Grand Prix and how it has grown over the years.
The exhibition also features iconic Ferrari F1 cars, two of which were driven by Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion from Finland.
Nearby at Mr Bucket Chocolaterie, visitors can build their own chocolate race car at a chocolate workshop and get to eat it as well.
Aside from Dempsey, there are also other race-themed activities outside the circuit, at venues including the Sports Hub, Orchard Road and Kampong Gelam.  
Back in the race area, it is all systems go as the finishing touches are put in place with just two days to the event.
Some hotels right smack in the thick of the action are expecting revenue to pick up by about 15 per cent this year.
“The Singapore Grand Prix captivates the drivers and the fans alike, and helps bring in a lot of people to Singapore,” said Mr Theo Ocks, commercial general manager of Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford.
“Every year, we are very busy. But this year is definitely a record-breaking one. We would expect this year to be one of the top F1 years for us.”
Both hotels, located at the prime position of the circuit’s Turn 9, also have a list of race weekend themed programmes at their restaurants and bars.
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore and The Fullerton Bay Hotel told CNA that rooms that offer a trackside view are fully booked.
With F1 activities being announced later this year as compared to previous years, hotels said they saw a slight increase in last-minute bookings.
Travel website Trip.com registered 90 per cent more inbound flight bookings and 60 per cent more hotel bookings for the race weekend.
Road closures around the Marina Centre and Padang area will progressively kick in from Wednesday (Sep 18), and will be fully accessible by next Tuesday (Sep 24).