Forgrønning av motorsport gjennom innovativ eventledelse. En casestudie av Zürich E Prix 2018
This chapter argues that event management and co-creation of green values require a different approach to and evaluative criteria for success than traditional ones. To substantiate this claim we turn to motorsports, which in relation to green values traditionally has been an adversary. With the advent of Formula E, a world championship for all-electric racing cars looking like those in Formula 1, this relation has been changed. Since its inauguration in 2014, the championship has continuously operationalized its vision of combining door-to-door racing with eco-friendly technology. One of the solutions has been to rethink event organization when hosting races, racing only in cities to reduce the ecological footprint from participants, spectators, sponsors and the media. The effects of this strategy were confirmed in 2019 when Formula E became the only motorsport championship in the world to be granted ISO20121 certification. Part of the explanation was that the urban localization of races makes it possible to integrate event offerings (e.g. partnership with universities, investor celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, and entrepreneurs like Elon Musk) with the championship’s aim of contributing to smart city development and a green shift. Based on a qualitative case study of the 2018 Zürich E Prix, the Swiss Formula E event, this chapter therefore introduces lessons for event managers on how to combine the characteristics of track-based racing, commercial requirements, and urban development.