By Tim Reynolds
MIAMI GARDNS, Fla. (AP) — For the Miami Grand Prix, someone is responsible for all the strategic planning and budgets. Someone else is overseeing the construction of 163 temporary buildings needed for Formula 1 race weekend. Someone else will design the seating area and track your food and drink needs. Someone else makes sure that the rich and famous have everything they need, from the right drink to the right kind of throw pillow.
These jobs make the race happen.
And in Miami, they are all done by women.
That’s what I believe the Miami Grand Prix will make the race stand out. On sports and circuits still dominated by men – there have been no women behind the wheels for Formula 1 races since 1992 – it will be difficult this weekend to find elements of events that women have not supervised.
“I’m very proud,” said Kathry Nanobak, Vice President of Business Operations at Miami Race. “The amount of talent you have in that room, whether it’s a man or a woman, just wants you to be better. We push ourselves to continue to maintain the standards we all expect to be at work.
A woman leading the way
There is a man at the masthead for the local manager of the race. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross owns the race, Tom Garfinkel is the managing partner, and Tyler Epp is the president of the race at Dolphin’s Hard Rock Stadium campus. From there, many other Miami roles are held by women.
– Nowak – Just 28 years old – Report to the EPP as the second command of the race and oversees all strategic planning, budgets and 17 internal divisions. She also speaks four languages.
– Natalie Clark is Senior Director of Event Operations and oversees the building process, loading and loading process. This means tracking what every truck brings to campus and where it goes.
– Sidney McLain is Senior Director of Events and Food and Beverage. That means it essentially creates the entire fan experience on its 250 acre campus.
– Melanie Cabasol is Vice President of Hospitality and Curation Experience. In other words, it creates a premium client atmosphere. This has included LeBron James, Patrick Mahome, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and others over the past few years.
“I have worked elsewhere before, and not sitting around a meeting table, but the vast majority of women are driving different initiatives within this business,” McClain said. “So it’s very unique. It’s very exciting. And I think we’ve been here a lot of it and have been in our shoes before and have helped pave the way for us.”
The impact of races on Miami
The current fourth year race is part of a diverse series of events on the Hard Rock campus. It is primarily a dolphin house, and they have training facilities adjacent to the stadium. We will also be holding Miami Hurricane Football, concerts and soccer. The Club World Cup later this year and the FIFA World Cup next year will host several matches there and the Miami Open Tennis Tournament. Formula 1 races alone created more than $1 billion in economic impact over the first three years.
The leading women in Miami races are not alone in their field. In Formula 1, the chief commercial officer was Emily Praser, and until the end of last year, Sacha Woodward Hill was there for nearly 30 years as Chief Justice Officer.
But Miami stands out, F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolf said it’s an all-female developmental race series.
“I think we’re all quite proud of it. Sports has changed in a way that isn’t considered extraordinary now,” Wolff said. “I don’t think it’s unusual. I think it’s a testament to the progress we’ve made.”
How does that happen in Miami?
This week in Miami, we will prepare the other 51 weeks on our calendar. Eight months of planning, three months of planning, then one month of planning, and then everything else is happening.
Part of Clark’s job is to oversee 245 tent structures and 110 generators and 35 miles of plumbing infrastructure, all temporary and hidden, but working with architects and construction companies who carry out what they’ve created for the plan.
“I think when I was younger I got a bit of it like, ‘Who is she? Why is she at conferences? Why does she have these construction plans?” Clark said. “And what happens over time is that when people understand that they hear what you say, your confidence and that you are your craft master, fewer questions are asked.”
Kabasol accidentally leaves nothing in her work. She is responsible for the most luxurious spaces on campus: Palm Club, Casatua Trackside Club and 72 clubs. The original blueprint for these spaces was her vision. Every glass, every bottle of champagne, every element of those spaces gets her approval.
They call her group “White Glove Team” a VIP service for VIP guests. She manages a kind of secret path on campus. Palm alley, they call it. It is a palm-tree lining path that drops some of the world’s wealthiest people 10 feet from the entrance. There are the strictest rules within the club. Only close aides, no private security, VIP and 1 guest. There is no camera or media.
Cabassol and her group know what kind of food they drink, what kind of drinks they drink. If there are Palm Club guests who don’t like, they even have plans to keep those people away from each other. No matter what, everyone has to enjoy themselves.
She makes it work. So are Nowak, Clark, McClain, and more.
“What happened here is that they brought together the right people and brought together the right teams to carry out their vision,” Kabasol said. “I think I’m proud to represent women in this field, but I’m even more proud to be part of a team that recognizes and raises the talent that we work together to work together in this environment.”
AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
