McLaren unveils new brand centre

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is proud to unveil its new facility; the Brand Centre. This has been conceptualised, designed and built to present the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes brand to Partners and their guests and further enhance their race weekend experience and once again set the standard for paddock hospitality.

The Brand Centre:
* will appear at all the European Formula 1 races.
* will take approximately 20 people two days to erect.
* is three stories high and within the parameters set by Formula 1 Management.
* was designed and built by Bischoff+Scheck based in Baden Baden in Germany.
* has a 13.5 metres environmentally friendly solar glass façade at the front.
* has nine 63 inch plasma screens to ensure optimum presentation of images and data.
* has a total of four meeting rooms – one with video conferencing facilities and eight offices.
* has separate rooms for Fernando and Lewis to relax in with state-of-the-art wireless games consoles linked between rooms, MP3-docking stations and showers etc.
* cost has been covered by the three main parties in the team; Vodafone, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz and its cost will be absorbed over five years.
* has 20 office spaces for marketing and media workers, in addition to wireless network throughout the facility.

The French Grand Prix last weekend was the last appearance of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Communications Centre in the Formula 1 paddock The Communications Centre made its debut at the 2002 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola and at the time, a three-year lifespan was targeted. However after 53 race weekends it’s now time to move on.

During its operation the Communications Centre:
* at the European Formula 1 races it hosted 53 editions of the “Meet the Team” press briefing where drivers and team management answered approximately 636 questions.
* in its five and half seasons, it provided a base for the team’s drivers’ David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montoya, Pedro de la Rosa, Alexander Wurz, Gary Paffett, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton. * provided approximately 5000 breakfasts, lunches and dinners – causing the average journalist to gain 1.5 kgs in weight per season!!!
* has travelled 86,731 kilometres.

The team is in negotiations to sell the Communications Centre to a hospitality company based outside the European Community.