From May 6 through 20, Bicentennial Park served as the site of the Volvo Ocean Race's Downtown Miami Race Village, a public showcase of the sailing competition and its sponsors. This year the 10-city, 39,000-nautical-mile race around the world partnered with the Miami Downtown Development Authority for the first time, hoping to further pique consumer interest while shedding the elitist image of the sport in the U.S. The independent public agency contributed $50,000 to the city's leg of the race, the only stop in North America.
The 4,645-square-foot village, featuring such tenants as Camper, Puma, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Board, and Volvo, as well as a clock tower from official timekeeper IWC Schaffhausen, marks the second time the competition has come to Miami. Three years earlier it was situated opposite the American Airlines Arena. The build-out took nearly 10 days, and the teardown took six to eight days. A variety of activities were on tap, from water sports exhibitions and the Volvo Ocean Race Academy to Pro-Am Racing and a showcase of food, art, and drinks.
Although the Miami outpost enjoyed a healthy turnout, it pales in comparison to audience participation in other cities, particularly in South America. “To be honest, we’re not very happy with it,” said Volvo Ocean Race C.E.O. Knut Frostad. Indeed, North America is the most difficult market for the race because other countries have a more established relationship with the sport. “Miami is a good location, but it’s difficult to drive the public here,” Frostad said. As a result, the organization tried to cast sailing in a more adventurous spotlight to captivate visitors.
According to Frostad, the villages are important because they encourage participation and provide an area of entertainment. “Today people expect events to have more entertainment,” he added. “It’s a good way for us to grow the audience.”
The sailing takes place every three years, but it's no small feat to transport these villages from one city to the next. The Miami kit, for example, was shipped to Lorient, France, in advance of the opening of that nation’s race village on June 16, according to ports manager Ola Astradsson. The Volvo Ocean Race staffer also noted there are many important factors taken into consideration. “We have some pretty structured requirements that each port must deliver, such as the venue being ready for us upon arrival,” Astradsson said. “The outside factors that often play a big role is the weather; strong winds and rain are our enemy.”
