Fresh from the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500, I can’t help but turn it into a metaphor for the digital revolution.  After all, I think its tagline is one of the best - The Greatest Spectacle on Earth.  According to Princeton’s Wordnet database, a spectacle is “an elaborate and remarkable display on a lavish scale” and I have no doubt that’s worthy of our consideration.

For those who have never been, you just have to experience it in person to truly understand the sheer scale of this event.  Sitting 25 yards away from 33 cars driving 220 MPH is visceral.  The vibrations create a near out of body experience and the human drama that unfolds over 200 laps is breathtaking.  I will never again doubt that this a true sport.

As the largest single day sporting event in the world, the folks running the race are doing many things right.  Take a few moments to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website to see the fine job they’re doing off- and online.  What can we learn from them?  Let’s find out:

• Make it more than a one-time event.  The first thing I learned when we moved to Indy was that “the race” was a month long series of events - at the speedway and throughout town.  Between practice days, promotional events, qualifying days, a mini-marathon, a pet walk, community day (where you can drive your own car once around the track), a downtown parade, and the race itself, the Indianapolis 500 impacts pretty much everyone in the metropolitan area.  Plus, it attracts attendees from all over the country and across the globe.
• Preserve the core and encourage innovation.  I was impressed with the rich pageantry and traditions that come with the race - the winner drinking from the milk jug in Victor Circle, “Gentlemen and Ladies, start your engines”, and the one-yard width of bricks from the original race surface as the finish line.  And equally impressive is how all these things coexist with the indomitable spirit of innovation.  Millions of dollars and human hours are invested for the glory of winning the Borg-Warner Trophy.
• Create space for a wide variety of spectators.  Outside the fences, we saw all types of memorabilia stands, entertainment spots, and food booths.  Inside the speedway, you could party in the infield (oblivious to the race), cheer from the bleachers, or enjoy many creature comforts from inside a climate controlled box.  
• Give options on how to participate.  Watching from home (if you’re outside of Indy), listening on the radio, sitting in the speedway with ear plugs, listening into the scanners to follow the teams as they plot their strategies.  Each of these speak to the idea of an audience-focused mentality.  Bring your story to the person in the form they want.

Armed with these principles of success, it’s time to lead your business or organization to the next level and stake your claim at being the “Greatest Spectacle on Earth”.  

What 2 or 3 things can you do to make that dream a reality?  

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 9:15 pm and is filed under change, leadership, storytelling, strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.