Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Montmeló)- With only a few days left for the end of 2016, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has taken stock of the year, and the figures speak for themselves: The Circuit has recorded occupancy of 89%, i.e. 328 days out of the 366 days that make-up 2016; often with more than one activity on the same day, given the polyvalence of its facilities.
This year again, the events that attracted the most number of spectators were the MotoGP™ and Formula 1 Grands Prix. The Gran Premio Monster Energy de Catalunya de MotoGP™, held from 3 to 5 June, gathered a total of 176,900 spectators during the three days (99,575 on Sunday), while the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA PIRELLI 2016, staged from 13 to 15 May hosted 165,029 spectators (87,245 on Sunday). Adding these attendance figures to the figures of the rest of races and activities held along the year, the total figure amounts to 552,061 people that have been at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2016.
These figures show one important fact: The activity of the Circuit attracts people throughout the year, not only during the F1 and MotoGP weekends. The intense race calendar, the possibility of driving or riding with your own vehicle on the track, the activities organised by private companies or the bicycle track days (Bicircuit) which recorded more than 5,000 users this year, are some of the attractions that get visitors to come out to the Circuit.
FIM Environmental Award 2016
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya closed the season with a recognition for the environmental efforts, as it was awarded for the second time with the FIM Environmental Award 2016 for its KISS Barcelona 2016 (Keep It Shiny & Sustainable) programme, carried out during the last edition of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya de MotoGP™. With this award, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) recognises institutions of the world of motor sports that contribute to the preservation of the environment and to create sustainability awareness, an award that was already presented to the Circuit in 2012 for the project “Green Meeting Point”.
The FIM Environmental Award 2016 shows the clear commitment to 3C Management by CirCuitCat: “Conscience, Commitment and Coherence” with sustainability. After receiving the ISO 14001-2004 certification on environmental management in 2008, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has focussed its efforts on reducing the environmental impact of the facilities and reducing the CO2 footprint as well, in order to become the first racetrack in the world with a zero footprint. The FIA did also award the Circuit in 2015 with the Achievement of Excellence recognition by the sustainability programme of the FIA Institute.
Study on the international follow-up by the media
During the 2016 season Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was subject to a study on the international follow-up by the media. The research, carried out by Nielsen Sport, was made in six countries: Spain, England, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The study was carried out during the Formula 1 and MotoGP Grands Prix, as well as during the BarcelonaRX event and led to several data and conclusions:
> A total of 32 million viewers enjoyed the live broadcast on TV of the three events.
> 10 million people followed the pre-recorded race broadcast.
> 226 million people saw the images of the events as highlight summaries.
> More than 25 million people followed the events on social media.
> 1,372 pieces of news were generated during the three sport meetings.
This study shows how the Circuit turns into the focus of media attention during the great sports events and the importance of the impact generated in the media and in social media.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya enjoys a high profile in the social media, with 124,000 followers in Facebook, 49,100 followers in Twitter (adding the three accounts in different languages) and 25,100 in Instagram, all of which have become a great platform for the dissemination of information and to keep direct contact with the fans. The Circuit’s websites had more than 1,6 million page views along the year.