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Formula 1 is moving part of the Las Vegas action from the pit wall to the boardroom. The F1 Business Summit will return on Thursday, 19 November 2026, during Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.

The half-day event will run from 8 am to 1 pm. It will be held in the lower bowl of The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. It opens as the cars prepare for the first day of track action. The Grand Prix weekend runs from 19 to 21 November. In Vegas, it seems, even a business conference needs race-day timing.

The summit debuted in 2025. This year, it will again bring together senior figures from Formula 1, global sport, entertainment, hospitality, fashion and business.

Its central question is simple. How do major sporting events turn attention into loyal fans, stronger partnerships and profitable visitor experiences?

Actress, comedian and podcast host Heather McMahan will host the event. She is known for the Absolutely Not! podcast and the streaming specials Son I Never Had! and Breadwinner. McMahan should give the program a lighter touch without letting the commercial talk drift into the gravel.

Formula 1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali will deliver the opening remarks. Derek Chang, president and chief executive of Liberty Media, will close the summit. His address will consider Formula 1’s commercial momentum and Liberty Media’s role in its future growth.

Domenicali said the Las Vegas Grand Prix had quickly become a meeting point for sport, business, technology and culture. He said the summit would help delegates “build meaningful connections” and exchange ideas about the future of sport and entertainment.

Hospitality takes pole position

For the travel trade, the most useful session may be Elevating the Game: World-Class Hospitality and Experiential Partnerships in Sports.

John Slusher, chief executive of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties, will join Maggie Timoney, president and chief executive of Heineken USA. They will discuss premium settings, brand activations and carefully planned guest experiences. The focus will be on loyalty, revenue and deeper fan connections.

That subject reaches far beyond motor racing. Airlines, hotels, tourism boards, event organisers and travel advisers face the same challenge. Customers now expect more than entry and a comfortable seat.

A premium package must feel personal, smooth and worth talking about after the journey ends. A lanyard, lukewarm canapé and distant glimpse of somebody important no longer count as luxury.

The growing value of event hospitality is clear in the summit’s program. Formula 1 is not merely selling proximity to the circuit. It connects business content, networking, premium food, transport, and live sport into one carefully managed experience.

For travel sellers, that model offers a useful lesson. The best event packages remove friction while adding moments that cannot be easily copied or purchased separately.

Australian voice joins global race promoters

Australia will have a clear voice at the summit. Travis Auld, chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, will take part in a session on global race promotion.

He will join Bobby Epstein, chairman and co-founder of Circuit of The Americas, and Stuart Pringle, chief executive of Silverstone. Together, they will examine how local markets shape ticketing, promotion, culture and the fan experience.

The panel covers North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific. It should also offer lessons for destinations that want major events to deliver more than a brief rise in room rates.

The harder task comes after the chequered flag. Destinations must turn spectacle into repeat visits, wider regional spending and lasting commercial value.

Successful race promotion also depends on understanding that no two markets behave in quite the same way. A ticketing strategy suited to Texas may not work in Melbourne. Nor should a hospitality program built for Silverstone simply be dropped onto another circuit with a new logo attached.

Local culture matters. So do transport, accommodation supply, pricing, corporate demand and the expectations of travelling fans.

Fashion finds another fast lane

Formula 1’s growing role in fashion and popular culture will be the subject of its own session. Deborah Yeh, Sephora’s global chief marketing officer, is among the confirmed speakers.

Style, Speed and Sport: The Intersection of Fashion, Culture and Competition will explore luxury, streetwear and beauty. It will also examine how global brands use elite sport.

The paddock has become both a stage and a marketplace. The outfits sometimes attract nearly as much attention as the overtaking.

This cultural reach matters to the travel sector because it widens the audience for major events. Some visitors arrive for the racing. Others come for entertainment, restaurants, celebrity appearances, fashion, nightlife or the simple pleasure of being wherever the cameras happen to be pointing.

Formula 1’s opportunity is to bring those interests together without weakening the sport at the centre of the experience.

A keynote speaker has not yet been announced. Formula 1 says more panellists and program details will follow.

Premium packages carry premium prices

Two ticket options are on sale. The summit-only ticket costs US$550, including taxes and fees. It provides access to the full Thursday program.

The VIP package costs US$2,500, including taxes and fees. It includes VIP summit seating, merchandise, transport to the Paddock Club, a track tour and a Thursday Trackside Tavern ticket at the Paddock Club Rooftop.

VIP guests will also receive access to a post-summit networking event above pit lane. Food, drinks and large screens showing the track action are included. It is not the usual conference farewell over a biscuit and an urn of coffee.

The price will firmly place the full package in the corporate and premium travel markets. However, its structure shows where high-value event tourism is heading.

Customers are not simply paying for a conference chair or a view of the circuit. They are paying for access, convenience, social currency and a story worth taking home.

Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix will also donate some summit tickets to local university students in Nevada. The plan will give students access to senior figures. It will also open networking across sport, business and entertainment. More details about the student ticket program will be released later.

A wider lesson for the travel trade

The F1 Business Summit is more than a corporate side event attached to a race. It reflects Formula 1’s wider push into hospitality, partnerships, media, fashion and live entertainment.

For tourism and events businesses, Las Vegas offers a practical case study. It shows how a global sporting brand can become a multi-day commercial platform.

There is also a useful message for the travel industry. Major events no longer sell only a seat, a room or a flight. They sell access, identity, ease and the feeling of being close to the action.

Businesses that package those elements well can charge a premium. Those that do not may be left watching from the cheap seats.

The timing also matters. The summit takes place on the opening day of the 2026 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. Delegates can move from morning business sessions to evening track activity. That mix of ideas, networking and live sport is central to the premium package.

It also gives travel sellers a clear product story. The experience is not only about race day. It combines accommodation, hospitality, entertainment, transport and access across several days.

That is where the broader industry opportunity sits. A well-built event trip can support a longer stay and create more reasons to spend. It can also give corporate guests a stronger reason to travel in person.

Registration is open through the official F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Business Summit site. More speakers are still to come, so the program is not yet at full throttle. Even so, the business direction is clear. Formula 1 wants Las Vegas to be where the sport’s next commercial ideas line up on the grid.

Registration is now open, with further speakers and program details expected to be announced. For summit information and ticket purchases, visit the official F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix website at: https://www.f1lasvegasgp.com/f1-business-summit/.