When we left off yesterday, the Sydney SailGP event had been cut short by a 50 knot wind blast that destroyed a bunch of boat parts on shore after the first day of racing. The carnage was an opportunity for SailGP to accelerate their learning about managing unexpected negative events. There is no question that developing a disaster communications playbook is now higher up on their list of things to do.
At one point during the first race yesterday, commentator Stevie Morrison said about the racing: “its windy… and it’s about how much can you be ahead of the game, how can you be proactive, not reactive.” This is true for the winning on the water and for the SailGP marketing team.
The communications vacuum left after the cancellation is now in the past and the team has done a great job pulling together a day 2 plan. They taped interviews with the skippers, the tech team leader, and Russell Coutts, the CEO.
Then they created a full-length broadcast, weaving old and new content and replays of the racing from day 1. Everyone should be congratulated on a very good recovery.
As they debrief about the events of the weekend, I suspect the conversation will include adding items like these three to their next action list:
Increase content in every future broadcast about safety so no one can miss how much focus SailGP places on safety.
Write a communications training plan for partners including venues, media, sponsors, and key stakeholders, so in the event of a setback, there are many voices from all corners clearly reinforcing SailGP’s focus on safety and preparedness.
Develop a library of content to be deployed at times like this that feature SailGP’s great work in the environment and esports.
We cannot forget that SailGP is building an entire ecosystem all at once. With the exception of the Great Britain team, which is the first team to gain its autonomy, everything is still on Russel Coutts’ desk. All of the boats, teams, venues/events, and all of the sponsor relationships. It is a giant and humbling list of things to worry about. Everyone involved must have seen the entire enterprise flash before their eyes yesterday as that wing swung from the crane like a wrecking ball – obliterating everything in its path.
Starting something from the beginning is not for the timid. Looking back later, Sydney from season 3 will be remembered. With such an awesome team and leadership, I venture it will be remembered as the moment they graduated from reactive to proactive, and got a jump on their next potential challenge.
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Well done, Jay. Your feature of SailGP prompted me to view multiple videos of the race and the on-land disaster. Fascinating viewing. And, as we who are in the more senior side of life can attest, the best lessons come from getting past failures.