F1 Arcade IMEX Activation – Accelerate at Work: Real Reactions, Real Lessons

During IMEX, we invited attendees to step into the driver’s seat and experience the F1 Arcade simulator — not just for fun, but to reveal what high-performance racing can teach us about the workplace.

As soon as participants got out of the simulator, I approached them with two simple but powerful questions:

“How was it?” — This opened the door for authentic emotional reactions. People described the experience as “exhilarating,” “challenging,” “fast-paced,” and “immersive.”

“What did you learn?” — This question shifted the moment from play to purpose. Their answers connected directly to key performance behaviors in the workplace.

Here’s what they shared:

🕰 Patience & Timing – understanding when to push and when to hold back.

🧠 Focus & Presence – being fully locked in on the task ahead.

👀 Perspective – recognizing how even a small turn can change everything.

🤝 Trust & Adaptability – learning to stay calm under pressure.

These spontaneous insights mirror the core themes of the Accelerate at Work program: peak focus, adaptive thinking, emotional regulation, and collaborative energy. By turning a gaming moment into a learning moment, we showed how competitive socialization can create immediate, meaningful leadership and team development takeaways.

Kevin Brown – Key Takeaways from the F1 Arcade Simulator

When Kevin stepped off the simulator, the initial reflection focused on patience and pattern recognition. He explained that following the green line—the optimal racing path—helped him stay in control, anticipate what was ahead, and navigate crashes without panic.

His lessons included:

• Patience and trusting guidance: Sticking to the optimal path rather than reacting impulsively.

• Looking ahead: Not just focusing on the present turn, but anticipating what’s coming several curves ahead.

• Relentless pivoting: When stuck, he made a hard turn—pivoting quickly rather than waiting too long.

• Listening and awareness: He noticed how subtle feedback from the car told him when things were on or off track.

• Continuous improvement: Observing others’ driving strategies and adjusting in real time.

• Team communication: He suggested headsets to enable real-time collaboration—mirroring how race teams work together for shared wins.

Your Shared Leadership and Workplace Messages

You built on Kevin’s reflections by drawing parallels between racing strategy and high-performance workplace behaviors:

• “Release to Rise” — when rattled, pause and breathe. Just like letting go of the steering wheel resets direction after a crash, stepping back at work can restore clarity.

• “The faster you want to go, the farther ahead you need to look” — a lesson from your own road-course experience, highlighting the power of anticipation and long-range vision in leadership.

• Peripheral vision matters — staying aware of the full environment, not just the immediate problem.

• Learning from others — as Kevin noted, looking at others’ driving lines can accelerate your own growth.

• Paint the picture — leaders must show their teams the map ahead. Some people can’t visualize the path unless it’s shared clearly.

Why It Matters for Accelerate at Work

This conversation perfectly illustrated the Accelerate at Work philosophy:

• Anticipation beats reaction.

• Communication enables collective wins.

• Awareness and adaptability separate good from great performers.

• Real learning can emerge from shared, emotional experiences—like a three-minute race.

Part Two Events & F1 Arcade – Key Discussion Highlights

Participant Impressions

Maria Lawler from Part Two Events shared that the simulator was easy to use, fun, and a refreshing change from typical event activities. Though not usually a “car game person,” she found the experience engaging and accessible.

Industry Challenges Identified

As a third-party event planning agency, Maria highlighted what many of her clients face:

• The need to make networking front and center without repeating the same old happy hour format.

• The demand to increase ROI on events, ensuring time and money spent leads to meaningful outcomes.

• A desire to create unique, memorable experiences that attendees wouldn’t seek out on their own.

Elizabeth Pogue from F1 Arcade added that organizations are increasingly focused on team connection and cohesion, especially with remote and hybrid teams. Many companies want experiences that build community, trust, and comfort among colleagues who rarely see each other in person.

Your Shared Messaging & Program Framing

You connected their insights directly to the Accelerate at Work program vision:

• Moving beyond standard receptions to create purposeful, emotionally resonant team experiences.

• Competitive socialization as a tool to foster healthy competition, collaboration, and shared celebration.

• Pre- and post-event measurement opportunities to show tangible ROI and team engagement impact.

• Team-building through gameplay, including naming teams, cheering each other on, learning to celebrate wins, and contributing different strengths to a shared goal.

Why It Matters for Accelerate at Work

This conversation reinforced that organizations are looking for:

• Authentic team connection beyond traditional networking.

• Measurable outcomes to justify event investments.

• Interactive, memorable experiences that drive team performance.

The F1 Arcade simulator naturally creates these outcomes in a short, high-energy burst of shared experience—making it an ideal platform for team engagement and organizational development.

Conclusion:

The conversations and live interviews at IMEX clearly validated the power of the F1 Arcade experience as more than just entertainment. Event professionals and corporate leaders confirmed that organizations are actively seeking unique, high-impact experiences that strengthen connection, build trust, and deliver measurable ROI. The simulator naturally creates those outcomes—encouraging teamwork, focus, adaptability, and healthy competition.

This validation reinforces that the Accelerate at Work program directly addresses current workplace and event challenges, offering companies a meaningful, scalable way to combine fun with purposeful learning and team growth.