Lenovo AI continues to expand its partnerships, solutions, and offerings to a wide array of use cases, including venues such as Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, TX. To support COTA during the FORMULA 1® LENOVO UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2023, Lenovo and two of its AI innovators, VISTRY and WaitTime, developed solutions demonstrating the art of “what is possible with AI” at the premier sports and entertainment destination in the United States. Look closely at some of the behind-the-scenes Lenovo AI solutions during race weekend.
Knowledge at their Fingertips 
To accommodate the massive turnout of Formula 1 fans, COTA hired thousands of temporary workers to staff concessions, parking, gates, and more. They needed a way to empower these workers with the knowledge required to ensure an enjoyable weekend for all attendees. Lenovo and Vistry teamed up to create an Advanced AI Chatbot support solution leveraging generative AI.
“At Vistry, our deployment of the Staff Assistant for COTA’s grand event was a strategic game-changer,” reflects Atif Kureishy, Founder of Vistry. “Our platform was instrumental in creating unparalleled value for the 10,000 staff and over 430,000 visitors over the three-day spectacle. The Staff Assistant was not a mere convenience but a revolution in operational efficiency and customer service. We saved countless staff hours by delivering instant and accurate answers to fan inquiries, protocols, and locations, enabling every attendee’s seamless and enriching experience.”
Using COTA’s Staff Assistant isn’t just about convenience; it’s about enhancing productivity, reducing stress, and boosting fan satisfaction. This AI Chatbot provided guidance and answers to FAQs for COTA temporary event staff. The Staff Assistant was available via SMS in English and Spanish and was a go-to resource for the temporary workers. It provided real-time guidance on food preparation instructions, venue operating procedures, event-related FAQs, and more.
“The AI tool is phenomenal. It’s a real-time solution in the palm of your hand that gives fast, accurate answers when a fan wants to improve their experience. Working with Atif and the Lenovo Team was a very productive and collaborative process, and they quickly became an extension of our team. We realized the power of their technology when hundreds of their ‘AI Agents’ tested our Staff Operations Manuel to identify any gaps in our procedures and then reported those findings to us ahead of the Race weekend, allowing us to solve any potential problems before they ever happened,” said Scott Wessels, Vice President of Commercial Partnerships at COTA.
The users of the COTA Staff Assistant mentioned how it improved productivity and reduced stress, especially since accurate answers were at their fingertips. Some Staff Assistant users said, “Finding things this year is easier than last year because we have the AI Module, where you just type in any question. Last year, you had to call the radio or contact your boss to get information. The app has been a lot more helpful.” Also, “The Staff Assistant is very user-friendly. The answers were fast and very accurate.”
The positive impact was clear among the staff, as one user highlighted, “With the Staff Assistant, we had the power of immediate information—it turned potential chaos into orchestrated excellence, significantly saving time that directly translated into enhanced fan enjoyment.”
Improving the fan experience
Further, Lenovo and WaitTime unveiled a groundbreaking venue solution for transforming the Formula 1 spectator experience using cutting-edge technology. By combining eighteen cameras strategically installed throughout Circuit of The Americas (COTA) racetrack with WaitTime’s patented AI technology on Lenovo ThinkEdge Servers, COTA operators can meticulously monitor crowds of people in queues.
“This real-time data analytics platform provides invaluable insights, enabling operators to dynamically understand how crowds are growing, moving, and changing,” said Zachary Klima, Founder, and CEO of WaitTime. “Such instantaneous information empowers them to make on-the-fly adjustments to operations and revenue strategies, ensuring an optimal and seamless experience for the spectators while maximizing efficiency and revenue for the event.”
Lenovo partnered with WaitTime on the COTA Crowd Intelligence Solution using real-time data. Lenovo serves as the compute partner, processing WaitTime’s patented algorithms at a staggering 24 frames per second. This innovative Lenovo AI Solution illustrated the “art of what’s possible with AI at venues.” AI monitored and engaged with spectators and, more importantly, helped make the fan experience at Circuit of The Americas more efficient and enjoyable.
