Over 70,000 motorists have taken to the tracks, one third of whom are under 17 year olds, signing up for a Kids Driving Experience. Meanwhile the chefs in the Gullwing restaurant have served up over 38,000 dishes – equivalent to feeding the capacity of Wimbledon three times over. As the UK’s largest automotive brand experience centre celebrates its second birthday this month, visitbritain announced that Mercedes-Benz World achieved the country’s largest increase in visitor numbers, with a massive 316,000 guests passing through its doors in 2007 – an increase of 418 per cent. This brings its total visitor numbers to almost 600,000. These numbers are likely to further increase with the introduction of a corporate driving programme, named ‘Driving for Business’, where the unique handling circuit facilities will enable company car drivers to experience challenging road conditions. Similarly, with a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on 25 October, plus an AMG exhibition including vehicles, first-hand accounts and exciting footage, and a two-week appearance by the stunning F700 concept car scheduled for November, visitor numbers show no signs of slowing anytime soon. Mercedes-Benz World has proven a popular choice for business and pleasure alike, hosting over 2,450 events – the equivalent to 100 a month. These range from The Double Twelve: Brooklands Motoring Festival in June (which saw over 15,000 visitors attending) to specialist car days, general business conferences and live music concerts featuring the likes of Sir Elton John, McFly and Sugababes which drew over 35,000 visitors. Next year, The Double Twelve: Brooklands Motoring Festival has been confirmed for 13 and 14 June 2009, which will be followed a month later by another weekend of concerts by world-famous artists. And looking even further into the future, an on-site hotel is currently being built by Hillwood Resorts, scheduled to open in Spring 2010. Commenting on the double celebration, Peter O’Halloran, managing director of Mercedes-Benz World, said: “This has been a truly landmark year for Mercedes-Benz World and we’re proud of our achievements, from hosting a series of incredible live music events including Sir Elton John to the sensational motoring event of the summer, The Double Twelve: Brooklands Motoring Festival. “Mercedes-Benz World was never designed simply for petrolheads. We wanted the whole family to come along and experience the brand. The blend of heritage, brand attractions and being able to actually get behind the wheel of our cars has proven a very successful formula for a second year running.” Peter concluded: “We have seen an incredible two years since opening and we have exceeded all our expectations on building on our success from last year. We are now looking forward to 2009 and bringing new events on board and building on our success; the best is yet to come.” |