Adam Barboza, Project Manager of America’s Cup Bermuda, has travelled to four Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series around the world and takes a look at what it takes to run these events.

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events are all a critical part of the 35th America’s Cup process. They give teams valuable time racing in the high performance AC45F boats where they can test their crew work, performance and technique against each other. All six teams race in a fleet race format, which is very different from the America’s Cup match racing.

But it is not just the teams that get their practice in. It is a great time for the ACEA event crew to work with each of the LVACWS host venue teams. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes, including months of planning that culminates in the execution of those plans to stage the product that the public, sponsors and TV viewers ultimately end up seeing.

Each event is an evolution of the ones previous to it. There are lessons learnt in all aspects. There is obviously the racing that takes place on the water, orchestrated by the America’s Cup Race Management Team who work with scores of volunteers to create the racecourse that the teams compete on, and there is also the vast amount of work that goes on shore side as well. From setting up the team bases, assembling the boats that travel in four forty foot containers, to literally building temporary structures for hospitality and general public viewing. The event venues are transformed with America’s Cup branding on everything from sidewalks and light poles, to buildings and boats. It is an all-encompassing feat.

Also, working in relative anonymity, but whose production is seen by millions, is ACTV. Their compound is a hive of hi tech production elements all working seamlessly to make the show come to life. All of these different facets are taking place while there are hundreds of people working in their roles of infrastructure, security, transport, communications, health and safety and event entertainment.

As in any major event, the teams are the stars of the show, but it is all the people working tirelessly behind the scenes that make the LVACWS events the success that they are. Bermuda benefited from having the LVACWS here in October of 2015, which provided a great dress rehearsal for the six week long AC35 big show in May and June of 2017. The AC35 in Bermuda will take advantage of all of the LVACWS that will have taken place over the past two years and will see the culmination of the countless hours of planning come to fruition.