Every one of these formats has run at a real Vertex activation. None of them require different hardware from a standard sim racing rig — they're entirely about the structure wrapped around it. If you're planning an event and wondering how to make a rig earn its space on the floor, start here.
1. Time attack leaderboards
Every lap gets timed and ranked on a live, visible leaderboard. This is the single highest-impact format change you can make to a sim racing activation — it turns a casual lap into a public result, and a public result is what makes people come back for a second and third attempt. GoStreet's app launch ran on exactly this format, with a cash prize for the fastest time of the day.
2. King-of-the-Hill tournaments
Winner stays on, challenger steps up. It's a format borrowed directly from esports tournament design, and it works on a sim rig for the same reason it works on a gaming stage — it builds a crowd around the current champion and gives every new challenger a clear, visible goal.
3. Branded liveries and custom rig panelling
Swap the stock car skins and HUD for your own branding, built into the game itself rather than stuck on as a banner nearby. BJAK Drivers Club's custom in-game graphics are the clearest example — every lap a visitor drove was, visually, a lap inside the brand's own world.
4. Virtual test drives
For automotive and insurance-adjacent brands especially, a rig can be built to replicate a specific real vehicle — digitally modelled, correctly liveried, and framed as a "test drive" rather than a game. It's a format that works because it borrows credibility from something real.
5. Team formats — 2v2 and relay challenges
Pair riders up against each other rather than running everything solo. A head-to-head or small-team format changes the social dynamic of an activation entirely — people bring a friend over specifically to compete, rather than queueing alone.
6. Stamp rallies and reward mechanics
Tie a rig into a wider activation by rewarding play with a stamp, token or entry into a prize draw redeemable elsewhere on-site — at a merchandise counter, a gacha machine, or a simple raffle box. It's a small mechanic that turns one station into a reason to visit every other station too.
7. Pairing with music, F&B or a live DJ
A rig doesn't have to sit in a quiet corner. Running a sim racing activation alongside a DJ booth and food and drink — as GoStreet's outdoor car meet did — changes the entire atmosphere from "demo station" to "destination," especially for lifestyle and community-driven audiences who are there for the scene as much as the equipment.
The hardware is rarely the differentiator. The format is.
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