It’s that point of the 12 months once more: the System One (F1) Singapore Grand Prix is simply across the nook, and over 250,000 motorsport fans in Singapore and across the globe are gearing up for the one evening race on the F1 calendar.
However the pleasure isn’t restricted to the monitor. Dubbed “the world’s most exclusive after-party,” Amber Lounge is making its return to Singapore this weekend on September 21 and 22 on the Clifford Pier at The Fullerton Bay Lodge.
12 months upon 12 months, its events have drawn a powerful array of worldwide A-list celebrities, F1 groups and drivers, in addition to high-profile and ultra-high-net-worth people, from the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to Justin Bieber and David Beckham.
In 2022, serial entrepreneur Patrick Grove took the reins of Amber Lounge—and now, he’s on a mission to redefine luxurious nightlife on a world scale by increasing the after-party beyond F1.
Work onerous, play onerous
Patrick Grove is well-known within the Southeast Asian startup scene for his involvement in a string of profitable tech companies.
In 1999, he based Catcha.com, which has now developed into Catcha Group—an web funding agency that focuses on disruptive digital companies within the area.
He’s taken six corporations public over the previous 26 years, and his success has earned him a spot amongst Malaysia’s 50 richest people, with a web price of US$335 million in 2024.
It began with iProperty Group in 2007 on the Australian Securities Alternate, adopted by a string of IPOs within the 2010s—REV Asia Berhad in 2011 on Bursa Malaysia, iCar Asia in 2012 on the Australian Securities Alternate, Ensogo (previously iBuy Group) in 2013 on the Australian Securities Alternate, and Frontier Digital Ventures in 2016 on the Australian Securities Alternate.
– Patrick Grove
However why would a tech mogul dabble within the luxurious leisure business? When requested in regards to the acquisition, Patrick stated, “While I’ve always been a digital entrepreneur, the luxury and hospitality industries have always been a personal passion of mine.”
No one had to pitch Amber Lounge to me—I acquired it as a result of I am fond of it. I personally attend plenty of large sporting occasions world wide just like the Champions League, the Olympics, and the World Cup, however there’s normally no after-party apart from F1. It was in Monaco in 2017 that I skilled Amber Lounge for the primary time, and I used to be blown away.
However I noticed the potential for greater issues, and I suppose like all entrepreneur, it’s extra of the place you see an issue that wants to be fulfilled, and also you do one thing about it.
– Patrick Grove
Patrick had already began investing into the enterprise since attending its events in 2017. When the corporate’s founder Sonia Irvine (the sister of Nineteen Nineties Ferrari F1 race driver Eddie Irvine) determined to retire through the pandemic, he seized the chance to purchase out the rest of the enterprise.
For Patrick, the issue was clear: the world’s greatest sporting occasions lacked a constant, expertly curated after-party expertise. The prosperous crowd—those that prioritise high quality over amount—has been largely underserved. And he was satisfied that Amber Lounge was the reply.
With common golf equipment and bars, you enter not likely realizing what sort of expertise and crowd you’re getting your self into. However with Amber Lounge, you realize precisely what you’re going to get. You understand it’s going to be unique, you’ll meet like-minded folks—it’s the trusted after-party model.
– Patrick Grove
“I have to continuously innovate to differentiate the brand”
But, Patrick acknowledges that sustaining exclusivity whereas scaling is troublesome. “Unlike tech startups where rapid scaling can be beneficial, the luxury market relies on curating unique, premium experiences,” stated Patrick.
“For Amber Lounge, I have to continuously innovate to differentiate the brand from other high-end events so that it retains its allure among elite clientele.”
On the similar time, the posh market can be delicate to financial fluctuations and adjustments in client behaviour, such because the rising significance of sustainability. As such, the entrepreneur has to keep on high of shifting market dynamics and client preferences to make sure that the Amber Lounge expertise always stays related.
One other problem is navigating the logistics and operational complexities that include internet hosting large-scale luxurious occasions in varied world areas—occasions like Amber Lounge demand flawless execution, together with securing top-tier leisure, high-end venues, and luxurious companions.
“Managing these intricate details across various cities can be more complicated than managing digital platforms, where scaling operations is often more straightforward,” he defined.
Nonetheless, with a powerhouse crew behind him, he’s assured that Amber Lounge can transcend beyond its F1 roots.
The crew driving Amber Lounge’s success
When constructing the crew behind Amber Lounge, Patrick drew on key classes from his earlier start-ups. “When I look back at all the ventures that I was involved with that really worked, it was where either myself and the co-founder or the CEO, we would be the number one customer of the product,” he shared in an interview with Boulevard.
“If you’re the number one customer of the product, then you know what to tweak, you know when it’s not working, you know when it’s getting boring, and you know what to do to make it right.”
In case you again a enterprise solely primarily based on its monetary prospects with none real ardour for the product, he stated, “you’ll just be dumb money”—you’ll haven’t any actual worth to add to the enterprise beyond capital.
That’s why, for Amber Lounge, Patrick has rigorously curated a C-suite crew that, in his view, are “very representative of the brand.”
I introduced in Cher Ng, an business veteran who co-founded Zouk Kuala Lumpur, and Jeannette Tan, an skilled luxurious occasions producer, who’re each enhancing Amber Lounge’s world model by introducing new luxurious experiences, akin to unique yacht cruises and high-end suites at Grand Prix occasions, making the model much more interesting to high-net-worth people.
– Patrick Grove
What’s subsequent for Amber Lounge?
Beyond internet hosting its VIP events, Amber Lounge has additionally fashioned a subsidiary, Amber Ideas, to spend money on world F&B ideas and venues.
Although Patrick prefers to hold the small print hush-hush, what we all know thus far is that its first undertaking could be a significant membership spanning 18,000 sqft in Singapore’s Central Enterprise District, that’s slated to open late this 12 months.
The membership will probably be a “multi-concept space, with a VIP club, restaurant and day pool club”, stated Amber Lounge CEO Cher Ng in an interview with The Straits Occasions final December.
Since Patrick’s acquisition of Amber Lounge, the crew has taken the unique after-party to the Las Vegas F1 in addition to the Qatar World Cup.
Within the subsequent 5 years, the entrepreneur hopes to host occasions in any respect main F1 races, concert events, and sporting occasions throughout the globe.
We would like Amber Lounge to be essentially the most unique after-party on the planet. We imagine in creating iconic VIP experiences, and Amber Lounge is the proper place to do this.
– Patrick Grove
Discover out extra about Amber Lounge right here.
Learn different articles we’ve written about Singaporean startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Amber Lounge/ Catcha Group
