ActionPoint Delivers Key Strategic Project for EMSO (the Emirates Motorsports Organisation)

The EMSO’s primary responsibility is to promote the safe and sustainable growth of motorsport in the UAE and to ensure all events are run fairly and to regulation. Before any motorsport event is organised within the UAE, event organisers must seek a racing permit from the EMSO. Prior to 2019, submissions were entirely paper based with payments made in person. The application process was slow, manual and labour-intensive, with multiple event types and data point requirements across location, insurance, course maps and user details. Being the leading body for motorsport racing in the UAE, the system was severely inadequate. The process was not only inconvenient for event organisers but also for the EMSO, who found it difficult to track and manage applications.

In early 2019, the EMSO went out to tender for the digitalisation of the permit application process. Thanks mainly to our award-winning work on the online passport renewal system for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), ActionPoint was selected to deliver the e-permit system.

In March 2019, ActionPoint started working with EMSO on the new e-permit system. Although certain specifications were outlined in the tender, the first key task was to sit down with the EMSO team and decide on exact project objectives, processes and workflows. During this stage ActionPoint’s highly experienced team gained a full understanding of requirements, spotting inefficiencies and suggesting improvements.

The system was designed to assist two distinct user categories.

• Event Organisers – The system provides event organisers with an online portal where they can create new applications, save changes, submit completed applications, and make edits when required. An easy-to-follow, step-by-step process ensures that all required information and supporting documentation are submitted with each application. The system also allows organisers to make secure online payments with full PCI-DSS compliance. The new e-permit system provides event organisers with complete visibility of the approval process, significantly reducing the time and costs around managing permit approvals.

• EMSO Administrators – The system allows administrators to search, view, edit and then approve or reject permit applications. When decisions are made regarding approval, notifications are sent to event organisers with appropriate next steps. All approved applications are automatically added to a UAE events calendar which can be viewed by both admin and event organisers for full transparency. Within the system, EMSO admin can update all aspects of the application process including e-permit pricing.

When it comes to engineering, the motorsport industry has always been at the cutting edge of technology for vehicles. However other technologies have lagged behind. The new e-permit system has accelerated EMSO into the modern age of contactless, efficient, user friendly administrative systems. Prior to 2019, the only proof of event licensing was on a piece of paper. This was incredibly time consuming to manage. Now, the proof of licensing is the database itself. With over 140 events running each year in the UAE, the new system will have a hugely positive impact on organisational resourcing and overall efficiencies.

This project was completed in 2019, with the system scheduled to be trialled for the 2020 race year. Unfortunately, this has coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic which has completely disrupted the entire events calendar. However, EMSO President Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem has confirmed that once the system is up and running in the UAE, he plans to roll it out across the Middle East and North Africa region.