For years, Gardner Automotive Communications has partnered with Toyota to create immersive thrill-ride experiences at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale—one of the world's premier automotive lifestyle events. Each January, hundreds of thousands of automotive enthusiasts gather to celebrate performance, innovation and collector vehicles, making Barrett-Jackson the ideal stage for Toyota to demonstrate the capability of its TRD Pro trucks and GR performance vehicles.
Producing an activation of this scale requires far more than building a ride course. GAC designs, manages and continually refines every aspect of the customer experience—from course design and vehicle logistics to registration, queue management, staffing and throughput optimization. Each year, GAC works to improve operational efficiency while delivering an unforgettable experience for every participant.
TRD Pro Dirt Ride
The purpose-built off-road course was engineered to showcase Toyota's legendary truck capability through a series of challenging obstacles, including steep climbs, rutted terrain, high-speed berms, washboard moguls and crowd-pleasing jumps. Consumers experienced the capabilities of several popular Toyota TRD Pro vehicles while professional drivers demonstrated the vehicles' off-road performance in a safe and controlled environment.
For the 2025 event, Gardner introduced an improved loading area, reconfigured vehicle rotations, streamlined passenger loading and unloading, implemented a dedicated single-rider queue and expanded operational flexibility to accommodate as many as five vehicles simultaneously. These enhancements from previous programs significantly reduced wait times while establishing new performance benchmarks for the activation. Over the course of the event, the Dirt Ride welcomed 12,234 riders, including a peak single-day total of 2,150 participants, while achieving an average throughput of 151 rides per hour and an event-record 308 rides in a single hour.
GR Supra Thrill Ride
The GR Supra Thrill Ride delivered an entirely different experience—demonstrating the precision, acceleration and dynamic handling of Toyota's flagship sports car through exhilarating passenger rides with professional performance drivers.
Efficient operations remained a key focus, with carefully managed loading procedures minimizing bottlenecks and maintaining wait times despite exceptionally high demand. The experience also provided attendees with a direct comparison to competing performance vehicles, further reinforcing the capability of the GR Supra platform.
During the nine-day event, the Thrill Ride hosted 13,855 participants, including a peak single-day total of 1,795 rides, averaging approximately 171 rides per hour with a peak of 306 rides in a single hour.
Record-Setting Results
The 2025 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale activation established new performance benchmarks across both experiences, including:
• 26,089 total participants across the two activations
• 3,945 combined rides completed in a single day
• 308 rides completed in a single hour—a new event record
By combining thoughtful operational planning with engaging brand experiences, GAC transformed Toyota's Barrett-Jackson presence into two of the event's most popular attractions. The program demonstrates GAC's expertise in experiential marketing at scale—where logistics, customer experience and operational excellence come together to create memorable interactions with tens of thousands of consumers.
