New York
NCS
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In the waning weeks of summer season, the hottest spot for celebrities to be seen in New York isn’t the seashores of Montauk or the polo fields in Bridgehampton. Rather, it’s barely uncomfortable, blue plastic chairs in Queens — however surrounded by luxurious.
Monday kicks off the US Open, the two-week tennis tournament which is the sport’s remaining grand slam of the yr with a record-breaking $75 million in prize money up for grabs. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) stated ticket gross sales have already surpassed final yr’s, which broke attendance data, indicating that the sport retains getting extra in style following a pandemic increase.
In addition to attracting the high gamers, together with 2023 champions Coco Gauff and recent Olympic gold medal winner Novak Djokovic, the US Open nowadays swarms with megawatt stars, from actress Charlize Theron to singer Justin Bieber and tabloid-favorites Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet making appearances final yr.
“Coming out of Covid-19, the growth of tennis has gone way up,” stated Shiz Suzuki, vice chairman for international model sponsorships and experimental advertising and marketing for American Express, the match’s bank card sponsor. It runs a trio of lounges with exclusivity — and facilities — largely tied to ranges of card membership. “Similarly, the fandom of tennis has gone up. Some of the audience has gotten younger and some of the audience is a new audience that perhaps has not tuned in before.”
Tennis swung into the present popular culture and trend zeitgeist due to the current Zendaya-led movie “Challengers,” with viewership additionally rising: ESPN’s rankings for England’s Wimbledon, the earlier grand slam, rose 9% this June in comparison with final.
But the stars who attend aren’t sitting in the higher bowl of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 24,000-seat essential courtroom usually seen on TV, watching a speck of a neon-green ball bounce again and forth.
Instead, they’re invited to certainly one of the 90 swanky suites that flank the courtroom. These are both run by the US Open’s high sponsors or accessible to rent privately for prices up to $100,000. These provide cozy chairs, big-screen TVs and catered meals, in addition to giving host corporations extra publicity due to the buzz a star brings to an occasion. (However, to stand up shut, the outdoors balconies nonetheless have these plastic chairs.)
Cocktails, and a captive viewers
Suite gross sales are also set to surpass a record-setting 2023 match, officers stated. In reality, many offered out by April, marking the Open’s fastest-ever charge of gross sales. One specific draw: Tennis has the profit of getting hours-long matches usually stretching into the late evening, a novel trait for manufacturers seeking to mingle and market their invitees.
Overall hospitality gross sales, which additionally embody non-public suites, court-side seats at Ashe and different lounges all through the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, are up 27% this yr from final, in response to Elevate Experiences. Big spenders laying down the six figures to safe a collection are corporations largely from monetary, insurance coverage and authorized companies.
They’re a significant component in USTA’s development: The group made $71 million in 2023 from company hospitality, a 16% enhance in comparison with the yr prior, and a determine that’s prone to rise in 2024 judging by demand and the “fan week” that added to the begin of the occasion.
The recognition mirrors the development of personal suites and company events at different sports activities, together with soccer, Formula 1 and the Olympics, in an period when extra individuals are touring for sports activities and splashing down huge bucks for distinctive experiences.
Al Guido, president of San Francisco 49ers and CEO of Elevate, instructed NCS that the “ticket is just one piece of the live entertainment experience,” including that “corporate hospitality is a multi-billion-dollar market, and those customers want to control the entire guest journey for their clients.”
For Maestro Dobel Tequila, inviting Theron in 2023 was a part of its technique to introduce itself to an viewers that’s seemingly unfamiliar to the model. Last yr, the spirit grew to become the US Open’s first-ever tequila sponsor in a deal that continues this yr.
In addition to Theron, different stars invited final yr to Dobel’s suite included Seal, Ariana DeBose and Katie Holmes
“The suite provides a controlled environment for us to bring the right people and right crowd,” stated Lander Otegui, chief advertising and marketing officer for Dobel’s guardian firm Proximo, including that inviting a recognizable superstar like Theron “gives an opportunity for us to have free publicity out of the suite.”
He declined to say how a lot a collection at the US Open prices however revealed that it’s a multi-million-dollar funding altogether when factoring in the sponsorship. They are seeing outcomes: Sales of Dobel rose in cities the place it sponsors tennis tournaments, Otegui famous.
Theron attended twice final yr as a visitor of Dobel, sipping its signature Ace Paloma cocktail, with the photos splashed throughout the Daily Mail, Page Six and different publications (in addition to the Dobel-branded plastic cup).
Opulence helps the sponsors make their mark and no firm is probably going extra related to that than Emirates Airline, the service identified for its over-the-top cabins. It doesn’t instantly recreate the expertise at Ashe, however it’s getting near mirroring the top quality expertise.
Perched instantly in line with the web, the 1,400-square foot suite underwent an enormous rework for 2024 that mirrors the identical luxe look and ambiance of its airplane’s interiors. A cabin crew staffs the suite checking folks in, and the meals served inside additionally matches its first-class choices, with seafood towers, champagne and caviar.
Emirates invited Zendaya, Bieber and his spouse Haley final yr, in addition to actress Nicole Kidman. Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge and Nicola Coughlin, the star of the newest season of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” had been all photographed in the suite.
Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates’ divisional vice chairman for US and Canada, admitted that “it’s always exciting to see photos of stars enjoying the space and putting our brand in the spotlight as they enjoy the matches.”
Emirates is aiming to be “synonymous with some of the biggest sports in the world, helping establish long-lasting relationships in addition to creating new business opportunities,” Ahmad instructed NCS. The airline was just lately named the official international airline of the NBA and is getting naming rights to the league’s new in-season tournament.
Other suites additionally entice A-listers: Grey Goose, the match’s vodka sponsor, has an open bar in theirs that serves the iconic Honey Deuce and different vodka cocktails. The Bacardi-owned model has had a collection for the previous 15 years, which has advanced into a particular advertising and marketing instrument for the vodka.
“That’s one of the things that’s unique about the US Open versus other tennis tournaments is that really is like an elevated affair,” Aleco Azqueta, vice chairman of promoting for Grey Goose, instructed NCS. “Our suite is the place now to see and be seen.” Last yr, actors Zach Braff, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski had been a few of the stars seen there.
“We actually get a lot of requests from celebrities for limited spots,” Azqueta stated. “It comes down to brand fit and someone that genuinely wants to be there and enjoy the event.”
Luring in the proper star pays off for the sponsors, who’re all spending thousands and thousands of {dollars} to be connected to the glitzy tennis match. One image posted on a stars’ social media profile is value about as much as seven figures in free publicity for the firm, in response to Bob Lynch, founder and CEO of SponsorUnited, and which greater than makes up what the model is spending on a sponsorship deal.
“The presence of celebrities in general tends to encourage others in the suite to share their experiences, further extending the brand’s message and generating organic exposure across various platforms,” Lynch instructed NCS. “Surrounding them with influencers or those with larger social followings helps.”
Beyond the stars, enterprise will get executed in them too. For Heineken, the US Open’s beer sponsor, it makes use of its suite to ask enterprise companions, like distributors and retailers, in addition to celebrities and influencers to advertise the model that trails in gross sales in comparison with its bigger rivals.
“Few multi-week events in a key market like New York captivate and engage our target audience as powerfully as this one,” Pattie Falch, Heineken USA’s director partnerships and client experiences, instructed NCS.
Last yr, the Dutch beer used the US Open as a part of its launch of Heineken Silver, its new low-carb beer. “Stranger Things” actor Joe Keery photographed holding a can of Silver made its rounds in superstar magazines.
New for this yr, Heineken enlisted Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked male US tennis participant, and his social media influencer girlfriend Morgan Riddle to promote its non-alcoholic beer that’s being offered in a tennis-themed can at the US Open.
The all-day occasion at Ashe, with some matches that may stretch well into the night, is a “unique environment to market to decision-makers and develop relations over an entire day,” Lynch stated.