Sony Ericsson "Open" to the General Public
The Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, is taking more steps this year to introduce the tennis tournament to the public and fans all around the greater Miami area. For example, the tournament hosted a “college night” on Coco Walk in Coconut Grove. The event featured video highlights from the Sony Ericsson Open on a large screen TV, a tennis video game, Top Spin 3, that visitors could play, as well as autograph and
photo sessions with some of the tennis stars from the tournament. The tournament expands over the weekend to a 4 day event on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. The tournament activities in South Beach will include live TV coverage on a big screen, as well a fast serve cage where tennis fans can test their serve speed, ticket giveaways to the Sony Ericsson Open, autograph sessions and more. Promotions such as these events in the greater Miami area serve to make the Sony Ericsson Open so much more than simply a tennis tournament. It’s become a major happening in the greater Miami area. By featuring live matches and tennis activities in popular public and tourist venues, such as Lincoln Road and Coco Walk, the Sony Ericsson Open helps to broaden the appeal of tennis. Last year, the tournament introduced “Night Tennis” and now they’ve expanded their marketing and outreach efforts to attract even more members of the general public. The Grand Slam events, i.e. Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, also have had similar special events in their respective cities and sometimes overseas, e.g., The Australian Open events in China. Clearly, these promotions require sponsor support, but they are critical to maintaining and expanding interest in tennis.
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