The Entrepreneurs Running the U.S. Open A look behind the scenes at the big businesses behind the premier tournament in tennis.
By Dan Bova
Millions of people have tuned in to watch the sometimes inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking ups and downs of superstars like Nadal, Federer, Williams and Osaka, and more than 700,00 walked through the gates of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to see the action live and in person at the 2019 U.S. Open.
That's a lot of mouths to feed and eyeballs to entertain. The U.S. Open is by no means a small operation, requiring both amazing feats of physicality on the court and amazing feats of business acumen.
As Lew Sherr, chief revenue officer of the USTA, told Entrepreneur, "Our fans are on-site for eight to nine hours, and tennis is only part of the experience. We pride ourselves on amazing dining options developed by the most well-known chefs, fantastic shopping including dedicated Polo Ralph Lauren stores [and] engaging sponsor activations — and, of course, no visit to the Open would be complete without sampling the Grey Goose Honey Deuce."
Here are some of the most inventive (and tasty) activations we saw from businesses large and small.
Grey Goose
Photo credit: Fernando Colon/USTA
The Grey Goose® Honey Deuce continued its winning streak as the signature cocktail of the US Open. Follow
(Instagram: @GreyGoose | Facebook: @GreyGoose | Twitter: @GreyGoose)
IHG Hotels & Resorts
Photo credit: USTA
Approximately 2,000 guests experienced their "digital daydream," which provided a "sensory encounter" with a travel property. Visitors selected their desired destination while a massage therapist provided a cooling towel infused with property-inspired scents.
(Instagram: @IHG | Facebook: @IHG | Twitter: @IHG)
Kim Crawford Wine Bars
Photo credit: MarkSwallow | Getty Images
It's the official wine of the U.S. Open. Of the tens of thousands of glasses poured, pinot grigio was the most popular.
(Instagram: @KimCrawfordWine | Facebook: @KimCrawfordWines)
Lavazza
Photo credit: USTA
Lavazza provided refreshment and caffeine infusions for fans in the stands with its cold brew bar at the Lavazza Café in the Food Village. Lavazza has been bringing its black gold to the U.S. Open since 2015.
(Instagram: @LavazzaUSA | Facebook: @LavazzaUSA | Twitter: @LavazzaUSA)
Polo Ralph Lauren
Photo credit: Brian Friedman/USTA
The 2019 US Open ballperson polos, shorts and skorts provided by Polo Ralph Lauren were made from recycled materials. Each uniform is made from approximately 10 recycled plastic bottles.
(Instagram: @PoloRalphLauren | Facebook: @RalphLauren | Twitter: @RalphLauren)
Wilson
Photo credit: Tim Clayton - Corbis | Getty Images
The racquet stringers at the U.S. Open stopped using plastic bags to wrap the 5,300-plus racquets strung during the three weeks of the event, and all of the used racquet strings — more than 35 miles' worth — are being recycled.
(Instagram: @WilsonTennis | Facebook: @WilsonTennis | Twitter: @WilsonTennis)
