MIAMI, Fla. – The 2013 Sony Open may not have had Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the line-up but that did not prevent the tournament from recording over 300,000 in total attendance for the fourth consecutive year, all the while displaying to the world why the event is regarded as the most glamorous on the WTA and ATP World Tours.
With great weather, the biggest names in music, entertainment and sports, as well as an atmosphere suited for both family fun and the party crowd the tournament boasted 10 session sellouts and a total attendance of 307,809, the fourth highest in tournament history.
The biggest story coming out of the event in 2013 was the announcement that the Sony Open was ready to begin a $50 million voter approved Crandon Park Tennis Center improvement project following the 2014 tournament. The project, which will take place in three stages, would include the construction of three permanent show courts, the expansion of player, media and fan food and beverage areas in the main stadium, and the addition of addition green space around the site using native plants and trees to better blend the site into the landscape.
Tournament owner IMG has allocated tournament generated revenues and cost savings to fund the project. No taxpayer dollars will be used.
The tournament kicked off in style on Tuesday, March 19 with the exclusive Sony Open Players Party at the JW Marriott Marquis in downtown Miami. The red carpet event drew the biggest stars in tennis and featured a performance by international DJ Calvin Harris.
On site the Sony Open was the place to be seen with some of the biggest celebrities visiting the site including actors Rob Lowe, Kevin James, Bridget Moynahan and Jeffery Donovan; the Today Show’s Star Jones; international recording artists Calvin Harris, Flo Rida and Austin Mahone; and sports stars Alex Rodriguez, Greg Norman, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Tannehill and Bryant McKinnie just to name a few.
The Sony Open also continued its tradition of provided guests with a full days worth of entertainment when visiting the site. The food and beverage options were once again a big hit among guests. In partnership with Great Performances, the official food and beverage provider of the tournament, the Sony Open gave visitors more choices than ever before including ranging from burritos and margaritas to sushi and champagne.
Fans were also treated to live entertainment and player question and answer sessions on the Sony Open Entertainment stage.
Guests looking to relax in-between matches were able to visit the Veuve Clicqout Champaign and Sushi Bar, the Bombay Sapphire Lounge, the Corona Beach House, Latin Café of the Champions Club presented by ITAU. The member’s only Collectors Club presented by Nespresso was also extremely popular providing its members with gourmet food and spirits in a modern yet relaxing environment.
The Sony Open is one of the most relevant tennis events when it comes to social media and is the most followed tournament on Facebook outside of the Grand Slams with more than 118,000 likes. The tournament can also be found @SonyOpenTennis on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.
Always looking to stay ahead of the curve the Sony Open and SAP partnered to create the official tournament mobile app that really enhanced the fan experience with live scores, photos, videos, enhanced player bios, and a 3D Replay function that provided a virtual replay of all points. The app is available for both Android and iOS systems.
Once again the Sony Open was a significant economic engine for South Florida. The Sony Open annually generates an economic impact of over $380 million for Miami-Dade County and this year the tournament booked well over 14,000 room nights at local hotels. The tournament was also broadcast to 193 territories around the world and received an estimated 7000 hours of global television coverage. Domestically the tournament received 72 hours of television coverage on Tennis Channel, ESPN and CBS.
True to form, the Sony Ericsson Open was a global event with over 500 credentials issued to media from 32 countries.
The 2014 Sony Open will take place March 17-30.
ABOUT THE SONY OPEN: The 2013 Sony Open will be played March 18-31 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Sony Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. In 2012 Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray for his third Sony Open title, while Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off Maria Sharapova to capture her first title in Miami. For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at www.SonyOpenTennis.com.
ABOUT SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS: Sony Mobile Communications is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation, a leading global innovator of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Through its Xperia™ smartphone portfolio, Sony Mobile Communications delivers the best of Sony technology, premium content and services, and easy connectivity to Sony’s world of networked entertainment experiences. For more information: www.sonymobile.com
ABOUT IMG: IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in China, Brazil and India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academies; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.
