| EVENT REPORT 06.29.09 5:35 PM |
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| Holding Court |
| As Wimbledon plays out across the pond, British bank HSBC offered New Yorkers live viewings in Rockefeller Center, complete with the city's only grass court. |
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Wimbledon may be in London, but the tennis tournament's official sponsor, HSBC, wanted to include New York fans in the festivities—and its related marketing—so it played host to match simulcasts and free grass-court tennis last week at Rockefeller Center.
To pull off the five-day event, HSBC's internal events team turned to British sports and entertainment producers IMG UK and New York media agency Mindshare Performance. The partners wanted each aspect of the event to bring fans closer to the festivities across the Atlantic, but public attention seemed focused on its structural centerpiece, the city's only (albeit temporary) grass court. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | To fit the street, the pop-up court measured a few feet narrower than regulation.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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 | Since Wimbledon runs on a British Summer Time schedule, five hours ahead of New York, live screenings of the tournament started at 7 a.m. each morning of the promotion.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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 | To bring on even more guests, HSBC sponsored a London-style cab that drove around Manhattan, offering free rides to the stunt throughout its five-day run.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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 | Guests who didn't have the chance to sign up for court time got a chance to play simulated tennis on Wii gaming units supplied by EA Sports.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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 | Ball boys and girls dressed in the same the official Polo Ralph Lauren Wimbledon uniforms seen on their counterparts in England.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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 | A cart offering up complimentary strawberries and cream from event partner California Giant Berry Farms operated daily from noon to 6 p.m. and delivered 25,000 samples over the course of the week.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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 | For several hours each day, the courts were reserved for tennis pros to offer tips to guests during free clinics.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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 | Passersby stopped and took in the matches, which included ones with professionals Jim Courier and Jennifer Capriati on the opening day.
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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Construction of the court was left to Connecticut-based athletic field professional Rock Capecelatro (who The New York Times profiled last week). Capecelatro spent several months testing the best grass for the lawn, first trying diamond zoysia from South Carolina, before deciding the sod didn't give balls the necessary bounce. Fortunately, plan B didn't need to travel as far: The grass used on the court came from southern New Jersey.
But the stunt boasted more than just the court—which worked to HSBC's advantage, considering last week's frequent rain delays and the competition for appointments on the courts. Walk-ins got to experience other Wimbledon fare, like green-screen photography with the trophy, traditional strawberries and cream, and live simulcasts of the matches on a large television, complete with elevated seating.
Wimbledon at Rockefeller Center wrapped its five-day run on Friday, but the tournament itself continues through Sunday, July 5.
—Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
Wimbledon, HSBC
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