| NEWS 07.28.08 1:53 PM |
Rain Washing Out Summer Events
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Toronto is in the midst of one of the rainiest summers ever—Environment Canada reports it is the wettest in 28 years—and the record rainfall is wreaking havoc on events and festivals around town. Attendance at the Rogers Cup, held at the Rexall Centre Monday through Sunday, was on track to be the highest ever until rain washed out play for much of the day Wednesday.
"Obviously we lost some of that count for our attendance and some revenue from that session on the Wednesday," tournament director Karl Hale told reporters yesterday, adding, "Overall we had 151,000 people attend during the week, and also did $10.7 million in ticket sales, which is $800,000 ahead of Montreal, so it's a record."
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Rogers Cup, RBC Canadian Open, Warped Tour, BrazilFest, Wakestock |
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| NEWS 07.25.08 1:58 PM |
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Rogers Cup Secures Record Sponsorships
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 | The Yoplait booth at the Rogers Cup
Photo: BizBash |
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Creating new partnerships and retaining sponsors like Rogers Communications—which just announced a three-year extension of its title sponsorship—is important for a sporting event like the Rogers Cup, according to Greg Wood, Tennis Canada's vice president of corporate sponsorships. “The key to our success this year is, number one, keeping our sponsors," Wood said this week. “We have been growing our sponsorship revenue for a long time. Since 2003 we’ve taken off. We’ve had 150 per cent growth in the last five years." According to Wood, the Toronto and Montreal tournaments will generate in excess of $17 million in sponsorship revenue this year. This year's Rogers cup wraps up at the Rexall Centre this weekend.
"Our biggest new pick up this year was the Dairy Farmers of Canada. They are a platinum partner at both [men's and women's] events," Wood said. The organization is also working with Tennis Canada on a grassroots program and national public service campaign called Everyday Champions. "It’s a marketing partnership where we’re promoting the healthy lifestyle of tennis and the health benefits of [dairy products]…there is a print campaign celebrating everyday tennis champions around the country and all of it culminates at the Rogers Cup with the Dairy Farmers of Canada Activity Centre at the event," he said. The centre includes smash tennis, mini tennis, sampling, and branding.
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Rogers Cup, Tennis Canada, Rogers Communications, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Mercedes-Benz, Emirates Airlines, State Farm Insurance, Desjardins, Aeroplan, Adidas, Rexall, UPS, Miele, 407 ETR, California Wines, Corona, Iris, PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Merchant of Tennis, American Express, Haagen-Dazs, Yoplait, Fiji Water, L'Oréal Paris Men Expert, Sunoco |
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| EVENT REPORT 07.25.08 8:00 AM |
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Rogers Cup Offers V.I.P. Treatment to Corporate Clients
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 | The Pricewaterhouse Coopers V.I.P. lounge
Photo: BizBash |
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Sales of executive suites and season tickets have reached record levels at the 2008 Rogers Cup, which wraps up this weekend at the Rexall Centre. And, according to Rob Swann, senior director of corporate sales, Tennis Canada is making every effort to "add a lot of value" for V.I.P. ticket holders. “When you buy our platinum package, you get valet parking, it’s a V.I.P. entrance, and you get access to the Pricewaterhouse Coopers lounge. What’s also nice, too, when you sit in your seats there’s actually corporate ID on the seats. It’s a big hit with all of our customers," Swann said.
There are 40 executive suites within the Rexall Centre; they vary in size and can accommodate as many as 80 people. Prices range from $1,000—to host 14 people on opening night—up to $25,000 to entertain 80 people for the finals. Clients can choose to buy a suite for one session or for the entire tournament. "It’s been our best year ever. The corporate world is really getting behind tennis and really supporting it," Swann said. "Our executive suites and season tickets sales are up significantly...we’re on track to be 20 percent ahead of last year."
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Rogers Cup, Tennis Canada, PricewaterhouseCoopers, California Wines |
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| NEWS 07.23.08 12:13 PM |
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Tastemakers Lounge Pampers Players at the Rogers Cup
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 | The Tastemakers Lounge
Photo: Franco Deleo/toromagazine.com |
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Tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were among the top players who had the opportunity to pick up items like designer sunglasses and T-shirts in a gift lounge at the Rogers Cup this week. Debra Goldblatt, president of Rock-it Promotions and founder of Tastemakers, organized the Tastemakers Lounge at the tournament for the second year in a row.
“Men’s tennis in particular has recaptured the public’s attention, with Federer and Nadal battling it out again and again, and Canadian Daniel Nestor recently taking the men’s doubles championship at Wimbledon [with his partner, Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic]," Goldblatt said. "We want to show how Toronto can be a state-of-the-art host at the Masters tournaments.”
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Tennis Canada, Rogers Cup, Joe Fresh Style, Scin Eyewear, Strellson, ToroMagazine.com |
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| NEWS 07.21.08 11:14 AM |
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Rogers Renews Tennis Sponsorship
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Rogers Communications Inc. is renewing its title sponsorship for the Rogers Cup, which gets under way at the Rexall Centre today. Financial terms of the three-year deal have not been disclosed, but the contract with Tennis Canada will extend through the 2011 events in Toronto and Montreal.
“Rogers continues to display its unwavering commitment to sport in this country,” Michael S. Downey, president and chief executive officer of Tennis Canada, said in a statement. “We are proud to have such a dedicated title partner."
The partnership between Tennis Canada and Rogers Communications began in 2000 when Rogers Wireless became the co-title sponsor of the women’s event. In 2004, the company was the lone title sponsor of the WTA event and in 2005, the company lent its name to both the men’s and women’s tournaments, which rotate annually between Toronto and Montreal.
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Tennis Canada, Rogers Communications, Rogers Cup |
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