Tennis, Anyone?

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."



 “From a corporate hosting side...there’s nothing much like going to a night session in a packed stadium watching a Nadal or a Federer. It’s pretty special," Swann said, noting that lower bowl tickets for the finals sold out well over a month ago. "That's the earliest we've ever sold out." (The quarterfinals and semis are also now sold out.) The Wimbledon final, a four-hour match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, also helped to boost sales, he said. "We had every single representative possible answering phones [the day after Nadal won the title]." In fact, Swann said he was still getting phone calls this week from people offering to pay as much as $2,000 per ticket for Sunday's final.

However, the action on court isn't the only draw for clients. Corporate ticket holders enter the grounds through a V.I.P. entrance, which Swann describes as a nice upgraded area. "The lineups aren’t as long and we have hosts handing out complimentary draw sheets," he said. Guests also have access to the Pricewaterhouse Coopers V.I.P. Lounge. "With tennis the nice thing is the gates open at 5:30 p.m. [for the evening sessions] but the tennis doesn’t start until 7:30 p.m.," Swann said, adding that the lounge, which includes two restaurants, is an ideal place to entertain clients prior to the match. "It’s temperature controlled, there are big-screen televisions and there is a California Wines V.I.P. patio where you can watch the players practice. We really try and make the lounge a nice place to go to get out of the heat."

According to Swann, the special treatment doesn't end when the tournament wraps. “Following the tournament you can come back with three guests and play on a fully-branded centre court. You change where the players change, play on centre court for an hour and have a complimentary drink in the players lounge," Swann said of the initiative Tennis Canada implemented two years ago, adding that the activity is becoming more popular with clients.