MIAMI—The 2023 Miami Open, presented by Itaú, has officially wrapped its lively, two-week residency at Hard Rock Stadium. More than 385,000 spectators made their way to the grounds to watch champions Daniil Medvedev, Petra Kvitova, Santiago Gonzalez, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula serve their winning matches March 19-April 2. Of the attendees, around 94,000 purchased tickets to the Miami Open campus, a sprawling, 860,310-square-foot, open-air space set outside the stadium.
On campus, 25 brands activated in collaboration with both the Miami Open Events and IMG Partnerships teams, which encouraged each brand to build as they saw fit. From three-story structures with tennis-viewing platforms to spacious ground-floor lounges to pop-up retail shops, no one activation looked the same.
“They all had creative freedom to emulate the look and feel of their brand through facades, furniture, flooring, lighting, decor, menu boards, etc.,” said Miami Dolphins & Hard Rock Stadium manager of events Jordyn Brobst. “There aren’t specific regulations in place. We love when brands get creative with their spaces for fans.” While some owned their concepts from blueprints to builds, others tapped the in-house teams for guidance.
During the Open, Bodega, which is home to six local brick-and-mortar outposts, boasted a brand-new Bodega Racket Club concept for its second showing at the 860,310-square-foot Miami Open campus.Photo: Courtesy of CG Media
According to Brobst, the conceptualization process begins six months prior to the tournament. “The day after the Miami Dolphins football season is over, we hit the ground running with the Miami Open build-out.” The spaces are segmented into areas like Sunset Terrace and Palm Court within the campus, and Stadium Court within the stadium itself. Although the basic structures remained the same from 2022, there were improvements made based on last year’s learnings.
For instance, the top level of Sunset Terrace included a new viewing deck with more seating, since last year’s installment had lots of foot traffic. This space offered unobstructed views of the Butch Buchholz Court and practice courts (there were 26 campus-accessible courts). And the Miami Open Skills Zone—an all-ages space where kids and adults could test the speed of their tennis serve and play pickleball and ping-pong throughout the tournament—was another new addition.
There was certainly no shortage of fun and games throughout the multiday tournament, which kicked off with an exclusive cocktail party at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami hosted by the Tennis Channel and Vampire Diaries stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. The event featured craft cocktails made from Somerhalder and Wesley's award-winning bourbon whiskey brand, Brother’s Bond Bourbon, along with music provided by DJ Mad Linx.
The food and beverage lineup was undoubtedly a main attraction of the tournament campus. Of the 25 activations, 13 were courtesy of South Florida restaurant partners (including Suski Maki, American Social, and Ella’s Oyster), while five alcohol sponsors (including Botran Rum, Col Bleu Vodka, and Maestro Dobel Tequila) poured the potables for imbibers.
Brother's Bond Bourbon co-founders Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley kicked off the Miami Open with an exclusive cocktail party at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami. Naturally, cocktails made with the stars' spirit brand were on offer.Photo: Courtesy of Tennis Channel
Bodega, home to six local brick-and-mortar outposts with six more on the way (expansions into Nashville and Chicago are slated) returned to the sprawling campus for its second year. While its 2022 debut featured elements from the core brand, in 2023, the team rolled out a brand-new Bodega Racket Club concept.
“We saw an opportunity to not only feature Bodega’s culinary offerings, but to create a lounge atmosphere that would encourage guests to hang out longer,” explained Samantha Rosen, Bodega's vice president of brand. “We were one of the only concepts on the campus with live DJ sets throughout the tournament. We felt this created a great energy within the space and brought attention to our build-out.”
In addition to increasing the size of the activation, Bodega doubled the size of its bar, added a second satellite draft bar, and reworked how guests ordered to maximize the space. Bodega partnered with HAUS OF SÔS, Funkshion, and Rozas Studios to bring its concept to life, along with Lacoste (which also hosted a retail pop-up) to co-brand staff uniforms.
“We always seek out events that amplify our brand messaging and increase our exposure,” Rosen said. “Off-site activations like the Miami Open are a great way for us to deepen our audience’s connection to the brand while also expanding upon our guests' typical Bodega experience.”
Presenting beer sponsor Stella Artois activated on the second floor of Sunset Terrace. The branded build-out featured its color palette of white, gold, and red—and oversized, branded tennis balls in the signature colors were used as décor elements in creative ways throughout the space.Photo: Courtesy of Stella Artois
Stella Artois partnered with tennis star Frances Tiafoe (right) to roll out an on-site meet-and-greet with fans.Photo: Courtesy of Stella Artois
Additionally, the official beer sponsor of the Miami Open—Stella Artois—partnered with tennis star Frances Tiafoe to host a meet-and-greet for a custom bar build-out and activation, titled “The Life of Artois at The Perfect Serve," on the second story of Sunset Terrace. Here, there was a custom chalice-engraving station, signed Tiafoe gear, a DJ booth, and lounge areas. The Belgian beer also parked its branded airstream on the campus turf to serve French fries with chef-curated dipping sauces. The space also played host to “The Final Set, Presented by Stella Artois,” a two-day concert series during finals’ weekend featuring Cimafunk and Kool and the Gang that took place on campus in the South Plaza.
And within the Palm Court, a popular three-story structure hosted an array of action. The Miami Open Shop Powered by Tennis Plaza could be found on the ground floor. On the second floor, Champagne Pommery popped up to pour bubbly paired with caviar at the Seabourn Observation Deck. And Miami-based Greek eatery Kiki on the River took over the third story with a laid-back rooftop lounge that offered sweeping views of the grounds and campus tennis courts, along with several social media-friendly photo backdrops designed with colorful florals and neon signage.
The Miami Open Skyview Gondola entrance was stationed just outside the Palm Court. For an additional price, the Skyview Gondola ride gave fans a panoramic, aerial view of the entire Miami Open campus during a ride from one side of campus to the other.
Outside of the pricier official stadium session tickets, the Campus Pass started at $15 and offered a great opportunity for everyone—from avid tennis fans seeking close-up practice access to those looking for a taste of the great food, drinks, and music—to experience the Miami Open at a fraction of the cost.
Stella Artois-branded, tennis ball-clad decor moments enhanced the activation space. Aside from this fence outfitted with the brand's iconic chalice, fans were invited to visit a chalice-engraving station for an extra-special souvenir.Photo: Courtesy of Stella Artois
