Holding Court

Unlike other big sports competitions—like, say, the Super Bowl or the World Series—one of the biggest events for squash isn't played in an enclosed stadium, and passersby can join paying spectators in watching the game. The Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions, billed as the largest professional squash event in North America, held its 14th championship playoffs inside Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall from Thursday, January 10, through Wednesday, January 16. The tournament involved 64 high-ranking male and female players and drew about 4,300 spectators during its weeklong run.

John Nimick, president of Boston-based Event Engine—which operates the tournament and has handled its production and promotion since 1993—worked with Event Central to put on the competition. (Following the tournament, both Event Engine and Event Central assisted in the hall's transition from squash court to the 24-hour spin-a-thon held by Town Sports.) Wall Street firm Bear Stearns returned for its fifth consecutive year as title sponsor. (Whether or not its role in the subprime mortgage panic or the recent departure of its C.E.O. will affect marketing and sponsorship decisions remains to be seen.)On a fully enclosed glass court on the east side of the hall, surrounded on three sides by bleacher seating for 475, 20-year-old Egyptian player Ramy Ashour beat opponents from England, Australia, and the U.S. to win the men's championship. The Bear Stearns lounge—where V.I.P.s could dine on food provided by Restaurant Associates—a bar, and a retail area selling Dunlop and tournament-related merchandise filled the space on the west side of the hall.

With the help of Grand Central Terminal and Jones Lang LaSalle (the real estate firm that manages the terminal's retail spaces) in acquiring the necessary permits and approvals, the production team spent about three and a half days putting up the 20,000-pound court. Some minor adjustments to the surrounding area made room for two new components this year—a television crew from the Tennis Channel and additional stations for live Web streaming.

Another new aspect was a sponsorship from Juice Energy, a New York-based electricity supplier that helped the tournament reduce its carbon footprint. The sponsor purchased Voluntary Gold Standard emission offsets and Green-e certified renewable energy credits to counteract the emissions produced by the event's travel, lighting, shipping fuel, and hotel use.

One small snag that caused some concerns during the planning of the tournament was the renovation planned for the hall. (Vanderbilt Hall was scheduled for renovations in the early months of this year.) This meant that Event Engine had to bump the event up—previous tournaments in the terminal have taken place in February—and run the risk of losing its audience. But despite the date change, tickets sales were higher than ever, with the bleachers at full capacity for the last few matches. Going forward, Nimick is hoping to take advantage of the hall's space and the station's constant commuter traffic by adding a large screen to display the matches.