“It was an opportunity to look at where we could partner up on cost. The tent is here [so] there is an efficiency and economy because they don’t have to rebuild it. It makes life a lot easier for all of us,” Orosz said.
The four-day polo tournament attracted more than 10,000 spectators for men’s and women’s matches, cocktail parties, and fashion shows. This year Orosz added some star power with the involvement of John Walsh, host of America’s Most Wanted, as a host and player on the AMG-Mercedes team. “He’s a polo enthusiast, and he really wants to see the development and the evolution of the sport and really bring it out to the public like we’re trying to do,” Orosz said. Walsh’s daughter Meghan also got involved with a show of the latest fashions from her Blank Silk by Meghan Walsh clothing line on Thursday night in the V.I.P. tent.
AMG, the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz, returned for the second year as title sponsor and displayed several of its high-performance vehicles around the venue. This year AMG-Mercedes worked with designer La Martina to create a commemorative polo shirt for the tournament, which was sold at the La Martina retail tent over the four days. All proceeds from the sales of the polo shirt will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, the tournament’s official charity partner.
On Thursday, Orosz announced his company will debut the Chicago Beach Polo championship from September 30 through October 2 on the sands of North Avenue Beach. He said he plans to expand to additional markets in the near future.