#btsia Shortlist Focus: The Fever-tree Championships
Organisation: LTA
Event: The Fever-Tree Championships
Category: Event of the Year In Association with Miller
Tell us about yourselves…
“The Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen’s Club is the LTA’s flagship event, and an iconic tournament in the professional men’s tennis calendar.
“We innovate, we work with the community, we deliver meaningful brand partnerships and we listen to our players and fans to always make sure they get the best possible experience.
“Revered by tennis fans, and the players themselves, our event delivers show-stopping sport in the traditional, intimate atmosphere of The Queen’s Club.
“In addition, we’ve continued to grow our daily capacity to 10,500 through the innovative use of space and budget, meaning more people than ever can join us for a legendary day out.
“2018 was special and record-breaking for many reasons, but none more so than players such as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray joining others to vote us their ATP 500 Tournament of the Year.”
Why do you think you made the shortlist?
“Our spectator experience was enhanced via improvements across catering, seating, general facilities and sponsor activations – this really showed through our record customer survey results.
“The quality of the sport on offer was at a record high, with a record strength player field for the event and the ATP 500 event category and we were voted ATP 500 Tournament of the Year 2018 by those players.
“Additionally, the 2018 event was a commercial success for the LTA enabling us to give back to the local community and directly reinvest our profits back into growing tennis within the UK.”
What made the event great to work on?
“Even with an annual tournament such as ours, the world of sports events is never dull, and our 2018 event represented a significant step forward for the event with a transformation of the look and feel of the site as our brilliant new title sponsors Fever-Tree came on board.
“Our whole team, working with the team at Fever-Tree, had a lot of fun bringing our new sponsor brand to life in the best way to engage and excite our spectators.
“A huge cast of suppliers brought together their enthusiasm for events, their creativity and their ability to get the job done no matter what it took.
“Working amongst all these dedicated people made this our most enjoyable event yet, and one we are immensely proud of.
“Moreover, the tennis on court was sensational in the glorious June sunshine, with big names taking to our Centre Court every day and thrilling our crowd, none more so than Novak Djokovic, who returned to Queen’s for the first time in 8 years, and our eventual champion Marin Cilic, who edged out Novak to clinch our title for the second time, in our longest ever final.”
Who was your MVP?
“The MVP has to be the whole team. Over 1,500 people play their part in delivering the event. Their commitment, care and love for what they do shows in its special atmosphere and unique environment.
“We have the most dedicated team, who contribute so much to our event, including our legendary tournament referee Jimmy Moore (41 years in post), our expert groundsman Graham Kimpton, who has tended the luxurious lawns of the Queen’s Club man and boy, and our expert Event Director Emma Foster and Tournament Director Stephen Farrow, who lead the team.
“However, to deliver an event of this quality and improve year after year, requires a whole team of MVPs, and that’s what we are so lucky to have.”
How do you plan to celebrate?
“We are already celebrating, as to be shortlisted for the BTSIA is something for which we are extremely proud.
“If we win, we’d make sure everyone any of us have ever encountered knows about it! Be prepared for the social media blitz to end all social media blitzes.”
CREDITS
“The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) – the whole team that delivers the event, led by Stephen Farrow (Tournament Director) and Emma Foster (Event Director) especially for their tireless enthusiasm, energy and dedication to making the event bigger and better every year.
“Also, The Queen’s Club – our beautiful venue, led by their indefatigable Chief Executive Andrew Stewart and brilliant groundsman Graham Kimpton and Fever-Tree – our new title sponsors, who have helped reinvigorate the event with their modern, exciting brand.”
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