The first quarter (and change) of the calendar year sees tennis come to the United States over the course of nine weeks, and HolterMedia was busy working at a half dozen events during that time.
Like the tournaments themselves, the projects varied in size and scope, each calling on different skills from the HolterMedia team.
Here’s a look at what kept us busy so far this year:
Dallas • ATP 250
The only Tour-level indoor tournament in the United States is the Dallas Open, which takes place on the campus of Southern Methodist University. HolterMedia’s Pete Holtermann was there as the Broadcast Venue Manager for ATP Media. In that role, Pete represented international broadcaster interests in scheduling meetings, worked with the local production team to ensure appropriate broadcast quality and served up relevant information to the world feed production and commentary teams in London.
Delray Beach • ATP 250 + Champions Tour
The Tour moved back outdoors with a South Florida staple as the Delray Beach Open was held and celebrated its 25th edition at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. HolterMedia’s Toni Woods served as the Media Director, which included public relations outreach leading up to and during the tournament as well as managing the media operations for the event that hosts both the ATP Champions Tour as well as an ATP Tour 250 concurrently. The week was highlighted by the success of Matija Pecotic, whose qualifying and main draw wins drew attention from not only the sports media but also the likes of CNBC and the Wall Street Journal.
Austin • WTA 250
The first Hologic WTA Tour event of the year in the United States was the debut of the ATX Open. HolterMedia was there in two capacities, with Rachel Given overseeing the tournament’s social media while Pete Holtermann handled media operations, planned special events, hosted player appearances, produced the daily drawsheet and assisted with web content. As a new tournament, the lead up was unique. Developing a social media presence with limited assets related to the tournament was a different kind of campaign. Operationally, there was no facet of the event where repeating what was done the previous year was an option. It was a successful event, and with a lot learned, the entire ATX Open team is eager for year two.
Indian Wells • Tie Break Tens
Tie Break Tens returned to Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the third time with mixed doubles making its debut in the fast-paced format. For the second year in a row, HolterMedia’s Pete Holtermann assisted with remote media relations, including writing the event recap.
Miami • ATP & WTA 1000
The HolterMedia team assisted in the Miami Open presented by Itaú’s media operations with Toni Woods serving as Press Facilities Manager and Pete Holtermann in the role of Media Director. The tournament added a 15th day this year and features 96-player singles fields for both the ATP and WTA tours. The event takes place at Hard Rock Stadium a little over two months after the last Miami Dolphins game and concludes one month before it hosts a Formula 1 race. As with any venue that hosts such a dynamic array of events, there is a lot of effort taken to meet the specific needs of each entity, and preparing the facility to host a tennis event and its media involves a significant amount of advance work.
Houston • ATP 250
Our longest client relationship is with the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, an event that also sees HolterMedia provide the widest variety of services. Pete Holtermann works in lockstep with the organizers on numerous facets of the tournament administration, such as scheduling, public relations and media operations. He also oversees a unique broadcast arrangement that services both the ATP Media world feed and a separate domestic production for ESPN. Lia Tzourbis served as media assistant to help not only with operations but also online content as HolterMedia manages the tournament website. Rachel Given managed the social media content, collaborating with a talented team of contracted help for the tournament. Our work with US Clay begins long before the event with planning along with management of a year-round social media presence, PR campaigns, email marketing and editorial support for the tournament program.
While these events were taking place, HolterMedia continued to work with its other clients, including the Western & Southern Open and Vanderbilt Athletics.
In the coming weeks, we’ll share a more in depth look at some of these projects.