Record crowds make up for corporate losses at Australian Open 25/01/2010 |
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Australian Open organisers expect record crowds to boost year-on-year revenues for the 2010 event despite the recession hitting corporate hospitality.
Corporate sales are down about 10 per cent on the previous year, Tennis Australia commercial director Steve Ayles told Reuters at the mid-way point of the tournament.
"We felt the global financial crisis to a degree at last year's Australian Open but people make those decisions six months in advance," he said.
"From that perspective, we were quite fortunate that a lot of companies had locked in and paid.
"Of course, when they were thinking about the decision to book for this year's tournament, [the downturn] was probably felt more."
Ayles revealed the event is on track to break its record attendance of 605,735 set in 2008 and could reach "somewhere between 610 to 620,000”.
"If the weather continues as forecast, there is a real chance," he added. "Last year, people chose to buy a ground pass rather than a Rod Laver Arena ticket. This year, it has reversed.”
Despite the loss of three of last year's sponsors, including financial services provider GE Money and Australian airline Qantas, new sponsors have been found and existing partners have invested more to make up the difference, according to Ayles.
"The good news is that despite it being probably one of the toughest economic climates, we managed to increase our sponsorship revenue from 2009,” he said. “We're not talking massive percentages, though."
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