Heineken Open Announced the World’s Best Experience

Heineken Open Announced the World’s Best Experience at ATP Awards

New Zealand Festival of Tennis has announced that the Heineken Open has taken out the Best Fan Experience award at the ATP Awards in Wimbledon this week. Beating stiff competition from renowned tournaments around the world, the Auckland tournament takes the major award for a second year in a row.

"The Heineken Open Auckland is an outstanding on-site experience for everyone, whether you are an avid tennis fan or not. The tournament provides the perfect balance of tennis and entertainment which is why people pack out the venue, two sessions a day for the whole week and return each year” said Alison Lee, Executive Vice President ATP International.

The Heineken Open prides itself on providing an unforgettable on-site experience, serving the best food, music and courtside fashion in New Zealand. Over the years, crowd numbers continue to increase, positioning them as leaders in the tennis world.

"I tell other promoters around the world to check out the Auckland tournament to see how well they have combined different elements to appeal to visitors” Lee continued.

In addition to the world-class tennis on offer, fans have enjoyed pop-up stations of Auckland’s best restaurants including The Grill by Sean Connolly and Masu. The Heineken Baseline Live Site and After Party have housed top international acts and some of New Zealand’s best musicians.

"This is great global recognition for the experience we are trying to provide for our fans. In a time where attendance at sporting events has declined, we have been able to continually increase numbers. The on-site experience and diversity being a key driver along with the star players we have been able to attract,” says Tournament Director, Karl Budge.

The Best Fan Experience award from the ATP caps off a great year for the New Zealand Festival of Tennis, which also saw the ASB Classic, voted Best International Tournament by the WTA Players earlier in the year.

"To have the two most important groups of people - players and fans say they love us, is a great sign for the tournaments. It certainly makes recruiting top talent a lot easier which hopefully means the fans will flock in their numbers” continued Budge.

The 2016 field currently shapes up to be bigger and the strongest yet in New Zealand, with organisers close to finalising four of the biggest name players this season. The New Zealand Festival of Tennis has some new consumer events including a new entertainment zone in the pipeline, to ensure next year will be the best yet.

ends

© Scoop Media