The United States Tennis Association announced the first-ever “US Open Experience,” a two-day event that will take place in New York’s historic Seaport District NYC, located in the southern tip of Manhattan. The two-day tennis festival will be held on Thursday, August 24, and Friday, August 25, from 10 am to 8 pm each day. The event is one of the anchors of US Open Fan Week, a series of free activities for fans leading up to the 2017 US Open.
The Seaport site will be transformed into a modified version of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center featuring a recreation of the famed Unisphere at one end of Schermerhorn Row and anchored by a performance stage and “roofed” court at the north end of Schermerhorn Row. Visitors to the US Open Experience will be treated to a full slate of events, including player appearances, autograph signings, photo opportunities, food tastings and musical performances.
On Thursday, the US Open Experience will open with an immersive youth tennis experience that will feature on-court Net Generation clinics for young players, as well as various elements and attractions that will be included in the upcoming 22nd annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day powered by Net Generation. The Experience also will contain a special Net Generation target hitting game, which will be unveiled at the Seaport for the first time. On Friday, the US Open Draw will be unveiled on the main stage, featuring broadcast talent and other special guests, including the tournament’s defending champion Angelique Kerber and other special guests.
The US Open Experience will include food sampling by US Open food vendor Korilla and coffee sampling provided by Lavazza. Multiple photo and selfie opportunities will be available on-site including an opportunity for fans to have their picture taken with the US Open trophies sponsored by Chase, a US Open umpire chair photo op for fans sponsored by Spectrum, and a Mercedes-Benz car display. Mount Sinai Hospital will be on hand to provide Experience attendees with health and activity tips. In addition to the trophies presentation, Chase also will sponsor free charging stations. To conclude each night, the Experience will feature live musical performances on the main stage as well as appearances by noted DJs.
“The US Open is one of New York’s great events, and we are now bringing that excitement, energy and experience to Manhattan,” said Katrina Adams, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “US Open Fan Week, with all its free activities now expands the fun and excitement for fans beyond Queens for the first time.”
This year’s US Open is scheduled for August 28 through September 10, with the US Open Qualifying Tournament beginning on August 22. The USTA is continuing its transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with a new Louis Armstrong Stadium slated to open in 2018.
The US Open Experience is being produced by DKC INC!TE, an in-house production division of DKC built off of 20-plus years in the experiential marketing and entertainment industries to seamlessly produce events for major and emerging brands and clients.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network.For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
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