US Open Tennis Championships and Zoom Announce VIP Virtual Experience Partnership
VIP Hospitality Events, Celebrity-hosted Opening Night Celebration and Champion-to-Champion Interviews
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. and SAN JOSE, CALIF., — August 28, 2020 — The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today announced a new partnership to deliver virtual experiences during the US Open Tennis Championships, scheduled for August 31 to September 13, 2020. VIP Experiences will include two private VIP virtual hospitality events and a celebrity fundraising event for the USTA Foundation. Virtual events are becoming more and more dominant in the wider area of entertainment, including VR sports and VR gambling.
The virtual hospitality events will be open to VIP guests invited by Zoom, and feature Q&As with tennis legends, celebrity interactions, and tutorials for the iconic Honey Deuce cocktail and other classic US Open culinary offerings. These two events will serve as innovative ways to provide engaging and unique experiences for premium guests to interact with – and provide lasting memories for – top prospects.
In addition, a celebrity-hosted opening night fundraising gala will be held on August 31 via Zoom. The fundraising event is in lieu of the traditional Opening Night Gala that is held on-site each year to benefit the USTA Foundation – the charitable arm of the USTA. This year’s event will be hosted by Alec Baldwin and will support the “Rally To Rebuild” campaign. Launched in June, the campaign is a call to action to support National Junior Tennis Learning (NJTL) chapters across the country.
As part of a larger campaign, the USTA is paying tribute to local healthcare workers. The USTA will honor 14 “Healthcare Champions” from around the globe in a “Champion-to-Champion” virtual interview series conducted on Zoom. Before the start of each match, during the virtual coin toss, a former US Open Champion will recognize a Healthcare Champion who has worked tirelessly to save lives in the fight against COVID-19.
“This year has compelled the tournament to innovate in very different ways. This new and exciting partnership with Zoom enables us to leverage their best-in-class capabilities to re-imagine spectacular in a virtual environment,” said Lew Sherr, Chief Revenue Officer, USTA. “We also greatly appreciate their support for the USTA Foundation and our efforts to celebrate health care champions across the globe.”
CAA Sports helped facilitate this partnership through its global representation of the USTA.
“It’s thrilling to partner with organizations that share our innovative spirit,” said Janine Pelosi, Zoom CMO. “We’re constantly thinking of ways to engage with our customers in this new world of robust virtual experiences. We’re also deeply thankful for, and proud to support the USTA in paying tribute to, all of the healthcare workers who have been on the frontlines caring for those affected by COVID-19.”
About USTA
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 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking nine 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.
About Zoom
Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) brings teams together to get more done in a secure and frictionless video environment. Our easy, reliable, and innovative video-first unified communications platform provides video meetings, voice, webinars, and chat across desktops, phones, mobile devices, and conference room systems. Zoom helps enterprises create elevated experiences with leading business app integrations and developer tools to create customized workflows. Founded in 2011, Zoom is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices around the world. Visit zoom.com and follow @zoom_us.
