At the U.S. Open’s "exclusive Tufts Village corporate hospitality area, business as usual for companies, their clients and guests includes gourmet golf and championship food," according to a front-page piece by Jeff Mills of the Greensboro NEWS & RECORD. The Tufts Village is "luxurious" and "expensive," with costs averaging $500-750 per person per day. The "air-conditioned, carpeted tents feature three good meals, open bars, high-definition TVs, Internet access, even a 'Gelateria' gelato bar." But "above all, it’s an investment." MSG Promotions President Mimi Griffin said, "It’s relationship building. And that’s the way business works. It’s crazy for anybody to think this is a boondoggle or an extravagance. Because it’s not." She added, "For the corporate client, it gives them a chance to get a lot of quality face time with their clients. If they were sitting at a Major League Baseball game, or an NBA or NFL game, there’s screaming at the action on the field and it’s, what, three hours?" Mills notes in all, U.S. Open corporate hospitality this year "includes the gigantic, 130-table Champions Pavilion, 44 private tents, 230 corporate clients and roughly 5,500 guests per day." Most corporate clients "bought for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 6/12).
