Bethpage Sets U.S. Open Record For Corporate Tent Revenue
|  | | | CNBC's Mike Hegedus was at the U.S. Open at Bethpage to examine the event's corporate sponsorship and the economic impact the tournament will have on the surrounding area. USGA Media Relations Manager Craig Smith said the U.S. Open sold out on corporate on-site tents, selling 78, "with more on a wait list that we just couldn't accommodate. ... I think they're selling corporate for three years or four years down the line." The tents can have custom draping for $2,500, an upgraded plant package for $850, wood flooring for $6,000 and a center bar for $6,500. Companies with on-site tents include AT&T, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, KPMG, Newsday, Olympus America, UBS Warburg, Anheuser-Busch, ESPN, Hertz, MasterCard, NBC, P.C. Richard & Son, Siemens and Williams. Hegedus: "The other commercial winner is the village of Bethpage and the surrounding towns on Long Island, an estimated $100(M) windfall to the local economy" ("Business Center," 6/13). CNNfn's Susan Lisovicz reported corporate tent revenue is up 42% from the previous record set in '99 and asked Horrow Sports Ventures President Rick Horrow, "Why so much interest now?" Horrow: "Tiger, Tiger, Tiger and the demographics of golf. ... We're expecting pretty good ratings, but you know what, it depends, like everything else in the industry, on how well Tiger performs" (CNNfn, 6/13). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes the 78 corporate tents at Bethpage cost $85,000-175,000. In '95, the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, NY, sold 26 corporate tents. Mimi Griffin, President of MSG Promotions, which oversees the U.S. Open's marketing and corporate hospitality, said, "We pre-sold them while the economy was still strong. Had we begun selling them a year ago, we wouldn't have been as successful." Bethpage's tents were sold out by March '01, but about 15 companies had to be replaced after they pulled out of their deals (N.Y. TIMES, 6/14). Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau President Michael Hollander said that by the end of the U.S. Open, the economic impact on the region will exceed $85M. The impact of the '95 Open was estimated at $25-30M (NEWSDAY, 6/14).
SECURE ENVIRONMENT: In Syracuse, Chris Wagner noted the extra security at the U.S. Open and wrote, "To the fans credit, they've handled the security checks with courtesy and respect." Also, media access that was "routinely allowed all day Tuesday at the practice green was revoked" when Tiger Woods arrived (POST-STANDARD, 6/13). FLORIDA TODAY's Scott Blake profiles NC-based U.S. Open gate admissions and security system provider Compsee. The USGA owns the security equipment, software and network created by Compsee, but the company plans and operates the system. At the U.S. Open, Compsee's system will be used at seven entry gates with 24 check-in stations. The system is "designed to quickly move people through the gates" (FL TODAY, 6/13).
NOTES: GOLF WORLD's Geoff Russell reports Buick Classic execs "have expressed an interest" in moving their '06 event to Bethpage because the U.S. Open is scheduled that year for Winged Foot, near Classic home Westchester Country Club (GOLF WORLD, 6/13)....NBC Golf host Dan Hicks, on playing the Open at a public course: "I think that this is a great step for golf, and when it is all said and done [USGA Exec Dir] David Fay will have this to leave as his great legacy that he leaves the sport. I think that this is one of the great strokes of genius in the history of the guys who run great tournaments around the world" (SUN-SENTINEL, 6/14).
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