BNP Paribas Open – Special Events Highlight Off-Court Action

Written by: Staff on 1st March 2013

BNP Paribas Open - Special Events Highlight Off-Court Action

epa03060141 Shadow of Andy Murray of Great Britain in action during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 15 January 2012. The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, will begin on 16 January. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG |

FAN-FRIENDLY EVENTS HIGHLIGHT OFF-COURT ACTION AT 2013 BNP PARIBAS OPEN

New Events Highlight 2013 Tournament, Annual Favorites Return

INDIAN WELLS, Calif., March 1, 2013 – A wide variety of fan-friendly events are on tap for the 2013 BNP Paribas Open, the largest ATP World Tour and WTA combined two-week event in the world to be held March 4-17, 2013 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

New to 2013 is a half-hour lead-in show on the Tennis Channel before each day’s play, live from the tournament grounds. Hosted by Brett Haber and Hall of Famer Tracy Austin, Live at the BNP Paribas Open will feature news updates, guest interviews and conversation about what can be expected in the day ahead. The program’s set will feature a news desk located next to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden’s main stadium, surrounded by thousands of fans. As the hub of Tennis Channel’s tournament coverage throughout the day, the desk will feature regular appearances by celebrities, players and the network’s on-air team.

In addition, this year former ATP World Tour Pro and beloved tennis commentator Brad Gilbert will host “Beer with Brad” on Corona Day, Friday, March 8, in the Corona Beach House. Brad, alongside the Corona Hostesses, will chat with fans about the draw and upcoming matches as well as his picks for the finals.

One of the annual events that fans look forward to is Salute to Heroes Night presented by the City of Indian Wells. On Friday, March 8, a special ceremony recognizing veterans, military personnel, police and firemen will be conducted following first evening session match. This year, the special evening will coincide with an exhibit featuring the World War II Mobile Education Center. This mobile exhibit houses an authentic and meticulously maintained collection of original World War II memorabilia including uniforms, weapons, American propaganda, a restored 1941 Bantam Jeep and technological equipment of the time.

Over the middle weekend fans can look forward to Emirates Day (Saturday, March 9). On that day, fans can participate in the “Emirates Airline Ball Flight” and “Spot the Cap” promotions, where they can win prizes including tickets to the finals or round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Dubai. Fans can also stop by the Emirates Lifestyle Booth, which will showcase Emirates iconic lifestyle elements, such as Cabin Crew members refreshing guests with cold towels, cups of Arabic coffee and snacks such as dates, chocolates, and fresh orange juice.

Also on the middle and final weekends (March 9-10, 16-17 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) BNP Paribas will continue their tennis ball recycling program with reBounces. The first 1,000 fans who bring six or more used tennis balls to the North side of the Superwall in Corona Plaza will receive one free can of new Penn tennis balls.

The Village Stage, under the 19,000 square foot shade structure installed last year, will come alive each night with live music and entertainment from Thursday, March 7-Friday, March 15. Kicking things off will be the greatest doubles team in the history of the game – Bob and Mike Bryan. While they attempt to win their first BNP Paribas Open title, the Bryan Brothers Band will hold an exclusive performance featuring Michael Johns from American Idol, Jim Bogios from Counting Crows and Southern Californian singer/songwriter George Holdcroft.

When fans are out on the grounds, they can shop for the latest tennis fashions from Fila in their retail store or visit the Bulova booth for the finest in precision timepieces. Bulova will also present Tennis Talk, where hosts Wayne Bryan or Bud Collins discuss match highlights with other tennis legends. Bulova also offers fans in Main Stadium the chance to participate in the “Precisionist Challenge” on court for the opportunity to win a Bulova watch.

For the full event calendar visit: http://www.bnpparibasopen.com/Events/Calendar-of-Events.aspx

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About the BNP Paribas Open

The BNP Paribas Open is the largest ATP World Tour and WTA combined two-week event in the world, offers more than $12,000,000 in prize money, and is the only event to provide the Hawkeye line challenge system on all match courts. In 2012, more than 370,000 people attended the event. Visit www.bnpparibasopen.com to purchase tickets online and view the calendar of events, listing of main draw singles players, schedule of matches and more. Indian Wells Tennis Garden Box Office, 800-999-1585 or 760-200-8000, 78-200 Miles Avenue, Indian Wells, CA, 92210.

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is one of the best rated banks in the world*. The Group has a presence in more than 80 countries and more than 200,000 employees, including more than 160,000 in Europe. It ranks highly in its three core activities: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail banking model across the Europe-Mediterranean zone and boasts a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas and solid and fast-growing businesses in Asia. *Rated AA- by Standard & Poor’s.

BNP Paribas and Tennis

2013 will see BNP Paribas celebrate the 40th anniversary of its partnership with the French Open, Roland Garros. Since this first historical commitment, BNP Paribas has extended its partnership with tennis across the world and to all levels of the sport – both individual and team competitions, wheelchair tennis, local family clubs as well as the professional game; from those just learning the game to those competing in the top tournaments on the pro circuit. Building on this, BNP Paribas launched wearetennis.com; a website entirely dedicated to tennis news. It is a unique initiative which provides tennis fans with a constant flow of information on tennis events with coverage of all the ATP, WTA and ITF tournaments. Today BNP Paribas is the world number one sponsor of tennis: Official sponsor of Roland Garros, title sponsor of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, sponsor of 4 ATP Masters 1000 events (BNP Paribas Masters, Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome, BNP Paribas Open – Indian Wells), title sponsor of the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, Partner of the Brussels Open with BNP Paribas Fortis, partner of the Bank of the West Classic – California, the Grand Prix Hassan II – Casablanca, the Grand Prix SARS Leila Meriem – Fès, the Open 13 – Marseille, the Moselle Open, the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, the AEGON Championships – London, the Open de Nice, the Open Sud de France, the BNP Paribas Showdown – New York, the BNP Paribas tennis classic – Hurlingham, and the BNP Paribas Zurich Open. Other partnerships BNP Paribas has formed over the years include with international wheelchair tennis (the BNP Paribas Open, the BNP Paribas World Team Cup) and the Junior and the university tennis (the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, the Master’U BNP Paribas, the BNP Paribas Cup, the BNP Paribas National Tennis Academy of Dublin, the BNP Paribas Junior Tennis Masters-Athens). BNP Paribas is currently working through partnerships with more than 20 local tennis federations and more than 550 amateur tournaments across the world and supports many charities which aim to educate children by teaching them to play tennis.

Topics: Atp, BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wta