It’s an apparent sponsorship bonanza for this week’s Cincinnati Masters, with officials boasting of a 40 percent increase in sponsorship revenue while failing to actually cite a dollar figure.
Local media report that the joint ATP-WTA tournament will only refer to its “multimillion-dollar operation.” It adds that 65 percent of event intake comes from sponsorships, ticket sales and hospitality at the only top tennis event within a thousand kilometers or more of the flatland Midwest.
Tournament spokesmen said that businesses in the area have been a marketing target for sponsorships, meaning “Unique partners are sought that align well with tournament demographics.”
“We’ve gone to a customized approach for every single person we talk with.
It’s more about what are their business needs, what are their business objectives and what do we have that could try to accomplish that in an asset perspective.”
The event can site a laundry list of up to 30 sponsors, including those already signed on with the WTA like Corona beer and Emirates airline. Also listed: American Express and Xerox. Insurance title sponsor Western & Southern Financial Group is into the second year of a three-year contract.
Academic studies at the University of Cincinnati estimate the tournament’s financial footprint at $62.5 million.