This year’s TIA TENNIS FORUM will include a unique Tennis Industry "DISCOVERY CHALLENGE" a collaborative effort designed to foster creative ideas and innovative thinking to grow the game and business of tennis.
The Tennis Industry Association worked with IdeaConnection, one of the world’s leading Open Innovation service companies, to develop the DISCOVERY CHALLENGE, which started out in July with an online competition to showcase innovative solutions and will culminate with the presentation of the top ideas at the TIA TENNIS FORUM in New York City on Aug. 26.
From July 17 to Aug. 1, more than 500 people from the U.S. and around the world participated in over 3,000 discussions on how to increase tennis participation and engagement. The team at IdeaConnection identified key ideas and areas, and also awarded $100 prizes to 10 discussion contributors for their ideas and participation. A panel of industry experts will vote on a $1,000 Grand Prize winner with the top ideas and the Grand Prize winner announced at the TIA Tennis Forum.
“We were thrilled to work with the IdeaConnection team for the Tennis Industry DISCOVERY CHALLENGE, and to see the hundreds of great ideas on how to increase tennis participation and retention,” says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer. “For our industry, the plethora of data and insights received through this process are a researcher’s and marketer’s dream. We look forward to sharing the results of the Discovery Challenge with our industry partners.”
The TIA assembled a panel of judges who worked with Carlos Salum, the president of Salum International Resources, and Lena Belogolova, chief behavior officer at EasyKnock and a former Facebook leader. The judges include Stacey Allaster, USTA chief executive of Professional Tennis; SFIA Executive Director Tom Cove; Nielsen Sports executive Andrew LaFiosca; Dr. Stuart Miller of the International Tennis Federation; and Craig Morris, USTA chief executive of Community Tennis.
The judges picked the top three ideas in each of five categories: On-Court Tennis Activities and Programming; Marketing and Promotions; Technology Solutions; Wellness and Fitness; and Other Ideas/Outside the Box Thinking as well as Increasing Viewership. Salum and Belogolova will present the top ideas to the TIA Tennis Forum audience, before the grand prize winner is announced.
The Tennis Industry DISCOVERY CHALLENGE will take place during the 12th Annual TIA TENNIS FORUM at the Grand Hyatt New York from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 26, which is the first day of play at the 2019 US Open.
In addition to the DISCOVERY CHALLENGE, Tennis Industry HALL OF FAME, the TENNIS FORUM will include the latest news and research about the state of the tennis industry, business insights and updates on grow-the-game initiatives and the induction of tennis legend Arthur Ashe and apparel pioneers Cheryl Singer and Andy Varat into the Tennis Industry HALL OF FAME.
While the TIA TENNIS FORUM, DISCOVERY CHALLENGE and HALL OF FAME are free to attend, space is limited, so registration is suggested. Visit tiaforum.org for more information and to register for the Forum.
About the TIA: The Tennis Industry Association, the not-for-profit trade association for tennis, is THE unifying force in the tennis industry whose mission is to promote the growth and economic vitality of the business of tennis by working closely with its industry partners and in support of the USTA in their development of initiatives to increase tennis participation. Core TIA activities include producing more than 70 U.S. and global research reports annually on participation and consumer/trade research, managing the largest relational database, along with hosting annual TIA Tennis Forum, Leadership meetings and the TOM Conference at major tournaments and events. Visit TennisIndustry.org or call 866-686-3036.
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