Here’s an opportunity for those who want to attract a top-tier tennis event. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is seeking a host for a possible Davis Cup Qualifying tie event in early 2023. Davis Cup is an annual men’s team tennis competition featuring over 140 nations and should this event become necessary, the right host will benefit.
According to USTA, which provided the RFP, available at this link, the event is one of the most prestigious in the world. The USA leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles.
The Davis Cup held in Nashville in 2018 had excellent returns for the host:
- Estimates from NewsPowerOnline, indicated a potential audience of more than 1.7 billion were exposed to Belmont University through broadcast hits and website posts on Davis Cup
- Meltwater Media calculated a potential reach of 1.7 billion with more than 900 million of that coming from the first week of April alone, the period when Team USA was on Belmont’s campus
- A Meltwater analysis also indicated the University received an estimated $12.5 million in advertising value associated with Davis Cup coverage
- Belmont University received mentions nationally and internationally, including hits in USA TODAY, NBC Sports, ESPN, ABC News, AP, FOX Sports, Sports Illustrated, MSN.com and Yahoo, among others.
The event uses 125 room nights at its peak, and 700 room nights overall.
Venue Specifications, detailed in the RFP, include the following; however, USTA has noted that while these are ideal, destinations should feel free to submit a proposal even if some elements are missing or not present as listed.
- Venue should be available for a period of eight (8) or nine (9) days from the beginning of load-in to the end of load-out. Rent, if any, is intended but not limited to encompass exclusive use of facilities over the entire period defined in final agreement and for purposes of set up, operation and final tear down. The venue must be available for a period of eight to nine days, from January 29 through February 6, 2023.
- Stadium Court: Space for one (1) stadium court measuring no less than 71’ x 140’ with a minimum of 3,000 seats (facilities with less seats or more will be considered).
- Locker & Facilities: Venue must have two (2) fully equipped locker rooms (one for each team) with an additional two (2) rooms in close proximity to the locker rooms for team lounges.
- Office Space: Eight (8) office spaces are needed for the USTA, ITF, Production, Officials, Ball persons, Entertainment and Volunteers. Each office should have access to electrical and high speed Internet.
- Ceiling Height: Ceiling height of an indoor venue must have a minimum 40’ clearance.
- Power & Lighting: Venue must have adequate power to all relevant areas, either permanent or temporary, including sufficient power for the television compound. Lighting of court must be a minimum reading of 150 foot candles evenly distributed across the entire court surface.
Additional information, including media requirements, parking needs, permitting and personnel, as well as other aspects of the event, can be found in the RFP. The contact for additional information at USTA is Kevin Paczesny, kevin.paczesny@usta.com, 407-619- 4974.
This tie will only take place if the United States draws a home tie when the draw takes place in December; however, in case you’re wondering about the likelihood of hosting, USTA says USA last hosted ties in Reno, Nevada as recently as 2022 and Honolulu, Hawai’i in 2020.
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