Nearly 4,000 Attend the New York Tennis Expo to Kick Off New York Open

March 5, 2018 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
NY Tennis Expo 1

 

More than 3,700 attendees came out for the New York Tennis Expo on Feb. 10 at NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the largest event of its kind in the country.

This marked the fifth New York Tennis Expo, the first held in conjunction with a professional tournament. This year’s installment of the Expo came together after it was announced that the Memphis Open would be relocating to Long Island. Based on the previous success of the Expos and the large amount of people the event attracts, Long Island Tennis Magazine knew it would be the perfect kickoff event for the inaugural New York Open.

The event was free to attend, and more than 60 exhibitors and sponsors from the tennis world and beyond filled the Expo Hall to showcase their companies and services to the attendees.

“I am amazed at how many kids and parents came out today and are so excited about tennis,” said Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff, Director of Sales for the Evert Academy, who came up from Florida for the event. “The organizers of the event did an amazing job. This is my first time here, and we will come back for sure. We were giving out bags, and I should have brought more!”

There were fun things to do and events all day-long, highlighted by the Expo’s array of activities. The tennis teams from Fordham University, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), Farmingdale State and Nassau Community College were on the Grandstand Court throughout the day, conducting clinics and playing points with attendees.

The Activity Zone was located inside the Expo Hall, and featured a multitude of things to do. New to the Expo was a Beach Tennis Arena, which was packed all day long and run by New York Beach Tennis pros, giving guests a sense of summer fun in the middle of winter.

There were two 10 & Under mini courts, sponsored by USTA Eastern, where pros would work with kids as a part of Net Generation Clinics.

Throughout the Expo, kids had a chance to step onto USTA Eastern’s 10 & Under mini courts to play. 

 

“I would say our favorite part has been the activities for the kids,” said Simone Martin of Queens, who brought her two children to the Expo. “They loved the 10 & Under courts, and they also got to play on the court where the professionals are going to play. The interactive activities going on here have been great.”

The Expo had the tennis world covered for all ages and levels, ranging from 10 & Under Tennis, all the way through the professional ranks, as throughout the day, guests were able to watch professional players, including Kei Nishikori and the Bryan Brothers, practicing on the Stadium Court as they trained ahead of the start of the New York Open.

The New York Islanders ICE Tour had a bouncy house and a Slap Shot Booth for some non-tennis-related fun for guests to take part in, while Sportime set up a Speed Serve Booth for folks to try to dial up their fastest serve.

The Expo covered the fashion aspect of tennis, as well with a Tennis Fashion Show in the afternoon, which showcased some of the latest trends in tennis apparel and accessories featuring a number of the top brands in the industry, including 30fifteen, inPhorm, Vibe Tennis, Lucky in Love, Faye & Florie, Denise Cronwall, Up or Down Spin and Corey Paige Designs. The apparel was modeled by the boys and girls from the Roslyn and Syosset tennis teams.

The Syosset and Roslyn tennis teams modeled tennis fashion and apparel during the Expo’s Tennis Fashion Show.

 

Some of the sport’s top local coaches and minds took part in two Speaker Seminars during the Expo. The first was “The Road to College Tennis,” headlined by former collegiate stars and current ATP Tour players Chris Eubanks and Cameron Norrie. The second panel focused on “Taking Your Game to the Next Level,” and featured ATP player Dudi Sela of Israel joining a renowned panel of coaches and experts.

The center of the Expo hall was home to the New York Tennis Expo Broadcast Plaza, where video and radio interviews with exhibitors and attendees were conducted throughout the day. As the lead-in event for the New York Open, the tournament’s Draw Ceremony was held at the Broadcast Plaza and featured appearances by Ryan Harrison, Jared Donaldson and Sebastian Korda.

Ryan Harrison speaks to attendees at the New York Tennis Expo before the New York Open’s Draw Ceremony took place. 

 

Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard, who participated in the New York Open’s Opening Night Premiere, stopped by for a meet-and-greet with guests and signed autographs.

“The Expo was a wonderful event,” said Sports Psychologist Dr. Tom Ferraro, who was an exhibitor and also spoke about mental toughness in tennis on the “Take Your Game to the Next Level” panel. “I met some great people from the world of tennis, and I felt the buzz of the event was great. I look forward to doing it again next year.”

The New York Tennis Expo was a celebration of tennis that brought together the community for a free day of family fun and ushered in the debut of the New York Open. It could not have been possible without local support, and the support from many companies and people nationally and internationally, in addition to the nearly 4,000 attendees who came out to make the event such a success.

“This was a special day for tennis. With close to 4,000 attendees, we saw tremendous support for our efforts,” said David Sickmen, Publisher of Long Island Tennis Magazine and New York Tennis Magazine. “Hoards of families were smiling and enjoying all the activities, and we received positive feedback from both attendees and exhibitors. The platform we created over the last 10 years, in terms of the publications and our event series, has enabled businesses to reach new players and to get in front of the community. This event should serve as a springboard for a successful tennis year in 2018!”

CLICK HERE to see more photos from the 2018 New York Tennis Expo. 

Click Here to see the Expo Recap Video


What They Are Saying …

“The New York Tennis Expo was a wonderful event. I met some great people from the world of tennis, and I felt the buzz of the event was great. I look forward to doing it again next year.”—Tom Ferraro, Ph.D., Sport Psychologist

“I had high expectations and they were exceeded. Really incredible … sincerely.”—Peter Kaplan, Owner/Operator, Peter Kaplan’s Westhampton Beach Tennis Academy

“The New York Tennis Expo was great. I was able to meet a lot of parents and kids who want to play college tennis. It’s fantastic. What was done at the Expo is unique to the tennis industry, and the best run Expo I have ever been to.”—Ed Krass, College Tennis Exposure Camps

“What an amazing job. This is my first time here, and we will come back for sure.”—Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff, Director of Sales, Evert Academy

“The New York Tennis Expo was the perfect venue for Saddlebrook. The location was terrific and the organizers of the event did a great job … professional execution from start to finish. We will be back next year.”—Howard Moore, Tennis Program Director, Saddlebrook Tennis

“Being a vendor at the 2018 New York Tennis Expo was a top rate experience. The organizers at Long Island Tennis Magazine run a first-class event and are highly organized, innovative and understand what the customer and the vendor want to get out of a tennis show. I was busy with strong sales from start to finish and made several important vendor contacts. There was ample room for display and demonstration, and the venue layout had a good flow. The other vendors I spoke with were also very happy and plan to attend again next year.”—Lisa Dodson, Founder/Inventor, ServeMaster

“The event exceeded our expectations in every way. Not only did we interact with tennis families and enthusiasts from the local area, but we also made fantastic new connections with other professionals in the tennis industry. We were thrilled with the amount of traffic at our table, and the level of interest in our tennis travel programs. We anticipate that the event will yield many new clients and partners for Elite Tennis Travel, and we will surely be back next year. Congratulations to the team at Long Island and New York Tennis Magazine for executing such a fun and professionally rewarding event!”—Lisa Scholtes, Managing Partner, Elite Tennis Travel

“The New York Tennis Expo was the perfect introduction to NYCB Live for people interested in the tournament. It truly was a first-class, professionally-run event. It was the best fan experience from an interactive standpoint. It served as the best way to present tennis on Long Island in a way that even I underestimated.”—Josh Ripple, Tournament Director, New York Open

“The New York Tennis Expo was clearly the place to be for tennis enthusiasts. The atmosphere was exciting, with lots of family-friendly activities and exhibitors from all facets of the industry. A well-attended event, providing us the exposure and brand awareness we were hoping for.”—Ian McCormick, Vice President Sales and Marketing, The Farley Group

“It was great being a part of the New York Tennis Expo and meeting so many people from the community, while also being a great kick off to the 2018 New York Open. Thanks to David and his staff at Long Island Tennis Magazine for making the day such a success!”—Kathy Miller, Club Manager, Carefree Racquet Club

“The events were carefully planned, lively and had the feel of being both an intimate community event, as well as a major tennis happening. Every other vendor I spoke with, as well as the people I had encouraged to attend, were very pleased. Bravo to Long Island and New York Tennis Magazines. The local area needs your unifying presence.”—Steven Kaplan, Managing Director, Bethpage Park Tennis Center

“This is an event we take part in every year because it reaches new players and current players and allows us to be face to face with them. We support things that grow tennis and this event does that for every level and age group, more so than anything New York has had. More than 3,800 people …Wow! Great job everyone!”—Mike Kossoff, Director of Tennis, JMTA Long Island and Sportime Syosset/Bethpage

 

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Century
Bethpage

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