• by Larry Dobrow , June 4, 2003

Hoping to inject a little British charm into the decidedly manic atmosphere of Manhattan's Grand Central Station, Tennis Magazine has paired with long-time sponsors British Airways and Rolex Watch USA to replicate the Wimbledon experience on this side of the pond.

As part of the promotion, scheduled for July 1-3 to coincide with the venerable tennis tourney, the companies will refashion Vanderbilt Hall into a mini-Wimbledon, complete with artificial grass courts, player seats, display towers, and broadcasts of Wimbledon tennis past and present. There won't be the traditional champagne or berries and cream, but there will be a healthy supply of strawberries and New York cheesecake.

According to Tennis publisher Jeff Williams, the event is designed to generate excitement and awareness for the sport as well as provide a platform for the magazine and its sponsors. "It's not enough just to sell a page of advertising anymore," Williams says. "Events like this are a way to bring everything we do to life outside the magazine."

The event is not Tennis' first. Last year, the magazine took over Grand Central for its inaugural "Tennis Magazine Grand Slam," which coincided with the U.S. Open tournament in Forest Hills, NY; round two is scheduled for August 22.

"Five years ago, we wouldn't have been this event-oriented," Williams notes. "But tie-ins like this allow us to create a total media program for our advertisers. Our whole sales approach has changed - everything is more partnership-oriented."

Tennis boasts a circulation of 700,000.