Squash Event

	Truly a world sport, with organized play in over 140 countries
	Enthusiasts are well-paid, highly-educated, with disposable income
	Squash is the most cost-effective marketing tool in sports at present
	All-glass courts capable of being used in breath-taking locations mean events are attractive to players and media alike

	Squash is played in over 140 countries and is one of the sports with the longest history of organized international play. Regardless of the country and market, squash tends to be a relatively upscale sport and thus is well-suited to companies that market to consumers with significant disposable income. This list would run the spectrum from autos to electronics to clothing to fragrances to travel and on.

	Squash offers a tremendous advantage in that it is played on a reasonably compact playing environment. The sport has not been highly-developed as a sports marketing tool simply because courts have historically been built with only one glass wall and thus spectator and video opportunities have been limited. This has changed very significantly as a result of the development of four-glass-wall courts and vision treatment for the glass that provides a proper playing surface inside for players and also excellent viewing from the outside for spectators and videotaping. Squash Event , through its partnership with Bergenfield Consulting, McWil Courtwall and Glaverbel-Hardmaas, has developed the world’s leading technology for spectator- and video-friendly squash courts. McWil Courtwall is one of the world’s premier builders of squash courts, and Glaverbel-Hardmaas is a division of Asahi Glass, the world’s largest glass company. The latest glass court created by this partnership was used for the 2002 World Squash Federation Women’s World Team Championships in Herlev, Denmark and it was unanimously pronounced by players and organizers alike to be the best glass court available today.

	Squash Event is committed to creating high-profile squash events that are targeted to an audience that is appropriate for the sponsor. Even with an all-glass court, the spectator participation in an event is more limited that in many sports. The flip-side to this fact is that the audience is more like-minded in terms of lifestyle, income and education levels, purchasing profile and the like. The result is that the right sponsor is talking to an audience that is nearly 100% likely to be interested in the sponsor’s message, as opposed to marketing to a mass-appeal sport where only a small portion of the spectator base would ever entertain the thought of purchasing the sponsor’s product.

	Another advantage of the squash market is that the audience is highly committed. Squash is a lifetime as well as a lifestyle sport, and while the majority of the players fall between the ages of 18 and 45, there is solid growth and numbers in the junior ranks and many players continue their allegiance to the game well into and past retirement. Unlike the majority of sports taken up by youngsters, squash is truly a sport that can be played throughout life, and a racket, shoes, shorts and shirt can easily be packed to take along on any business or pleasure journey.

	As squash has not already been highly-developed as a marketing vehicle, it is also a very cost-effective buy for a sponsor. The glass court not only makes for a better environment for players, television and spectators, but more importantly is its attraction to media. Squash courts have been erected and events presented with the Pyramids of Giza and the Eiffel Tower as backdrops, not to mention in the halls of Grand Central Station New York and in a tent in Central London. The size of the space required allows for the imagination to run wild in terms of locations where a squash event could be staged. In addition to “spectacular” sites, the logistics of a squash event also mean that it can take place in such prosaic but highly-effective locations such as shopping malls, theatres and hotel ballrooms. The potential is limited only by the creativity of the sponsor!

	Squash Event is in a position to involve a sponsor in an existing squash event or to work with a sponsor to create and specifically tailor an event to the needs and goal of the customer. There are world-ranking professional events for both men and women that typically run to as long as five days. There are special show events that might involve as little as one day to a three-day activity. Significant mileage can be gained for sponsors through the coordination of a professional event with local clubs, associations and junior player programs. The intimacy of the court and its surroundings means that VIP activities can be well highlighted, with options for box seats, courtside receptions, etc. The size of the court and its environment also allow for targeted signage that will absolutely be seen by all watching, be they in seats at the court or viewing on video.