Thanks to American Express, the 2014 U.S. Open Tennis Championships have become much more than a spectator’s endeavor. The American Express Fan Experience brings interactivity to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY with stations that measure a player’s tennis swing, capture a 360-degree image of a fan in action, and create music from tennis, for example.
2014 marks American Express’ 21st year as a sponsor for the U.S. Open and helping to enhance passion for tennis. When there’s a lull in court action, the place to be is the American Express Fan Experience, which is housed in a 20,000 square-foot tent just inside the East Gate at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Each fan’s visit can be customized with the MyOpen Pass. Just register an RFID-enabled wristband that collects fans’ experiences and sends a personalized email that recaps the participants’ activities within the Fan Experience. Each memory can be easily shared across the fan’s social media channels.
On Monday, September 1, all tennis fans — American Express card members and non-card members — will have the opportunity to pick-up one of 20,000 radios at the Fan Experience or at any American Express satellite location on the grounds that day.
Keep clicking to check out the interactive stations in the U.S. Open American Express Fan Experience.
[All images: Getty Images for American Express]
MyOpen Pass activities:
- Professional Swing Analysis: Incorporating the latest techniques in tennis instruction, fans can receive a one-on-one swing analysis with a USTA tennis pro using cutting-edge technology that measures impact position, racquet speed and spin rate that can be translated into actionable knowledge to improve their game.
- Rally Cam: Brand new to the space this year, fans will get the chance to have their best tennis shots and candid poses captured from nearly every angle in a shareable 180⁰ video file.
- Pro Cam at American Express® Card Member Club: American Express Card Members will also have the opportunity to take part in an augmented reality Pro Cam, posing with a hologram of professional tennis player Sloane Stephens. The Pro Cam photo op is located with the American Express Card Member Club and the photo will be delivered within the MyOpen Pass email.
Other American Express Fan Experience activities:
- Fan Court: A returning fan favorite, the full-sized, kid-friendly tennis court will feature live programming, including 10-and-under tennis sessions, tennis clinics for all ages and player meet-and-greets. Professional players scheduled to make an appearance include rising stars Sloane Stephens, Jack Sock and Monica Puig.
- Complimentary Phone Charging Lockers: To ensure that fans are able to capture every moment at this year’s US Open, American Express will provide complimentary, locked phone charging stations in the Fan Experience to help US Open fans to recharge their phone battery.
- International Tennis Hall of Fame & Fresh Courts Interactive Exhibits: Fans can learn more about American Express and the USTA’s Fresh Courts program that has refurbished more than 80 courts across the nation since 2010 through an interactive “before & after” display. Another touch screen display will add interactivity to the International Tennis Hall of Fame memorabilia by taking fans through a digital and interactive historical archive of tennis fashion and racquets.
- IBM US Open Sessions: IBM has partnered with musician James Murphy to create a live music experience that turns the US Open real-time data stream into both compelling data visualizations and a dynamic, evolving real-time soundtrack for matches. IBM is using a custom algorithm that processes the data and delivers it to the fans on through the IBM Cloud.
- American Express Radio Live at the Open: A fan favorite, the radio earpieces feature live play-by-play commentary and match updates from ESPN2 and will be available to American Express Card Members throughout of the Open. On Monday, September 1, all tennis fans –Card Members and non-Card Members– will have the opportunity to pick-up one of the 20,000 radios at the Fan Experience or at any American Express satellite location on the grounds that day. All American Express radios at the Open are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis and are only available while supplies last.
- American Express Card Member Club: American Express Card Members will have access to an exclusive club within the Fan Experience offering refreshments for purchase, entertainment and phone charging stations.