It all started with a steady stream of visitors to the Web site, which debuted in February, and came to a crescendo during the event this month with more than 1,000 hits per hour and thousands of dollars in ticket sales. The record crowds that attended the 2,000 Acura Classic demonstrated proof of the Web site s success as they made their way into the event at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., with the aide of the driving directions, hotel reservations and other information retrieved from the Acura Classic Web site. The Acura Classic Web site was also a successful tool for recruiting volunteers for the event, who are crucial to ensuring that the event runs smoothly. As an added draw, a T-shirt design contest was held on the Web site, with the winning design premiering on shirts at the event. Among the many top players who appeared this year at the Acura Classic were tennis superstars Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Venus Williams, Anna Kournikova, Conchita Martinez and Jennifer Capriati.
Sports marketing is a growing trend on the Web.
Some of the tennis stars featured at the Acura Classic have their own official Web sites. According to a study by Forrester Research, more than 22 percent of the households in North America actively follow sports on the Web. Our partnership with NetObjects has created a win-win situation for both the Acura Classic and women s tennis fans everywhere, said Raquel Giscafre of Promotion Sports, Inc., owner of the Acura Classic. This is the first year that we have sold tickets online, which made it easy for tennis fans to purchase tickets and gave our company another outlet for increasing ticket sales. By partnering with NetObjects, companies can strengthen their online service offering and enhance relationships with their small to medium-size business customers or distributors.