Indian Wells 2022 by co-founder Manny Gegen
Wow, what an experience. As a tennis player and coach, as well as a Co-Founder of Buddy The Ball, Indian Wells was better than expected!
Aside from the great tennis we were able to watch, we were also granted an inside look at all BNP Paribas had to offer. The sheer number of viewers who came out to watch the tournament was in the hundreds of thousands and it really showed how many people are starting to love Buddy The Ball! Long story short we were last minute being accepted as vendors for the tournament, but we were able to get our merchandise in the retail tent.
There were a few setbacks such as a few marketing approvals necessary to hand out giant Buddy The Balls autograph balls, appearances by Buddy The Ball himself, and handing out free T-shirts, but we were still able to make a great impact. We were however to hand out a few balls off-site, at some smaller promotional events.
We were also given vendor passes of course that allowed us to go just about anywhere on the property and of course fantastic seats to watch the tennis action. Being that this was one of my first professional tennis tournaments that I've seen in person, and certainly the largest, I was truly taken by surprise to learn the culture and crowd control of a high ranked tennis match. We were able to watch Kyrgios play singles as well as doubles, Nadal’s unbelievable singles match comebacks match after match, this amazing Greek gal, Maria Sakkari, and way more. Looking forward to upcoming years and tournaments, Indian Wells not only prepared us, but showed us exactly what it’s going to take for us as a brand to be one of the greats. The reactions/responses we received from countless tournament-goers only proved to me that we have the potential. People love what we represent! Buddy the Ball’s mission is to promote and grow the sport of tennis. We really believe that the work we are doing here and for years to come will not only meet our goals, but exceed them until we are the face of tennis around the World.