Delivering the most memorable moments and creating exceptional fan experiences is what Sodexo Live! takes pride in and for many years we’ve been adding our passion, skills and expertise to some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Rugby World Cup, le Tour de France, the Super Bowl, and, of course, tennis.
Working with five of the world’s most prestigious tournaments, including most recently the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells for the first time, 2024 is proving to be another winning year for Sodexo Live! and the sport. Spanning food and beverage retail, catering, VIP hospitality, venue sales, travel and hospitality ticketing, our teams serve up best-in-class packages that align perfectly with the venues that place guests at the heart of the action!
Beginning with our new partner, take a look at this year’s exceptional tennis line up.
Strong start for Indian Wells | BNP Paribas Open
15 miles Southeast of Palm Springs lies one of the world’s most revered sports and entertainment venues, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden - home of the BNP Paribas Open, the largest combined ATP Tour Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tennis event in the world. The venue has 29 courts and during the open fortnight nearly half a million tennis fans flocked to see the giants of tennis battling for victory, a spectacle that sees many film and rock stars joining the crowds.
The 2024 tournament was special for Sodexo Live! as it marked our first year of bringing full food and beverage retail as well as premium hospitality to Tennis Paradise. Prior to appointing Sodexo Live!, our BNP Paribas client had already experienced our skills first hand at Roland Garros. With a rich heritage in stadium and large venue entertaining, creating an unforgettable event for a record-breaking crowd of 493,400 was not a challenge for the Sodexo Live! team. The event delivered a 40% increase in F&B revenue and 25% increase in spend per-head vs last year.
To tantalise the palates of guests in VIP dining, Sodexo Live! invited the talents of US celebrity chef, Richard Blais, known for his take on classic American cuisine to curate bespoke menus and packages, resulting in a 35% rise in suite level hospitality orders.
And, Sodexo Live! certainly delivered with a strong volley of food and beverage retail options, including MOTO Pizza, Sumo Dog, Puesto, Love Love Chicken, Dragon Lili Café+ Boba Bar and J’s deli.
This year, Tennis Paradise doubled as Food Paradise.
See the Sodexo Live! and Indian Wells highlights
Completing the Sunshine Double | Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium presented by Itaú
The Miami Open is one of the most glamorous tennis events on the ATP and WTA calendars, drawing legions of tennis fans, celebrities, and the biggest names in tennis. The action takes place at the iconic Hard Rock Stadium. The global entertainment destination is famously home to the Miami Dolphins and Sodexo Live! has maintained a relationship with Hard Rock Stadium for decades, providing hospitality for the Miami Open since it first moved to the venue in 2019.
Sodexo Live! helped make this year’s tournament one of the biggest ever. Attendance numbers flooding into the stadium reached a record-breaking 395,683. To accompany the on-court excitement, the talented Sodexo Live! team treated fans to a diverse menu of food and beverage offerings. Attendees were given the chance to celebrate the tastes and flavours of South Florida as well as a wide selection of new culinary outlets including Fuku Fried Chicken, Julia & Henry’s and the first-ever pop-up Nobu location at the campus.
Sodexo Live! believes in embracing the community in which we operate. So, when we assemble the team, we hire local employees, and source our food from regional suppliers. Together with our partners, the Miami Open and Hard Rock Stadium, we ensure little goes to waste by donating leftover food items to the Miami chapter of Food Rescue US. This brings much needed donations to local missions and shelters around South Florida.
22% year on year F&B revenue increase
6% F&B spend Per head increase
10% increase in Points of Sale
See Sodexo Live! smashing it at the 2023 Miami Open
Fans applaud the French infusion | Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters
In the picturesque Cote d’Azur, you’ll find the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Every year this private members’ tennis and sports club, boasting an extensive 35,000 sqm site, plays host to the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters. Due to its stunning location, the tournament remains a firm favourite with players and fans.
It’s easy to see how the club’s idyllic surroundings influenced the Sodexo Live! culinary offering and the event’s cultural appeal. Whilst world-class players demonstrated their stunning tennis skills on court, the culinary talents of Parisienne masters of gastronomy, Lenôtre, could also be enjoyed. Specially created menus enriched the spectator’s experience with tasty delights such as sea bream fillet with green asparagus and peach. Inspired by the sunny flavours of the south and the dazzling victories on court, the ‘Citrus Ace’ imagined by Pastry World Champion 2017, Etienne Leroy is a dessert par excellence.
To heighten the enjoyment of every attendee, Sodexo Live! introduced many new features this year including an expanded food and beverage selection, and a large, covered catering area. For extra convenience a ‘click and collect’ fast food service was available. Spectators in the VIP Village had a special opportunity to savour a gourmet meal prepared by chef Frédéric Anton, who has a total of 6 Michelin stars. A revered member of the Sodexo Live! team, Frédéric is famed for his culinary creations in his chef role at the Jules Verne, Le Pré Catelan and aboard the Don Juan II, in Paris.
A fine history of hospitality | Roland Garros
The scene of countless historic tennis finals, the Stade Roland Garros in Paris is one of the most famous clay court venues in the world. Attracting the biggest names in tennis, the tournament draws spectators from around the globe, who make the pilgrimage to this unique venue.
As a long-standing partner of the tournament, Sodexo Live! has been leveraging its culinary expertise to enhance the unique experience of Roland Garros for over 30 years.
For 3 weeks, Sodexo Live! provides nearly 10,000 catering covers per day to the various audiences of Roland Garros, including spectators welcomed in a new restaurant and a food court highlighting French culinary specialties, as well as VIP guests in hospitality spaces, not forgetting the players, organization members, and the media.
To extend the national, European, and global reach of the Roland Garros brand, Sodexo Live! has been selected by the French Tennis Federation (FFT) as its exclusive sales agency for Roland Garros and the Rolex Paris Masters hospitality programs.
The iconic red clay of Roland Garros may offer players a different level of on court experience, but the experience Sodexo Live! provides for the guests remains as unforgettable as ever. Placed in the heart of the action, just a few steps away from the greatest players in full swing, tennis fans can enjoy the intimacy of one of our VIP areas. All located on the Philippe Chatrier court, guests have four privileged areas to choose from, The Pavilion, The Mezzanine, The Orangery, and The Brasserie des Mousquetaires. Unrivalled views of this magnificent Grand Slam tournament, accompanied by the finest French cuisine and beverages are the exact ingredients Sodexo Live! provides to make a match-winning experience.
Watch Sodexo Live! in action at Roland Garros
Only available in French
AO delivers the full package | Australian Open
For travelling tennis fans all over the globe, heading to the Australian Open must be the pinnacle of their sporting calendar. To witness the best of the world’s tennis talent at one of the most exciting and iconic sports events in the world, is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
STH (Sports Travel and Hospitality) is the Sodexo Live! owned company renowned for providing exceptional travel and hospitality programs for prestigious global sporting events. This year STH made Melbourne the most unforgettable tournament, with fans enjoying every game, every set, and every match thanks to premium AO Travel packages.
Specially curated deals allowed tennis lovers to tailor their package by choosing the type of ticket and the exact hotel accommodation they wanted. STH also offered the option of exclusive additional experiences to make this AO a tournament to remember.
See Sodexo Live! acing this year’s AO
Sodexo Live! A great match
Sodexo Live! and world-class tennis is a match-winning partnership that’s going from strength to strength. The addition of BNP Paribas Open to our tennis roster was a well-earned victory this year. With everything to play for, Sodexo Live! continues to prove itself to be the top industry seed in the world of tennis.
