20 www.Char l e s tonWomenPodcas t . com | www.ReadCW. com | www. Ins t ag ram. com /Char l e s tonWomen of Russia. Leylah Fernandez of Canada, a 2021 US Open finalist, is in the mix as well. “The field continues to grow,” said Moran. “Really a strong field of players that we’re excited about.” COCO’s successful run has revolved around working tirelessly to build relationships with players. Moran noted that COCO tournament manager Eleanor Adams keeps up with the players year-round. “No one’s guaranteed to come here. We have to earn that,” he asserted. He added that players want three things: to be treated well, easy access (e.g., convenient flights) and good food. “I think Charleston is a unique place where it makes them feel at home,” elaborated Moran. They like being here. Charleston’s a great backdrop. They stay downtown. The way they’re treated here, I think they feel like it’s a family, and that’s what we strive for.” Acing the fan experience Moran said they are constantly aiming to elevate the experience with respect to off-the-court activities. This year among other amenities there will be a brand-new outdoor deck where people can enjoy live music under the oaks, a main dining area, a sports bar area, a new restaurant for patrons sitting in the box seats, a food court village, family weekend activities and a popular fan zone experience called Pro Vision. The video production value has continuously improved as well, offering real-time content and talk shows with different past players. “On the court we know what we’re building,” he remarked. “Off the court is where we spend a lot of time building that fan experience. We want people to spend the day and night with us, and so it’s up to us to make sure they feel comfortable, we’re providing everything they want—they want it now they want it fast—we’re going to do everything we can to make that easy for them.” With that efficiency in mind, they have developed a new stadium app to make it simpler for people to find real-time updates and notifications and launched a new website. “All things that make it easier for the fans to experience us,” he said. “We want to be top of mind when it comes to anything going on during that week.” These changes and improvements, including the stadium renovations (see sidebar) have already paid dividends. Moran said attendees as well as tickets, merchandise and concession sales increased 35% across the board in 2022 from 2019, the last year the event welcomed fans before Covid affected the intervening tournaments in 2020-21. A winning doubles team: Public-private partnership gives area tennis a boost The relationship between the COCO and the City of Charleston offers an example of a local publicprivate partnership that has proven mutually beneficial. Charleston Tennis leases the Credit One Stadium and grounds from the City of Charleston and manages the facility and programs. The City of Charleston owns the venue, along with the adjacent LTP Daniel Island tennis center. “They’re a great partner for us,” said Moran, who also serves as Charleston Tennis president. “They support us, and we work together to make it a great experience. Because at the same time, day-to-day we are a public tennis facility. We have junior programs going, adult programs going. Tennis is healthy in this city and here it’s extremely healthy.” Charleston Department of Recreation Director Laurie Yarborough touted the partnership as well. She explained that the City of Charleston signs off on any site level changes to the facility, vetted through the Parks Department, which oversees building and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities. The Recreation Department in turn handles the management side of things. While the City of Charleston has a Capital Projects Improvement Plan overseen by the Parks Department, Yarborough said that Charleston Tennis Feature Be l inda Benc i c .
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