The Tasting Panel magazine

October 2013

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PARTNERSHIPS PHOTO COURTESY OF HEINEKEN USA Heineken House at the 2013 U.S. Open Game, Set, Perfect Match HEINEKEN HOUSE OPENS AT THE 2013 U.S. OPEN by David Ransom D A Heineken House: 15-time Grand Slam doubles champions Bob and Mikey Bryan (yellow shirts) with Maroon 5 lead guitarist James Valentine (second from left) and actor Colton Haynes, star of utch beer giant Heineken, a long-time sponsor of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, celebrated its 22nd year of association with the season's final Grand Slam tournament this September by unveiling a new event-specific concept bar at aimed at heightening the consumer experience: Heineken House. An outdoor rooftop playground-style lounge, complete with outdoor games, swings, picnic tables and, of course, a well-appointed bar, Heineken House is the second largeformat concept that Heineken has integrated into the landscape of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the Open's home since 1978. The first, the Heineken Red Star Café, which Heineken unveiled 17 years ago, is an open-air full service restaurant and bar that overlooks the Tennis Center's courtyard from above the Open gift shop. Redesigned two years ago in association with the USTA, the Red Star Café won a design award from the City of New York, and is possibly the Tennis Center's most popular dining option. "One of the things we were looking to do in creating Heineken House, was to give people a place where they could enjoy some conversation, play a few games and relax with a beer," says Pattie Falch, Director of Sponsorships and Events for Heineken USA. "There really wasn't a place on the grounds of the Open where people could just hang out," she adds, "so we wanted to create an environment where attendees could enjoy the Heineken experience in a fun atmosphere. Heineken House is the realization of that idea." Plans for Heineken House are ambitious, with at least two more set to open over the next year. The first in March at the 2014 Ultra Music Festival in Miami, and the second next April at Coachella 2014 in Indio, CA. While both will be themed as Heineken House, each will have its own identity specific to that sponsor partnership. "One of the things we look for in an event partner is the ability to add an experiential component to our participation in that event," says Falch. "It's not about simply selling product or having our name on a billboard, it's about giving people an experience while at the event that makes them go home and say 'Heineken made the event better.'" 34  /  the tasting panel  /  october 2013 TP1013_034-65.indd 34 9/23/13 10:33 PM

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