This year, for the first time, Louis Vuitton is the Australian Open’s “official trophy trunk” partner.
The French fashion house is the latest brand to embrace the grand slam, which is coming to be regarded by many companies and influencers as the premier Melbourne sporting event at which to be seen.
“It really kicks off the summer and there is no better time of the year in Melbourne than the summer,” said celebrity stylist and influencer Elliot Garnaut, who’ll attend the event as an ambassador for Ralph Lauren.
Garnaut, a member of the Melbourne social set, has a busy calendar filled with parties and events. This includes the spring racing carnival – when the Melbourne Cup is run, which he has also attended as a brand ambassador – but he freely admits the grand slam is his favourite.
“In terms of the energy this event creates, there is no comparison,” he says.
The event’s fortunes are a stark contrast to one of the city’s other major sporting events, the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which has experienced a decline in popularity.
In 2023, 244,208 attended the four race meets, well below previous years.
Meanwhile, the Australian Open broke its attendance record last year when 839,192 fans passed through the gates of Melbourne Park over two weeks, with millions more watching from home and sites in Federation Square, Birrarung Marr and elsewhere.
The Australian Open’s mass appeal has seen several new brands sign up as sponsors in 2024, including Louis Vuitton and New Balance. Others, including Canadian Club, are marking 10-years of “partnering” (marketing speak for sponsoring) with the event.
RMIT marketing lecturer, Dr Amanda Spry, says several major brands had quietly distanced themselves from the Melbourne Cup due to animal cruelty concerns and negative associations with alcohol and gambling.
But she says the Australian Open, which has long attracted big name international brands, didn’t have the same “baggage”.
“It’s an elite sporting event, it’s synonymous with Melbourne, it’s got those associations with heritage and tradition, with summer and fun,” she says.
The cost of sponsorships are closely guarded, but Spry says the average price of an annual deal would be about $3m. It would be more for higher-tiered partners, such as Emirates (the offical airline), Chinese spirit Luzhou Laojiao (the offical baijiu partner), Rolex (the official timekeeper), and Ralph Lauren (the official outfitter).
She says reports suggest car company Kia pays about $20m as the open’s only “major sponsor”. Others pay less but stump up plenty of free product – including Bondi Sands, which on Tuesday announced plans to distribute 600,000 samples of its new sunscreen throughout the first two weeks.
Piper-Heidsieck was the first champagne house to “partner” with the Australian Open six years ago. Its chief executive, Benoît Collard, says that at the time Tennis Australia was making a conscious effort to expand the event beyond hardcore tennis fans.
“Being located in the centre of the city, there was an opportunity for a crowd to gather after work, to have some drinks while watching the tennis,” Collard says. “This was something new.”
Collard says as a result of Australian Open’s entertainment and hospitality offering, it has become the “biggest” event in the Asia Pacific region, while still retaining its “premium positioning”.
“That’s what puts it clearly in front of many other events that might take place in Australia … it is exclusive, yet accessible,” he said, pointing to both the invitation-only events the brand will be hosting, as well as its champagne bar that will be open to anyone with a ground pass.
Swinburne University’s Dr Kasey Symons, whose research covers access and equity in sport participation, says the Australian Open’s popularity had grown significantly over the past decade, largely thanks to organisers’ efforts to include “as many people as possible”.
“It offers so many different points of access and reasons to be there, which works to remove a lot of barriers that – particularly women and gender diverse people – have when it comes to attending sporting events,” she says.
“People can go sit outside in the gardens and have an Aperol Spritz with their friends … go for a shop, have something to eat or see one of the bands that they have performing and maybe catch some of the tennis.
“That might be a stepping stone to becoming a fan of tennis, but it’s not pushed on you.”
Garnaut agrees the popularity of the Australian Open had “blown up”, with many now dressing for the occasion.
“It’s quite preppy, you can lean into the laid-back luxury,” he said. “Think a beautiful polo with a nice pair of chinos for the men, classic skirts, jumpers over the shoulder and Mary-Janes for the women.”