From the yellow ball to the crystal ball: What's in store for the future of the BNP Paribas Open?

An hour short of noon, on the middle Sunday of this year’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., the tournament’s chief marketing officer, Philippe Dore, was in an expansive mood.

Who could blame him? So much of the present was in tip-top shape. Everything from perfect weather conditions–dry and in the low 70s–to the deep player fields and the filled stadiums and field courts made this first leg of tennis’ “Sunshine Swing” persistently alluring.

Indian Wells and Miami are spring break for tennis aficionados.Over the course of that middle Saturday and Sunday in Indian Wells, 108,000 fans poured through the gates. Certainly, they were hungry for great tennis. But as Charlie Pasarell, the event’s founder and tournament director for more than 30 years, says: “People come not just to watch the tennis, but to enjoy themselves in many ways. They want to browse and shop at clothing and equipment stores. They want to hang out with friends and listen to music. They want to eat and drink–both for a while in the sun, and then also in the shade. It’s a fun day in a tennis garden.”

Bright as the current moment is, Dore and the tournament’s team are constantly thinking about what’s to come and how to make the entire BNP Paribas Open experience better. With the future in mind, two words most govern Dore’s thinking: technology and convenience.

“Technology is moving really fast,” says Dore. “With more and more of the TV production being done remotely, we won’t need to have 20 TV trailers. So we’ll have more space freed up for things like parking and player facilities.” At the same time, Dore notes how the overall quality of broadcasting is greatly increasing, improving everything from various camera angles to the deployment of statistical data. All of this new level of sophistication will greatly benefit viewers.

“Fans need to be entertained and I mean not only with tennis but also with technology-related content,” says Jan Kees Mons, who writes Sport Tomorrow, a blog focused on innovation and the future of sports. “They want to know everything there is on certain players. AR and VR will play major roles in providing statistics and content during the game.”

“Just like any sport these days, tennis finds itself with many fan bases–ranging from casual and lapsed fans to hard core and gambling fans,” says David M. Carter, principal of The Sports Group and adjunct professor of sports business at USC. “They each require a different tech experience so those focusing on tech development must always appreciate this. Ultimately, fans will dictate the type and pace of tech development and, if properly deployed, a governing body or tournament can drive incremental revenue from media partners, sponsors and fans if they thread this needle properly.”

According to Ian Khan, founder and CEO of Futuracy, “Sponsors can expect new opportunities to promote their brands to viewers. Whether this is from digital assets such as non-fungible tokens, specific digital offerings with respect to the tournaments, or brand endorsements on apparel and other signage. Think about being able to display brand logos on apparel during the game or prioritizing the display of a specific logo after a good shot. The convergence of variable technology, analytics and the proper usage of data can help with this.”

Convenience plays out most powerfully in the attendee experience. As swift as mobile apps have made such processes as parking and obtaining tickets, Dore envisions a world where that happens even faster–perhaps with eye or fingerprint scans.

Once inside the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, there’s a matter near and dear to everyone who comes to the tournament: food. This year’s culinary hit at Indian Wells has been the Sumo Dog, a Japanese-inspired rendition of an American classic. According to the Sumo Dog website, “We are both a dragon dipped in mustard and an eagle topped with nori. We are all things stars, stripes and big red suns.” Call that indeed a fitting form of cuisine for a global sport like tennis.

“People come not just to watch the tennis, but to enjoy themselves in many ways. ... It’s a fun day in a tennis garden.” - BNP Paribas Open founder Charlie Pasarell

Paul Pettas, spokesperson for Sodexo Live!, the tournament’s hospitality partner, believes that down the road, robotic technology will play a role in such matters as food preparation and delivery – to the point where fans will be served that much faster. Perhaps there will come a moment when a small drone delivers food to a spectator’s seat.

What matters most, though, will be the affinity between fans and players. Mons believes this engagement can become exceptionally personal. “Don’t be surprised if fans will be able to associate themselves with the player,” he says. “Players will be equipped with sensors and lenses giving the fans the opportunity to experience the players’ view, heart rate, et cetera.”

Imagine, for example, how entertaining and even educational it will be to simulate playing a match in a pro’s body while it’s happening.

“Fan experiences are going to be more enriched as they experience not just a sport in person but also digital touch points throughout the experience,” says Khan. “Brand associations, brand loyalty, and an increased fan base based on interactions are only some of the things that will increase the impact of a hyper-personalized approach on professionals. Fan experiences and sponsor interactions will also take new shape in Virtual Worlds where the sport will continue to live until the next time it's played in person. a year-long engagement and interaction between fans, sports professionals and sponsors.”

Players are in the thick of connecting more with fans too, as many have become content creators via social media. “Whereas before they had to hire an agency and call in a production crew,” says Dore, “now they can do this simply with a phone. They’re reaching fans directly.” Dore anticipates this player-fan connection greatly increasing in the years to come.

But it’s also likely that players will be able to compete more effectively. According to Khan, “The role of artificial intelligence could become more predominant in helping understand the opportunities in optimizing how a sport is played and reducing injuries. Players equipped with sensor technology will benefit from analytics of their shots, movement, and how their overall game is executed on the court. Think about sensors enabled in tennis balls, tennis racquets, shoes and apparel. ... Once AI comes into play, this data could be crunched in multiple ways and yield insights that we have not been able to see with our human eyes.”