Renovations enhance fan experience, create jobs at BNP Paribas Open

The Indian Wells Tennis Gardens is putting the finishing touches on a yearlong renovation that saw improvements to various facilities. It included: A massive expansion of the Stadium Plaza, renovation of all the suites and hospitality spaces in Stadium One, and adding 21 new restaurants and concessions.

Philippe Dore, Media and Marketing director for the BNP Paribas Open said the suites will help further enhance a fan’s experience at the marquee stadium court.

“The suites have been completely renovated,” he said. “We’ve added restrooms throughout the concourse, whereas in the past we didn’t have any on the third level…now we do.”

Another major feature fans will notice is a brand-new video screen that’s much bigger and embedded into the wall of Stadium One.

“It’s 33 percent wider,” Dore said. “We went from 60 feet to 80 feet. You can watch about 5 matches at a time. We have some entertainment there…so it’s a fan favorite.”

The renovations come as other major tennis tournaments like the U.S. Open and Australian Open were making their own renovations to their facilities. Dore said the goal was to encourage more people to come watch tennis.

“I mean that’s the goal we want to make sure that we take care of our fans, we take care of our players and our sponsors,” he said.

With 21 new concessions and restaurants, it means more job opportunities. Dore estimated the number of jobs created to be in the hundreds.

“I mean we have to staff that and our suites, and we need a lot of people for the event,” Dore said.

The BNP Paribas Open will run from March 6 to March 19.