Tennis in the Land and Rock Entertainment Group Announce Multi-Year Strategic Partnership
Rock Entertainment Group Partners with Topnotch Management to Elevate Ticket Sales, Partnerships, Hospitality and Youth Participation for WTA 250 Tournament
Tennis in the Land, the largest annual women’s sporting event in Ohio, and Rock Entertainment Group (REG), a transformative leader in sports and entertainment, today announced a new collaborative multi-year partnership centered around driving commercial growth for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 250 tournament. The agreement aligns REG with tournament owner and operator Topnotch Management to elevate ticket sales, corporate partnerships, hospitality and youth participation for the week-long summer event.
One of just five standalone WTA events in the United States, Tennis in the Land is part of the prestigious US Open Series and features 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams competing in 54 matches over seven days. In its second year in downtown Cleveland at the iconic Nautica Entertainment Complex in the Flats West Bank, the tournament has drawn over 30,000 fans and produced an estimated $4M+ in total economic impact for the city and region since its inception in 2021.
“Over the past two years, Tennis in the Land has flourished to become a much anticipated week-long annual event for Northeast Ohio,” said Nic Barlage, Rock Entertainment Group, Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse CEO. "As its momentum continues to build, Tennis in the Land has all the ingredients to become one of the most unique and impactful women's tennis tournaments in the country. We are excited to partner with Topnotch Management to grow the event to its maximum potential and help to shine a spotlight on women in sports."
"As Tennis in the Land continues to establish itself as one of the premier sporting events in our city and state, there’s no better partner to support the growth of the tournament than REG," said Topnotch Management Director of Events and Tennis in the Land Tournament Director, Kyle Ross. "Joining the REG family provides us with additional expertise and holistic experience to take this event to the next level. Our tournament, our team, and the tennis community will greatly benefit from the resources of the leading sports group in the city."
“Tennis in the Land, the annual Women’s Tennis Association 250 event, will continue to bring the most elite women’s tennis players to Cleveland adding to the marketability of our community as a sports town,” said David Gilbert, President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “I have no doubt that Rock Entertainment Group will aid Topnotch Management in continuing to grow this great event and we’ll see it majorly impacting our community, beyond the economics, for years to come.
REG, who recently announced a strategic partnership with gaming and lifestyle giant 100 Thieves, was formed in 2021 as the umbrella entity of sports and entertainment properties under the Dan Gilbert Family of Companies. It includes the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, AHL Cleveland Monsters, NBA G League Cleveland Charge and Cavs Legion of the NBA 2K League. REG also operates Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Legion Lair Lit by TCP in Cleveland, and Cleveland Clinic Courts, the Cavs training and development center in nearby Independence, Ohio.
As the unified brand platform, REG formally links multiple sports, venues, music, and content properties together to better position them collectively for collaboration, growth and new opportunities, while relentlessly creating amazing experiences for fans, teams, partners, stakeholders and thousands of staff members across the full spectrum of properties.