In April 2022, Tennis Australia started looking for a new hydration system for the 2023 Australian Open (AO) tennis tournament that could enhance the event experience for all attendees while also helping to reduce the need for single-use plastic drink bottles.
In previous years, only ambient temperature water stations had been provided but people were always wanting a chilled option to help quench their thirst on hot tournament days.
Tennis Australia had strict requirements for the new hydration system with its chilling capacity being a key priority. Over one million people attend the tournament over three weeks so making sure the selected product could manage this high-volume use was crucial.
Along with the product’s chilling capacity, the chosen product also had to be AS1428 compliant, able to be placed on uneven surfaces, safe to install in a public environment and capable of being stored and used again in future years.
The AO’s strict brand guidelines also meant that the aesthetic look and feel of the fountain was also a key determining factor as to which product and supplier they ended up choosing.
THE PARTNERSHIP
Prior to being contacted by Tennis Australia, Urban+ had recently released a brand new chilled hydration station called the CF400. This product has three bottle refill points and three bubblers all connected to chilled water and was designed specifically for the high-volume environment of Australian schools.
After some initial conversations between the Urban+ team and Tennis Australia, it became very clear that with a few customisations the CF400 could meet all of their needs and help them provide event attendees with exactly what they wanted.
Adjustable feet were able to be added to the product to ensure it could be installed on uneven ground, a wheelchair accessible/DDA basin was added to the side of each unit, and custom weighted legs were designed and installed to ensure the station would stay in place, even if misused or vandalised.
Not only this, but due to the nature of the AO being only one of four Grand Slam tournaments globally, strict project deadlines had to be met.
