Dubai Duty Free Tennis: The people who make all the difference

Even before global stars like Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek began to enthrall fans with their sublime racquet skills, a dedicated and carefully selected team of in-house staff worked tirelessly and passionately behind the scenes to deliver a perfect Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Since 1993, tennis has been entrenched in the mainstream of Dubai’s popular culture thanks to Dubai Duty Free’s vision to attract world-class players to compete in this glorious city.

The humble beginning of the tournament, which was held in a temporary stadium at the Aviation Club in the inaugural years, seems almost unimaginable today.

But Colm McLoughlin, the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, and his team soon set out to transform the event into one of strength and stature, always ensuring in addition to growing the brand of Dubai.

The show-stopping event has expanded exponentially over the years with more and more local and global fans enjoying the fortnight-long event.

One of the best ways to put this in perspective is to consider the estimated average minute audience which is over 400 million television viewers with 5,000 fans in attendance on-site at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium every day.

However, none of this would have been possible without the support, passion, and amazing commitment of the 300-strong team that works behind the scenes and is headed by Dubai Duty Free Chief Operating Officer Ramesh Cidambi, who is also the Chairman of the Tournament’s Organising Committee, Salah Tahlak, Joint COO of Dubai Duty Free and the Tournament Director, and Sinead El Sibai, DDF Senior Vice-President, Marketing.

“Organising the event has been a great pathway for Dubai Duty Free to highlight the company’s core values and uniqueness in having so many in-house staff involved in running the tournament, right from the top, and all of them are given a great opportunity to be part of this world-class event,” said Sinead El Sibai, who has been involved with the event since its launch.

While there is so much to do and so many people in attendance, it is important to ensure security and best fan experience.

This is where Zayed Al Shebli, Director of Event Security, plays a big role in ensuring the safety and security of the players, guests, and spectators.

Since 2008, Jasmin Micoyco, Project Manager of the WTA and ATP-sanctioned tournament, has played a pivotal role with the team behind the scenes, managing the overall coordination with all relevant departments while continuously looking for ways to engage multiple viewpoints.

“Organising a world-class tennis event like ours is very challenging but also very fulfilling,” she said. “Every year there is something new happening at the tournament. The team comes from diverse backgrounds but each one brings their commitment, craft, and ability to make the event a reality, and something that Dubai Duty Free can be proud of.

“The important thing is that this is an in-house event and each person handles his or her responsibilities while constantly coordinating with the whole team.”

While the event is essentially managed by the Dubai Duty Free Marketing Team, they engage and receive help from other departments like Operations, Finance, IT, Logistics, and Corporate Security. Each one plays a different, but significant role.

As you can imagine, the ‘back-room team’ at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships is a crucial piece of the puzzle that falls perfectly into place each February in Dubai.