ICYMI: How the US Open Turns Fan Week Into Future Fandom Artwork

Fandom Unpacked

Come inside the minds of the world's greatest leaders of live experience brands with the Fandom Unpacked podcast series. Featuring conversations with the leaders on the front lines of brands who shape our culture, join us as we dive into the powers and forces that drive audience connection, loyalty, and lasting fandom.

Hosted by Damian Bazadona (Situation), Peter Yagecic (A Mind at Work Consulting), and Maureen Andersen (INTIX).

Fandom Unpacked is powered by Situation – the world’s leading marketing agency for live experience brands.

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Fandom Unpacked

ICYMI: How the US Open Turns Fan Week Into Future Fandom

August 26, 2026 • Situation

0:00 | 1:47

As the US Open returns to New York, we revisit our conversation with Nicole Kankam, Managing Director of Pro Tennis Marketing & Entertainment at the USTA. Nicole shares how the US Open's Fan Week has become a more accessible and diverse entry point to tennis, and how that experience is helping to build the next generation of players, attendees, and fans.

Hear the full conversation with Nicole in Season 1, Episode 14 of Fandom Unpacked:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449648/episodes/17559771-serving-the-future-how-the-us-open-became-a-culture-first-sports-brand

HEATHER GAULT

Hey, I’m Heather from the producing team of Fandom Unpacked, and this is In Case You Missed It.

There are few events that take over the end of summer in New York quite like the US Open.

But an event that big doesn’t keep growing by speaking only to the people who are already tennis fans. It has to create a way for new people to step inside, experience it for themselves, and start imagining that they belong there too.

When Nicole Kankam, Managing Director of Pro Tennis Marketing and Entertainment at the USTA, joined us last year, she talked about Fan Week—the free experience that grew out of the US Open’s qualifying tournament.

What was once something of a secret among hardcore tennis fans has become a front door for an entirely new audience.

NICOLE KANKAM

The audience has almost tripled since we started this idea of Fan Week back eight years ago. And we also see, looking at the data, you know I just talked about the audience demographics, and we’re still getting a high-end consumer to Fan Week, but again, it is more accessible. It is also more diverse. So about half of the audience identifies as people of color during Fan Week. So we’re really building the pipeline for fans to hopefully be future tennis players, but also be future US Open fans.

HEATHER GAULT

That’s audience development in its clearest form: lower the barrier, keep the experience authentic, and give new fans a reason to come back.

You can hear our full conversation with Nicole at the link in the episode description.

I’m Heather, and this has been Fandom Unpacked: In Case You Missed It.