STM- Partnership with Tennis Canada for the 2018 Rogers Cup

Target Audience: Every summer, Montr'al hosts a professional tennis tournament operated by Tennis Canada as part of the US Open Series. Montr'al and Toronto share the task of hosting the best men's and women's tennis players in the world. In Montr'al, matches are played over 10 days and attract 190,000 fans on average. The Soci't' de transport de Montr'al (STM) has been a partner of this major sporting event for over 10 years. It offers an efficient travel solution to meet the needs of Montrealers, visitors and tourists attending the Rogers Cup. In this partnership, the STM targets Rogers Cup spectators. This group consists of an affluent and educated clientele who don't normally use public transit, particularly in this area of the city, located just outside of downtown.

Strategy Objective:Partnership objectives: - Take advantage of the influx of visitors to increase ridership during off-peak periods - Improve customer experience in a sustainable manner - Strengthen the STM's positioning as a catalyst for urban life Strategies: - Launch an integrated communication campaign - Offer all Rogers Cup ticket holders a return transit fare to get to the stadium - Provide additional bus and m'tro services during key times of peak ridership to ensure the best in customer experience - Make the customers' trip more enjoyable by adding signage and fun makeup and providing agents who could offer information on the site to facilitate riding public transit - Connect public transit and urban activities

Situation Challenge: The chosen strategy not only distinguishes the STM from other corporate sponsorships but also is unique in the tennis category worldwide. As this is a long-standing partnership, this year's main challenge was in providing transit service and improving the participants' customer experience as they made their way to the IGA Stadium. There was also the issue of making visitors aware that they had return transit fares included in their tournament ticket. The STM's partner believes so much in the benefits of including public transit in its green positioning that it pays the STM to include transit passes on spectators' tickets. And it seems to be working! http://www.couperogers.com/en/tournament-info/green-plan/ The Rogers Cup even won the Sustainable Sport Event of the Year Award.

Results Impact: Public transit is increasingly used by visitors to the Rogers Cup. In 2016, 50% of spectators fully or partially used public transit to get to the venue, and this year 62% used it. This could have been due to a greater use of the STM's promotional offer. In 2016, 52% of spectators used this offer, while in 2018, 75% used it. Spectators also seem to have been more aware of the offer. The percentage of respondents who didn't know about the offer dropped from 16% in 2016 to just 4% in 2018. Furthermore, nearly half of the visitors were able to name the STM as a tournament sponsor (compared to 39% in 2017). These results are certainly due to the efforts made by the STM and its partner to create an enjoyable customer experience and promote awareness of their public transit offer.

Why Submit: This long-standing partnership, which began in 2008, seems to be successful, and this year's results confirm that it is still relevant. Year after year, the percentage of spectators using public transit to get to the site increases. The STM feels it is important to reinvent this partnership every year. It invests significant creative efforts in promoting public transit as a fun, easy travel option for participants. This year, the addition of the improved customer experience component renewed the participants' transit experience. The STM also offered free transit to eticket holders, making public transit even more accessible and easy to use.