The 2001 Australian Open Golf Tournament was scheduled to be held at the Grand Golf Club on the Gold Coast with most of the world’s top 20 players due to be in attendance. However the venue faced criticism from many within golf circles as being unsuitable for such a tournament.

BAM Media was engaged by IMG – the world’s largest sports and entertainment management company – to manage publicity around the event.

The program was built around changing perceptions of the venue and attracting media and fans from all over the world, whilst assisting stakeholders to achieve their key objectives.

A hole-by-hole analysis was conducted and distributed to key media, while one-on-one contact was initiated and developed with most major players to promote their attendance and participation.

The construction of a temporary hole on Surfers Paradise beach, which was attacked by then emerging Australian player Adam Scott, generated media exposure around the world.

What became one of the most memorable Australian Opens in history – won by Stuart Appleby – still stands as one of the best ever attended golf events in Australia.

BAM Media was responsible for designing and managing the international media centre at the venue. In excess of 300 journalists from around the world were accredited and visited the Gold Coast for the tournament, delivering key tourism messages to many lucrative markets.

The program has brought the BAM Group full circle – after many years managing media and marketing internally, The Grand Golf Club has engaged the BAM Group to manage its activities moving forward.