The AO Playbook: Stop Selling Sport. Start Building Culture

Stop selling sport, start building culture: The Australian Open’s blueprint for ‘hitting different’.

As audiences fragment and traditional fandom declines, the Australian Open has rebuilt its model around a simple truth: no one owes you their time or money. Instead of optimising the existing product, the AO has reimagined what a tennis event can be, from transforming low-demand moments into new entry points to creating entirely new formats and cultural collaborations that attract broader, younger audiences.

By thinking beyond sport and operating at the intersection of entertainment, culture and brand, the AO has turned a two-week tournament into a year-round platform people choose to engage with.

This session unpacks that shift, sharing the thinking, the work and a clear playbook.

• How do you turn underperforming moments in your product into genuine entry points for growth?
• What shifts when you give partners creative ownership rather than just a sponsorship slot?
• How do you build a brand beyond the core product for audiences who engage on their own terms?