Microsoft signs on as technology partner of Nasdaq-100 Open

Miami: Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, has signed on as the official technology partner of the 2003 Nasdaq-100 Open, says tournament chairman Butch Buchholz.

Microsoft, a Nasdaq-listed company, will have its familiar logos displayed side by side with Nasdaq on the back wall, bringing a synergy which is unprecedented in sports title sponsorships.

The 19th Nasdaq-100 Open, the world’s largest tournament with title sponsorship, will be played 19-30 March 2003 in Miami. Champions Serena Williams and Andre Agassi are set to defend their singles titles as 96 men and 96 women compete for over $6.2 million in prize money.

“Our brand is one of most important assets we have to demonstrate the business value we offer to companies worldwide. Sponsoring the Nasdaq-100 Open gives us another means of communicating to our customers worldwide that Microsoft gives businesses the software they need to be agile and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive and cost-conscious marketplace,” says Jon Roskill, the general manager of server and developer marketing at Microsoft.

“We are proud to partner with Microsoft and all that the brand represents in today’s world,” says Buchholz. “Microsoft is easily one of the most recognisable brands on earth. I am excited about the future potential of this partnership and how their vast capabilities can be applied at the Nasdaq-100 Open.”

“We set out to create a title sponsorship that would be about more than just the Nasdaq brand, but about our listed companies,” adds Simmons. “Bringing Microsoft on board at the Nasdaq-100 Open is a key piece to realising this goal. Nasdaq is the home of category-defining companies that are changing the world and there is no better standard-bearer for Nasdaq-listed companies than Microsoft.”