Live From TENNIS Magazine Grand Slam: 7 UP PLUS Debuts

NEW YORK—TENNIS Magazine held its third-annual Grand Slam event Friday, an unofficial party to kick off the U.S. Open, and turned Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall into an all-day tennis festival and sampling station.

7UP samples its new drink at TENNIS Magazine Grand Slam

Sponsors include Fidelity Investments, Balance Bars, Celebrex, Chrysler, Evian, Michelob Ultra and 7 UP.

The interactive event featured a full-size tennis court, rally wall, fast serve court and a variety of hands-on tennis experiences for consumers of all ages. Fans had the chance to enjoy exhibition matches between celebrities and tennis' biggest stars from both the past and present.

7 UP used the event to introduce its new low-carb diet beverage, 7 UP PLUS, which hit shelves nationally on Saturday. Pink-shirt clad samplers from New York-based promotions agency Deutsch, Inc., handed out cold 20-oz. bottles of the mixed-berry flavored carbonated soda and fruit juice combo to consumers.

The marketing team also encouraged attendees to challenge 7 UP pitchperson and former U.S. Open champ Tracy Austin's record in a 7 UP PLUS-branded fast-serve cage.

The marketing team from Octagon's Stamford, CT-based office didn't offer samples of Celebrex, its client's arthritis medication, but allowed event-goers to fill out surveys and receive a scan and instant-win card for prizes, which included tennis balls, racquets, water bottles and free tickets to the U.S. Open.

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