If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably had more than a few of your non-padel-playing friends around the U.S. text or email you a link to Eva Longoria’s CNN interview earlier this week where she confesses she’s “addicted to padel” and ask, “Is this the sport you’re always talking about???”
While the ever-increasing number of major celebrities declaring their love for padel will no doubt help the sport grow even faster here in the U.S., on the business-side of things padel’s profile will likely also be turbo-charged here in the States thanks to it being a featured sport at RacquetX – a spectacular, first-of-its-kind new racket sports conference taking place at the end of next month in Miami Beach.
RacquetX will bring together brands, leaders, experts, players, and fans from tennis, pickleball, padel, squash, table tennis, and many more at the gigantic Miami Beach Convention Center, for what organizers are calling, “a world-class festival of thought, connection, and experiential learning.”
One gathering to explore all aspects of all racket sports
The venue, which totals 1.4 million square feet, is set to host at least eight courts (four padel, three pickleball and one tennis) from March 24th-26th. There will also be table tennis and representation from more niche pursuits such as rackets, platform tennis, pop tennis, and more.
The event will be targeted at consumers and enthusiasts as much as brands and businesses. There will be exhibitions, pro players, coaches, activities, a viewing bar to watch the action and conduct meetings and presentations on everything from attracting foreign investment to using racket sports for mental health.
The conference, which will become an annual event, is the brainchild of events expert Robyn Duda and Argentine tech guru and entrepreneur Marco Giberti.
Padel’s next mainstream moment?
Duda points out that although padel is currently at an embryonic stage here in the U.S., curiosity about this new upstart rival to the country’s recreational behemoth, pickleball, is firmly taking hold.
She further says: “It’s still so early for padel as there are less than 300 courts here, but there’s such an interest in investing and huge interest in the courts that are available. It’s a matter of discovery. Folks just haven’t been able to get their hands on it yet. Hopefully RacquetX is where a wider awareness and appreciation can start to grow.
There is a huge growth opportunity for padel here in the US. Where it goes, it will be really interested to see. At the moment, pickleball dominates the space because it is a really accessible sport. You can play in your driveway or your backyard, or turn a tennis court into a pickleball court. It’s not as easy with padel – but it’s a hot topic here and it’s going to keep getting hotter.”
In Miami, padel stakeholders will have ample opportunity to spread the word. Businesses and consumers from across the racket sports sector will be able to network and learn from each other using a “Tinder-style” app which uses AI to connect people with similar backgrounds or business objectives.
“You literally swipe left or right – it’s very addictive and intuitive,” says Duda. “It recognizes the attributes as you swipe and serves you up the sort of people you’re interested in. You start to build a community in the app who have similar interests and challenges to you. We’re then able to facilitate meetings between people within those communities at the event.”
A new — and more cooperative — path forward
Adding to the racket-sports-related excitement is the fact that RacquetX coincides with the 2024 Miami Open tennis tournament and conference ticket holders can currently get free entry into Monday’s play. There is also an APP Pickleball tournament taking place a few halls down at the Miami Convention Center and its final day overlaps with day one of RacquetX.
Historically, strategic collaboration between racket sports has been minimal, with the relationships more often characterized by rivalry. RacquetX’s intention is to foster mutual learning and capitalize on the current racket sports boom – with pickleball exploding in the US and padel in Europe (and both sports showing strong early growth outside those strongholds) and tennis profiting from a post-pandemic resurgence.
Duda explains: “There are association shows and sports-centric shows across the world, but there’s nothing where everyone can come together to learn from each other. Our ethos is that if you have a racket in one hand, you should have a paddle in the other – or should want to! Nothing else ‘festival-izes’ what’s happening, both on the business- and consumer-side, as we are going to do on such a large scale.
There is no place for the entire ecosystem, from player to maker, to come together and keep growing. The industry is experiencing explosive growth but the worst thing businesses can do is rest on their laurels and hope that it just keeps going.”
A version of this article was originally written by Mike Dale for The Padel Paper on December 7, 2023. It has been modified and updated.
