Hi all,

A long time between drinks (or blogs in this case) so I better fill you all in on my new role. I started a job with Prince a couple of months ago managing a number of the larger states sales operations here in Australia. It is certainly a challenging role but one that I am thoroughly enjoying and has given me a great insight into what goes on on the other side of the fence.

Things are busy here in Melbourne with the Australian Open. Yet again it has thrown a number of surprises at us as it seems to do each year. Jelena Dokic has won the hearts of all the public here with her seemingly genuine outpour of emotion over her past decisions under the influence of her father. It is truly a great story and she is displaying a brand of tennis which should she continue I am sure will get her back into the top 20 by the end of the year.

Unfortunately no Sharapova this year which is a shame for our brand as she is our big draw card and gives us a lot of much needed exposure at this time of year. Interestingly I was in the process of organizing a signing session in conjunction with one of the larger accounts in Melbourne prior to the commencement of the tournament. There is a lot of tooing and frowing with her management etc as well as the store to set something like this up. Time frames, pick ups, security, logistics, product etc all need to be organized to make sure it runs smoothly. You name it and it needs to be covered before she is comfortable doing anything like it but these kind of exercises can be very rewarding both in terms of brand exposure but also in terms of sales generated for the store through consumers purchasing product to be signed etc.

We also help out with Prince in the USA to distribute product to sponsored players out of the Hyatt (a hotel in Melbourne where the majority of players stay) during the Open. They will ship boxes (make that truck loads) to our warehouse here and then it is our responsibility to sort this product and move to Hyatt in preparation for the players. It consists of apparel, racquets, accessories etc and the players have an allocated amount they are too take although in the case of some players this seems to get thrown out of the window and we need to order in a courier service to send product away!!!! Only joking but there are players who go over the top.

Prince has grown significantly over the past year and we are all excited by the launch of our new EXO player frames. The Graphite and the Rebel (Monfils racquet) have proved to be very popular amongst the touring pros with a large number currently using and more trialing them. We had a record 17% representation in the juniors this year and I am confident this figure will grow.

So who is my pick for the men’s? My heart said Murray until he was bundled out but on form I cant look past Nadal. Making 9 unforced errors in three sets versus 48 winners against Haas is spectacular and he has taken this form on through the other rounds. Federer awaits in the final and that is going to be a mouth watering encounter. I will be sure to kick back on my beanbag and watch eagerly and I suggest you all do the same because I reckon this is going to be an absolute peach!!!

The women’s? I think Safina is playing great off the ground but her serve worries me a little. Her ball toss and balance are a little all over the shop and add some nerves to this makes for a dodgy recipe!!! I am going to say Williams in three in the first ever women’s night match.

It is bye for now, I hope my predictions are right. Today has seen the third straight day where temperatures have reached over 43 degrees. No I am not enjoying being in the office this afternoon hence I am going home now!!

Any questions about our products, our new technology etc then please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer!!! Catch you all

Hampo from Down Under