BNP Paribas Open owner Larry Ellison going big

Billionaire sees event drawing 500,000, yet retaining its 'intimacy'



The BNP Paribas Open is on track to set a new attendance record, but owner Larry Ellison has even bigger plans for the fifth- largest tennis tournament in the world.

This year's event is on pace to attract more than 375,000 fans, which would shatter last year's record of 350,000.But Ellison, the founder and CEO of computer hardware and software giant Oracle, has his sights set on attracting 500,000 to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. In order to accomplish that, Ellison said there will be added parking and building on Stadium 2 to create a permanent structure to provide more comfort for the fans.If the BNP Paribas Open does swell to 500,000 fans, it will attract more than the 2011 Wimbledon (494,761) and 2011 French Open (429,105). It would trail this year's Australian Open (686,006) and the 2011 U.S. Open (658,664).

With the plans for ambitious growth, Ellison — listed by Forbes magazine as the sixth- richest man in the world, with a net worth of $36 billion — doesn't want to lose the charm and intimacy of the event. When the tournament moved into the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2000, it attracted 187,431 fans.By most measures, the BNP Paribas has separated itself from the other top events on the men's ATP and women's WTA tours, which does not include the four majors.With a prize pool eclipsing the $11 million mark, the BNP Paribas Open is the richest of the elite Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour and the WTA premiere mandatory events. - http://www.mydesert.com