January is always a busy month at Melbourne & Olympic Parks (M&OP), with the organisation pouring significant effort into the delivery of the Australian Open (AO).

As the largest sporting event in the world in January, a lot goes into preparing to deliver this iconic event, and M&OP is proud to work with Tennis Australia and other partners to bring the three-week festival of tennis to life. 

It takes a village to deliver an event of the size and scale of the AO. M&OP works closely with Tennis Australia, Delaware North, MSS Security and Quayclean to deliver across all aspects of the event’s operations, aligning workforces towards the common goal of delivering an AO more memorable than the last. With a workforce of over 12,000, many hands make light work around the precinct to ensure the delivery of a seamless, memorable event for players and fans.  

For Operations Manager, Brenton Conlan, this year marked his tenth Australian Open. During the tournament, Brenton’s team manage a range of venue-related activities – anything from overseeing court resurfacing in the lead-up to the tournament, to changing the nets from singles to doubles, and setting up the stage for the final trophy presentation.  

For Brenton, the Australian Open is always a busy period, but one which brings the team together. 

“It’s a great vibe at tennis time. The operations team run for weeks prior and weeks after the actual tournament, and it’s always nice to see the team come together. There’s always plenty going on, but if you don’t hear from the operations team, it usually means everything is running to plan.”

Brenton was one of many team members who were recognised as an ‘Ace of the Day’ for their exemplary work during the 2023 Australian Open.

M&OP strives to create an environment where team members feel supported and inspired to be their best, and recognising effort which goes above and beyond is just one of the ways we drive excellence.

For Jasmine McClain, being named as an Ace of the Day capped off her experience at her fifth Australian Open, where she took on more responsibility as a Guest Services Supervisor.   

‘I love being part of a team that provides such immense support. I’ve been surrounded by team members at all levels and from different departments who have been encouraging and supportive of me taking on a more challenging role this AO, which has been really rewarding.’ 

While 45 team members were recognised as an ‘Ace of the Day’ at this year’s tournament, there is thanks to be given to every single person who contributed to the event. With 902,312 people attending three weeks of qualifying and main draw, M&OP is proud to have played a key role in delivering an outstanding Australian Open.