Taking A Peak Into London’s Canary Wharf Squash Classic

European Business Magazine catches up with the organiser Tim Garner , the  head of Eventis, the events company behind the Canary Wharf Squash Classic which takes place annually in East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf London.The event has become an outstanding success
being sold out months in advance to squash enthusiasts from the capital. Tim a former top 25 ranked player talks to us about the event
and his future plans.

You have been recently selling out the Canary Wharf Classic in East Winter Gardens Why do you think it has become such a popular event ? 

The venue lends itself perfectly to as squash event, with 600 crammed in to create an electric atmosphere. That and the continuity of putting the event on in the same venue at the same time of year for  many years

How many years has it been going now and how the did the idea come about ? Talk us through the concept and who was involved ?

2019 was the 16^th edition of the event, that came about from a desire to host a squash event in Canary Wharf and initially Reebok Sports Club London (now Third Space) realising they had made an error in not installing squash courts in their new gym. We looked at putting a glass court in the basketball court and this developed into a suggestion by the Canary Wharf Arts & Events department that we should look at a brand new building that would open that year. We took one look at the East Wintergarden and knew it was perfect.

Would you say the original partners are involved in as much as the organisation as you are or are you fully responsible for the day to running of the event. I have always been the main person involved in the event and am fully responsible for all elements of the event, including the lead up and the daily operations as the event unfolds.

How many months of planning does it normally take before the event itself?

Initially events should look at 9-12 months of planning, having delivered the event on so many occasions the timeline now kicks into action about 6 months out with confirmation of the suppliers (court, seating, staging, AV, etc) and then the tickets go onsale the first week of October.

And each year what would you say your biggest challenge is and what is your highlight? Bringing on board sponsors and partners is always a challenge, but as the PSA tour continues to grow and the media coverage improves this is getting (marginally) easier. The highlight is undoubtedly a full house each day of the event, particularly when they give the players a standing ovation.

You were formerly top 25 PSA player (many moons ago) . What are the big differences that you see ? Is the money any better? Are there more tournaments? 

The PSA tour has become more and more professional, both in terms of player well-being (such as PSA Tour Physio onsite at all major events) and media coverage, particularly across social media platforms where I think Squash really punches above its weight. The number and size of the events has also grown, for example we have had to double the prize money in the past 5 years to maintain a top 12 status on the PSA World Tour.

You were involved with the recent first million dollar tournament in Chicago . Was it a success? 

Absolutely. Being based in Union Station, which was still fully operational as station was a challenge but gave the sport great exposure to the public.

You recently gained a new sponsor -Citigold Wealth Management ? Is this a long term partnership or just one year? This was the first year of what we hope will be a long term partnership. I think they were pleased with their first involvement in a PSA World Tour event.

Have you any further projects with Eventis in the pipeline given the Canary Wharf has been so successful? We are always looking for new ventures and obviously in my role as Events Director for the PSA, I have a number of events coming up including in May the first Manchester Womens’s Open and Allam British Open in Hull. In terms of Eventis we have the World of Squash Golf Day in September.