(Montreal) Eugène Lapierre entered the month of August with fewer professional concerns than in the past. And even if he is known to be a rather calm man, probably with a little less stress, too.
After two decades in which he served as project manager of a tournament that brought together the cream of international tennis in Montreal and which was among the most popular in its category in the world, Lapierre will now play the role of spectator. Even if he will always be ready, if necessary, to advise and be of service to those who take over from an event which, he says, made him discover skills that he did not necessarily think he possessed.
On October 6, Lapierre handed over to Valérie Tétreault as head of the National Bank Open. A decision that materialized two years later than he had first expected, and that he never questioned.
“It’s funny because my sister was writing to me this morning wondering if I was okay and how I felt, since I’m no longer involved [in the tournament]. I feel great, firstly because I have other projects that I’m pushing and that I like,” Lapierre said in an interview with La Presse Canadienne just over a week before the start of the tournament, which begins on Saturday with the qualifications.
When he looks back on his years as tournament director, Lapierre first remembers the frenzy of the days before the first racket hits on the various courts of the complex now called the IGA stadium. And also the pleasure he felt working in a group, in a positive and intoxicating atmosphere.
Over the course of all these meetings with his staff, Lapierre says he discovered a talent that he did not suspect in him.
“I realized, because I had absolutely no conviction, that I was not a bad leader and that I could bring people together to work together and have fun without myself, I have great expertise in anything, in all of this,” he said.
“I’m not a marketer. I am not a salesperson; I won’t pick up the phone to sell tickets, but we have a great team there. I am not a specialist in the layouts [on the site]. I am not a restaurant expert, far from it. I’m like an expert in nothing we do. But it happens and it works because I was able to unite the world to work together. I realized that I had this quality, “he analyzes, with hindsight.
“I found out I had a big mouth too!” I can talk,” he adds, chuckling.
Lapierre is also proud to note that this tournament has brought happiness, in various ways, to a large section of the population of Quebec.
“It is a fact that sport is a tool for socialization. People come to an event not only to see a good show, but they come to socialize, to meet people, to talk, to have fun, to bring friends, customers. And so it becomes a significant event for many, many people,” he observed.
“And even for people who don’t come to the event, I discovered, at a certain point, that it brought pride to Montrealers. Even though they won’t come to tennis because it’s not something they follow, they say “it’s fun that there’s a big tournament and the best players in the world come here. “”
In a sort of assessment of his career as tournament director, Lapierre emphasizes the harmonious relations between his organization and customers, commercial partners, athletes, representatives of the two professional tennis circuits (the ATP and the WTA) and the media.
Above all, Lapierre will always remember Montreal’s response.
“I think it’s more Montreal that made the success of the tournament. I saw a kind of pride in the people of Montreal coming to the tournament. »
