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The all-new Tour S is brimming with the powerful and advanced 1.2L K series Dualjet, Dual VVT Engine with a host of features:

• Factory fitted S-CNG
• 5MT Transmission
• Power steering with tilt adjust
• Gear shift indicator

With Enhanced fuel efficiency of the All-new Tour S, make more trips without worrying about the mileage

• 23.15 km/L* in PETROL
• 32.12 km/kg* in CNG

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Our advanced Factory-Fitted S-CNG technology not only boosts your profits but also ensures superior performance. Benefit from our powerful, fuel-efficient, and reliable technology that guarantees better mileage without compromising performance. Moreover, enjoy the added flexibility and convenience of petrol, providing peace of mind while maximising your profits.

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Pick from popular cities, new maruti suzuki dzire tour s launched at rs 6.51 lakh.

The fleet-only Dzire Tour S is available with both petrol and CNG powertrain options.

Published On Feb 10, 2023 03:28:00 PM

63,817 Views

Maruti Suzuki has launched the new Dzire Tour S for the fleet market in India. Prices for the compact sedan start from Rs 6.51 lakh for the Std(O) petrol variant and go up to Rs 7.36 lakh for the Std(O) CNG variant. The new Tour S replaces the outgoing model that was based on the second-gen Dzire and joins the Ertiga (Tour M) and the WagonR (Tour H3) models. All three models are sold via Maruti Suzuki's Arena and commercial dealerships.

• New Tour S based on the third-gen Dzire
• Gets safety features like dual airbags, ABS and ESP
• Claimed CNG fuel efficiency is 32.12km/kg

The new Tour S, being based on the  third-gen Dzire , will help Maruti with better economies of scale, unlike before when two generations of the car were sold together. Here is the detailed price table for the new Dzire Tour S:

New Maruti Suzuki Dzire Tour S: exterior design, features

The new Tour S is available with three colour options – Arctic White, Midnight Black and Silky Silver. The new Tour S remains identical in terms of design to the current Dzire, albeit with some key differences such as the steel wheels, black door handles and mirror caps, and the ‘Tour S’ badging on the tailgate.

In terms of equipment, the new Tour S gets LED tail-lights, manual air conditioning and speed-sensitive door locks. The compact sedan also gets safety features like Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), dual airbags and ISOFIX seat anchorages.

New Maruti Suzuki Dzire Tour S: powertrain

The new Dzire Tour S is powered by the 1.2-litre K Series engine that puts out 90hp and 113Nm of peak torque in petrol mode. However, that dips to 77hp and 98.5Nm of torque when switched to CNG mode. Maruti claims that the petrol-powered Dzire Tour S offers a claimed fuel economy figure of 23.15kpl, whereas the CNG-powered version offers 32.12km/kg. According to the brand, the new Tour S CNG is 21 percent more efficient than the outgoing model.

New Maruti Suzuki Dzire Tour S: rivals

The new Dzire Tour S is the only ICE-powered fleet vehicle on sale as Hyundai no longer sells the fleet version of the old Xcent or the current Aura. It's only other competition is the Tata Xpres T EV, the fleet-only counterpart of the Tigor EV .

Maruti Suzuki Dzire for private buyers

The Dzire compact sedan for private buyers is available in four trims – LXI, VXI, ZXI and ZXi+ – and currently retails for Rs 6.44 lakh-9.31 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Dzire rivals other compact sedans like the recently facelifted Hyundai Aura (Rs 6.30 lakh-8.87 lakh), Honda Amaze (Rs 6.89 lakh-9.48 lakh) and the Tata Tigor (Rs 6.20-8.90 lakh) in the market.

Maruti Brezza, Ertiga and other Arena models get Black Edition

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Maruti Tour S STD

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• Maruti Tour V CNG (O) 1196cc, 1.2L G12B, 4-Cylinder Petrol+CNG Engine CNG ₹ 5,91,200
• Maruti Tour H3 CNG (New) 998cc, 1.0L K10C, 3-Cylinder Petrol+CNG Engine CNG ₹ 6,39,500
• Maruti Tour S CNG 1197cc, 1.2L K-Series VVT, 4-Cylinder Petrol+CNG Engine CNG ₹ 7,36,000
• Maruti Tour M CNG 1462cc, 1.5L K15B VVT, 4-Cylinder Petrol+CNG Engine CNG ₹ 10,47,000
• Maruti Tour H1 (O) 796cc, 1.0L F8D, 3-Cylinder, 12-Valves Petrol Engine Petrol ₹ 4,20,000
• Maruti Tour H2 998cc, 1.0L K10B, 3-Cylinder Petrol Engine Petrol ₹ 4,47,000
• Maruti Tour V (O) 1196cc, 1.2L G12B, 4-Cylinder Petrol Engine Petrol ₹ 4,60,200
• Maruti Tour H1 998cc, 1.0L K10C Dual Jet, Dual VVT 3-Cylinder Petrol Engine Petrol ₹ 4,80,500
• Maruti Tour V 7-Seater (O) 1196cc, 1.2L G12B, 4-Cylinder Petrol Engine Petrol ₹ 4,89,200
• Maruti Tour V AC (O) 1196cc, 1.2L G12B, 4-Cylinder Petrol Engine Petrol ₹ 4,96,200

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Maruti Tour S STD Review

The 2023 Maruti Tour S STD is a new taxi variant of the popular Maruti Suzuki Tour S. It is designed to be a practical and affordable option for taxi operators, with a number of features that make it well-suited for commercial use.

The Tour S STD has a simple and functional exterior design. A large grille, swept-back headlights, and a prominent bumper are some of its external features. The side profile is characterized by its large windows and black plastic cladding. The rear end of the car features a small boot and taillights that are integrated into the rear bumper.

The interior of the Tour S STD is spacious and comfortable. It can seat up to 5 passengers in relative comfort. The dashboard is simple and straightforward, with all of the controls within easy reach of the driver. The seats are upholstered in durable fabric and are well-cushioned. The Tour S STD also comes with a number of features that are designed to make it a comfortable taxi option, such as a cooled glovebox and a rear armrest with cupholders.

The Tour S STD is powered by a 1197cc, 1.2L K-Series VVT, 4-Cylinder Petrol engine. This BS6-compliant engine produces a max power of 89 horsepower and 113 Nm of peak torque. Maruti offers a 5-speed manual transmission system along with ABS and EBD. The engine is fuel-efficient, with a claimed mileage of 23.15 km/l.

The Tour S STD comes with a number of features that are designed to make it a comfortable and practical taxi option. These features include:

• A comfortable and spacious interior with 5-seat accommodation
• A large boot with enough space for luggage
• A variety of safety features, including dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, and rear parking sensors
• A comprehensive warranty package

Here are some of the pros and cons of the 2023 Maruti Tour S STD:

• Fuel-efficient
• Practical and spacious
• Comfortable
• Long warranty
• Basic features
• Not very powerful
• Not very stylish

The Tour S STD is priced starting at Rs. 6.51 lakh (ex-showroom). It is available in a number of colours, including Arctic White, Midnight Black, and Silky Silver. Maruti Tour S STD competes with the likes of the Hyundai Aura, Honda Amaze, and Tata Tigor.

The 2023 Maruti Tour S STD is a good option for taxi operators who are looking for a practical and affordable vehicle. It is also a good option for people who are looking for a comfortable and spacious car for personal use.

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2023 Maruti Suzuki Tour S launched: Prices start at Rs 6.51 lakh

The new 2023 maruti suzuki tour s has been launched in india at a starting price of rs 6.51 lakh, ex-showroom. it is offered in both petrol and cng variants with a manual gearbox only..

Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car manufacturer, has today announced the launch of the all-new Tour S. The new 2023 Maruti Suzuki Tour S is based on the latest-gen Dzire and is offered in both petrol and CNG variants. Prices for the same start at Rs 6.51 lakh, ex-showroom, and its variant-wise prices are mentioned in the table below. 

Maruti Suzuki Tour S: Variant-wise prices 

Maruti Suzuki Tour S is offered in two variants with petrol and bi-fuel CNG variants. Its petrol manual variant has been priced at Rs 6.51 lakh while the bi-fuel CNG variant will retail at Rs 7.36 lakh, all prices ex-showroom. Its safety features include dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, reverse parking sensors, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), etc. 

Also Read:  Ola S1, S1 Air, S1 Pro variants explained: All you need to know

Maruti Suzuki Tour S: Engine and gearbox

Powering the Maruti Suzuki Tour S is a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine that develops 88.5 bhp & 113 Nm in the petrol mode and 76.4 bhp & 98.5 Nm of peak torque in the CNG mode. Transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed manual transmission. The Tour S’ petrol mileage has been rated at 23.15 kmpl while its CNG variant is claimed to deliver 32.12 km per kg. 

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Here’s what the company said: 

Commenting on the launch, Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer ( Marketing and Sales), Maruti Suzuki India , said, “The all-new Tour S with modern design, new-age safety features, greater practicality, and Advanced 1.2L K-Series Dual Jet, Dual VVT engine is a revolutionary model for the commercial sedan segment. We are confident of exceeding the expectations of our commercial segment customers once again, as we continue to deliver the perfect sedan experience with the All-new Tour S.”

Also Read:  Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Mini Cooper SE: Ioniq vs Iconic EVs comparison!

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2023 Maruti Suzuki Tour S launched at Rs 6.51 lakh

The 2023 Tour S is based on the latest generation of the Dzire compact sedan.

Maruti Suzuki has announced the launch of the 2023 Tour S aimed at the fleet market. The petrol version is priced at Rs 6.51 lakh, while the CNG version costs Rs 7.36 lakh (ex-showroom).

The 2023 Tour S is based on the latest generation of the Dzire compact sedan. It gets a redesigned front fascia featuring a hexagonal grille and sweptback headlamps. The updated rear end incorporated LED taillights and the ‘Tour S’ badging.

The Tour S is powered by a 1.2-litre K-series petrol engine that produces 89 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm @ 4,400 rpm. When running on CNG, the engine output drops to 76 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 98.5 Nm @ 4,300 rpm. Maruti claims a fuel efficiency of 23.15 km/l. The S-CNG version is said to be 21% more efficient than the outgoing model.

The Tour S is equipped with a whole host of safety features. These include ESP, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, reverse parking sensors and dual airbags. The car also gets a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, air-conditioning, ISOFIX and speed-sensitive door locking.

The 2023 Maruti Suzuki Tour S is available in three colour options: Arctic White, Midnight Black and Silky Silver.

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Tour Planning Using These 12 Magical Tour Features

Food & Beverage , Industry News

Tour planning can be a breeze for itinerary makers everywhere with these 12 ideas to bring to your prospective travelers

Tour planning takes creativity and thoughtful inclusions. Sure, your travelers are going to buy the exciting itinerary and contents you have mentioned. But they’re buying more than just the day-to-day schedule outlined in your brochure or other publicity materials. Here are the magic 12 features I think a good trip should provide above and beyond hotels, transportation and guides for a fulfilling time.

1. A Glimpse of Beauty

Itinerary makers have an opportunity to provide a memorable experience to their travelers. Offer something your tour members will remember as beautiful – a spectacular sunset, a colorful garden or a striking architectural structure. You can use these opportunities for reflection, relaxation and photo opportunities on excursions.

Peaceful sunset

2. A Change of Pace

Itinerary makers should strive for varied experiences, some intense, some fleeting. Provide something totally different in the day’s pacing from what one would be doing at home so that your tour members feel they are really “away” when they’re away with you.

3. Tour Planning for Friendships

Carefully create an atmosphere that grows new friendships developed among fellow tour members as the trip moves along. Hopefully, this culminates in new friendships to be continued long after the tour ends and one returns home. Not only do new friends make for new emotional fodder to warrant future trips, but it always pleases tour members to know that they’ve enlarged their circle.

4. An Appreciation of the Past

When tour planning, take a look back through the ages and bring to life the history your tour members may have studied in school. Perhaps they are now seeing and understanding this history for the first time. Itinerary makers have the chance to fulfill travelers’ curiosities by incorporating these places into their trip plans.

Incorporate a massage or other touch-based activity when tour planning

5. A Sense of Fun

Stories, jokes, and funny incidents afford laughter all the way around the group and makes great memories. The lighter touch can also balance any unpleasant incidents that may have occurred en route: a rude waiter, an impossible-to-understand local guide, an unhelpful hotel desk clerk.

6. Something Sensual

A massage, a visit to a perfume factory, a pedicure. A walk on the beach with the sand between your toes. These are things an itinerary maker can provide as something that will stick with them. Tour planning with all the sensations in mind will delight every participant, but it’s also an opportunity to be creative.

7. A Food Experience

Being introduced to totally new and delicious dining experiences can be very memorable. Hopefully not just by eating new cuisines but visiting a local market and attending a cooking demonstration. How about the opportunity to “do it yourself” under supervision of a local chef? Being able to return home and pass along this new ability to family and friends makes for a richer experience. Including a memorable culinary interaction is a must when tour planning.

8. Your Personal Kindness

As the itinerary maker, it’s your duty to bring kindness to tours, to the locals and to other members of your group. Ultimately, when you return home you can honestly say that you “gave back” to those whom you met and learned from along the way. So too will your tour members treasure a wonderfully kind experience.

9. A Learning Experience

Not just learning about the history of the areas you’re visiting but understanding how this history developed through the years is vital. Bringing history to life through visits to such sites as the Louvre, the Statue of Liberty or something as awful as Auschwitz creates an immersive tour. This is another key experience to include when tour planning.

Louvre Museum in Paris, France

10. Meeting With Locals

I’m not talking about just visits to places and buildings, but interacting with local people of the areas you’re visiting. You can pre-arrange a dinner get-together with a local teacher, lawyer or business person who might provide insight to your group.

11. Pre-Trip Advice

Itinerary makers can provide help before the trip even starts in information bulletins you may prepare. These will  advise travelers on passports and any necessary visas, packing, clothing suggestions, en route medications, any required inoculations and other suggestions that occur to you. Tour planning with this in mind will ensure your members’ peace of mind.

12. A Sense of Pride

As the itinerary maker, you will have a sense of pride on your part that you were able to provide this unique trip. Pride on the part of the tour members comes from the fact that they actually had the opportunity to be part of this wonderful travel project. This pride will be the basis for their recommending future travel clients to you. It will also mean that they will come back year after year on future travel programs you may plan and offer to them. And while every trip trip you plan may not include all 12 of the points mentioned, it should give you some insight as to what a top-notch operator can aspire.

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How To Write a Tour Summary with Features & Benefits

• October 26, 2022

Do your tour summaries seem too long and lack purpose? If so, you might need to learn about the difference between features and benefits, and how to use both to sell your tours.

In this blog post and video, I’m going to explain what features and benefits are, how to use them, and why they’re so much more effective at selling tours than lengthy copy.

What are tour features?

A feature is part of your product, your tour, your service. The key defining feature is products tend to be about the thing itself. An example of a feature is a razor with five blades. That’s a simple feature of that razor. Notice how it’s short? Features tend to be punchy. You can usually describe it in something like five to seven words.

Another example might be an umbrella with reinforced ribs for windy conditions. Those reinforced ribs are a feature of the product itself. So for a tour or experience, some features might be the type of transportation you use, the size of your vehicles, the number of seats, the group size, the duration of your tour, and the highlights of your tour. All of these would be considered features.

What are tour benefits?

Benefits are the positive impact that the feature has on your guest. This is where we translate what that feature actually means for the guest.

A benefit answers the question, “Why does this matter?” of a feature. So every feature should have a connected benefit. Sometimes we just list features without explicitly laying out the guest benefit gained by the feature.

Let’s go back to the razor example to make this clear. So a five-bladed razor, that might be a feature, but “Why is that important?” Well, the benefit would then mean you get a closer shave, less skin irritation, and smoother skin. That’s what a five-bladed razor means. So features and benefits should always be connected, and we never want to mention one without mentioning the other.

Features and benefits for tours and experiences

Now that we understand the difference between features and benefits, let’s look at examples that translate features into benefits for some tours or experiences.

Let’s say you call out the fact that you only use brand-new Mercedes Sprinters. A benefit would be that the state-of-the-art Mercedes is almost all windows, ensuring you always get the best seat in the house. You’re calling out the fact that those windows provide unrivaled views on your experience.

What about a 24-hour cancellation policy? If we wanted to translate that with a benefit, we would say our 24-hour cancellation policy means a no-stress booking, a hassle-free holiday for you and your family. You can see how we’re making it important to the guests. We’re answering that question, “So what?”

Choosing the right features and benefits to highlight

How do I know which features and benefits to choose for any given tour? And how many do we need? Those are both great questions.

The short answer to the first question is you want to highlight the benefits and features that are going to mean the most to your ideal target guest. So the million dollar question is, “How do I know what means the most to my ideal target guest?” Well, you enroll in the Guest Focus Tour Business Coaching Program and we teach you how to do a Guest Deep Dive.

Basically, you want to deeply understand what grinds on your potential guests? What irritates them? What frustrates them about going on a tour, activity or experience? Once you know that you know how to describe your tour in a way that is not any of that stuff.

Likewise, we’re going to ask them the questions, “What would be your dream scenario? What would the easy button look like? What would the perfect experience look like?” And you’ll be surprised that people are quite explicit about sharing. Their responses provide invaluable language for helping you decide what features and what benefits to choose.

Now, if you’re not doing a Guest Deep Dive and you’ve got to do it ‘quick and dirty’, then you’re simply going to have to pull out the pain points that you suspect you’re solving for guests. What are the needs, the wants, the desires, and the dream scenarios of your guests? Those are great inspiration for features and benefits, as are the pain points, frustrations, and challenges. That’s the quick and dirty answer.

To answer the second question, we recommend anywhere from five to seven features and benefits. These are going to replace a lot of that dense text in your tour summary with easy to skim, easy to read features, and their connected benefits.

Selling more effectively with features and benefits

You’re distilling out the real world tangible benefits that you’re going to give guests in exchange for their money. But not only is it going to make your sales page significantly more effective because you can articulate that value clearly and succinctly, but it’s also amazing training for you and your team on some of the key benefits your guests are seeking.

When you’re having sales conversations on the phone or by email or talking with distributors and resellers, you’re going to be able to sell more effectively with those features and benefits front-of-mind. 

By translating your tour features into benefits that are focused on your guests, you’re going to drive up your sales not only on your tour sales pages, but through your entire sales process!If you need help incorporating features and benefits into your tour summaries, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll point you in the right direction.

3 guilt-free tipping systems any tour leader should know about. Part 7 of 8

Share your tipping systems below or let us know about one of the creative systems you’ve seen!

Conversion Rate Optimization for Tour Businesses

In this blog post video, we’re going to talk about bonuses and extras and how you can use them on your tour sales pages to differentiate yourself from your competitors, create fear of missing out and go that extra mile with your ideal target guest.

How to Overcome Objections & Increase Tour Bookings

In this blog post and video, we’ll cover an essential component of high-converting tour sales pages – frequently asked questions (FAQs).

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Xscape and SWV Announce Co-Headlining Queens of R&B Tour with Special Guests Mýa, Total and 702 (Exclusive)

The highly anticipated tour will entertain audiences across 30 cities nationwide

Dave Quinn is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE. He has been working at the brand since 2016, and is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-selling book, Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It.

Derek Blanks with crowdMGMT 

Xscape and SWV are hitting the road together!

The legendary groups are combining their talents for The Queens of R&B Tour, a new co-headling concert that will hit 30 cities across the country this summer.

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that fellow greats MÝA , Total, and 702 will join the lineup as supporting acts.

News of the tour dropped Monday on Sherri Shepherd's self-titled talk show, Sherri. It came after a hilarious video went viral showing Xscape (featuring Kandi Burruss , Tameka “Tiny” Harris and Tamika Scott ) and SWV ( Cheryl “Coko” Gamble , Tamara “Taj” George and Leanne “Lelee” Lyons ) in a makeshift therapy session with television personality Mona Scott-Young.

Scott-Young's Monami Entertainment will produce the tour along with Live Nation.

The tour will kick off on June 27 in Concord, California, at the Toyota Pavilion. Among the 30 stops will be a prestigious venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

Fans will remember that Xscape and SWV last collaborated on a 2023 Bravo series called SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B , which followed the female musicians — including Scott's sister LaTocha Scott-Bivens) as they attempted to get this tour off the ground. But internal conflicts and a debate over which group would headline prevented the tour from ever manifesting.

Now, the Queens of R&B Tour is finally happening — something the press release calls "a testament to the power of what can be accomplished when women come together with respect, admiration and undeniable talent," as well as "a celebration of passion, power, resilience and unstoppable ability to exceed expectations."

"I’m incredibly honored to be part of this HERstory making moment in R&B music, and to announce this tour during Women’s History Month makes it much more impactful," Scott-Young, 57, tells PEOPLE. "What started as a television series turned into something much greater and I’m proud to be producing this tour, alongside Live Nation, as Xscape and SWV, along with incredible talents 702, TOTAL and MYA, embark on this journey together."

"These ladies have all given their all to R&B music, despite experiencing the ups and downs of life and career, and it is with great pride and excitement that we bring this highly anticipated concert experience to the fans," she added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Tickets for The Queens of R&B tour go on sale Tuesday, March 26 with a Citi presale. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale staring March 29 (at 10 a.m. local time) on Ticketmaster.

XSCAPE have sold more than 9 million records worldwide, and notched six top-10 songs hitting the Billboard 100. SWV (Sisters With Voices) have sold more than 30 million records worldwide and been nominated for three Grammy Awards.

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At Twist Tours powered by HomeDiary PRO (formerly FloorPlanOnline), we create cool tools to help you succeed, and we provide multiple account and tour options to meet every budget.  We provide 3 types of Full Service listing options – Photo Tours, Floor Plan Tours, and our premium (also the best value!) 360 Walkthrough Tours.  We offer full service 3D Matterport with floor plans, photography and aerial video plus imagery in the Austin and San Antonio markets .. and self service options anywhere in the world.

360 Walkthrough Tours:

This product has it all! A premium single property website that combines the 3D Matterport Space, Floor Plan and Professional Photos into an amazing interactive online presentation of the property. Additional features include an Interactive 2D Floor Plan and a 3D Floorplan with an HGTV like RoomPlanner.  Other built-in features include the Virtual WalkThru™ Video, mobile optimized tour versions, your brand and other buyer tools.  See below for more features.

Floor Plan Tours:

An Interactive Floor Plan and Photo Tour contained in a premium single property website featuring a beautiful gallery of Professional Photos, the Virtual WalkThru™ Video Tour, an Interactive 2D Floor Plan and a 3D Floorplan with an HGTV like RoomPlanner with your brand and buyer tools.

Photo Tours:

Professional Photos contained in a premium single property website featuring a beautiful gallery display, the Virtual WalkThru™ Video Tour,  your brand and buyer tools.   See below for more features!

Photo Gallery & Video

All tours come with an automated slideshow video in a single property website format. Our Full Screen HD Tour includes big responsive images at full HD 1920×1080!

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Set yourself apart from the competition. our capture platform lets us create 3d digital twins of your physical space, helping you capture new clients and grow your business.  , 3d technology can create experiences like nothing you’ve ever seen before. it digitizes and enables fully immersive 3d environments that can help in viewing your space from multiple angles, build functionality on top of it, get accurate measurements and more. it is a form of active media that puts the visitor in the driver’s seat, which can help in increasing engagement and providing in-depth information on the layouts., we provide you with a powerful 3d data platform that is all in one – enabling you to transform your space into a more accurate and immersive digitized twin. 3d helps in visualizing the layouts and floor plans as close to reality as possible., schematic floor plans.

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Valspar Championship, Round 1: How to watch, featured groups, live scores, tee times, TV times

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Round 1 action from the Valspar Championship gets underway Thursday from the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, the final event of the TOUR's Florida Swing. The Valspar has been a staple on the PGA TOUR schedule since it was founded in 2000. Taylor Moore returns to defend his title looking to become the fifth player to win the Valspar multiple times. Plenty of stars will take the stage at the Copperhead Course including two runner-ups from last week's PLAYERS Championship, Xander Schauffele and Open champion Brian Harman. Schauffele efforted a T12 here in 2022 while Harman will tee it up for the 10th time, looking to improve upon his best finish (T5) in that same year.

Fifteen-time TOUR winner Justin Thomas will tee it up for the fourth consecutive year after finishes of T10-T3-T13 in his past three attempts. Aside from Moore, other past champions of the event in the field include Sam Burns and Jordan Spieth. Spieth, now a 13-time winner on TOUR, earned his second career victory here in 2015, a season that would see him win four more times including the TOUR Championship. Burns is one of two players to successfully defend his Valspar title by winning in 2021 and 2022.

Here's everything you need to know to follow the action.

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET)

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC)
• Saturday, March 23: 'PGA TOUR Originals Credentialed: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard,' 2-3 p.m. on NBC: “PGA TOUR Originals Credentialed” delivers an inside look at the stories of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Follow France’s Matthieu Pavon and the Arnold Palmer Cup Exemption David Ford for their debuts at Bay Hill, meet Orlando artist Ryan Rustand, dive into the history of Arnie’s place, and go inside the ropes as Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan.

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: A combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio :

• Thursday-Friday: 12-6 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.

FEATURED GROUPS (all times ET)

Marquee group

• 1:34 p.m.: Jordan Spieth, Nick Taylor, Keegan Bradley

Featured groups

• 8:24 a.m.: Cameron Young, Tony Finau, Sepp Straka
• 1:23 p.m.: Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman, Taylor Moore

Featured holes

• Nos. 4 (par 3), 8 (par 3), 15 (par 3), 17 (par 3)
• 1:23 p.m.: Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Sungjae Im
• 8:13 a.m.: Brian Harman, Xander Schauffele, Taylor Moore
• 1:34 p.m.: Tony Finau, Cameron Young, Sepp Straka

The First Look

Expert Picks: Valspar Championship

Power Rankings

Inside the Field: Valspar Championship

Purse breakdown: Valspar Championship

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9 top-notch examples of feature tours and prompts that improve adoption.

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Everyone knows it’s easier and less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to land a new one. That’s not rocket science. 

It is, however, a fact that SaaS companies need to take to heart. 

Retaining existing customers is an incredibly important indicator of a company’s stability, sustainability, and longevity. In fact, it’s arguably the most important metric you can look at. Other numbers can be spun to tell a variety of stories, but retention doesn’t lie. 

And small shifts in retention drive major changes to the bottom line:

A modest 5% improvement in retention will translate into a 25 to 95% profit increase while a seemingly benign 3% monthly churn will ultimately amount to 31% churn annually. Ouch. 

So, how exactly do you keep your users coming back for more?

Step 1: Have a great product. Obviously. 

Step 2: Make sure people are actually using that product.

Being able to consistently drive feature adoption is a non-negotiable, must-have ingredient for achieving strong retention. Users only stick around if your product delivers value. A product that isn’t being used, is only being used once in a while, or is only being used to half its potential can’t deliver the kind of meaningful value that earns customer loyalty.  

To summarize: Consistent feature adoption = high retention/low churn = a healthy company with a long, happy future.

Engaging all of your users all of the time

Achieving consistent feature adoption is all about keeping your users engaged at each step in their journey. Our Product-Led Growth Flywheel framework covers the 5 stages of the user journey—Stranger, Explorer, Beginner, Regular, and Champion—and aligns those against the key actions users need to take to move from one stage to the next: Evaluate, Activate, Adopt, Expand, and Advocate. 

While you might assume that feature adoption is mostly an issue for beginners who are working through activation and adoption, adoption is actually important at every stage of the journey. 

The trick is making sure you’re tailoring the way you encourage feature adoption based on where a user is in their journey.

Onboarding to get to the aha moment

Adoption for beginners is all about getting to the aha moment—the moment when a new user experiences your product’s value first hand—as quickly and easily as possible. 

This is the job of onboarding—finding the shortest path to activation. Successful onboarding guides new users effortlessly to their first “win.” After that, they will be hooked and excited to learn more.

A few tips for this stage:

• Leave the kitchen sink out of it. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to showcase everything all at once and right away. You may be super excited and proud to show off everything your product can do, but giving too much information too fast can confuse and demotivate new users. Good rule of thumb: stick to core features. 
• Think bite-sized, not buffet. If you have a complex product, avoid overwhelming beginners by breaking your onboarding down into smaller pieces.
• Know your users’ goals. Take the time to understand what your users most want to achieve as they start using your product—then focus onboarding around that goal. Make sure their path to success is clear and easy.
• You do you. Don’t be afraid to bring some personality into your onboarding. Even products designed for business are better with a little humor. Use graphics and copy to add some fun to your onboarding.
• Make it personal. Wherever possible, use what you know about the user to make the onboarding experience as personalized and relevant as possible. 

Excellent onboarding examples :

This Brazil-based conversational platform company used Appcues to create a multi-step, personalized walkthrough that resulted in a 9.7x reduction in their time-to-value (aka, time-to-aha). Using a combination of tooltips and slideouts, Take was able to create a clear path for new users building their first chatbot. This improved clarity and guidance reduced the median time it took a user to complete all the steps in the funnel from 1.1 hours to a mere 6.8 minutes. 

More importantly, this improvement helped Take solve a critical funnel conversion issue of users dropping out at various stages of the process. Within 2 months of publishing the Appcues flow, the dropout rate at “publish the bot” stage decreased from 55% to under 11%, and the dropout rate at the final “test chatbot” stage was reduced from 14% to just over 1%.

Data management for SaaS companies may not sound like a lot of fun, but Insycle isn’t afraid to add some quirkiness to an otherwise serious subject with unique illustrations that accompany key onboarding steps. 

3. Duolingo

This language learning app is a great example of several onboarding best practices. 

For starters, Duolingo segments uses based on skill level since beginners and more advanced learners have very different needs. By identifying where the user is in their language-learning journey, Duolingo can put them on the right path to reach their aha moment as soon as possible. 

Duolingo also asks the user to pick a goal. Setting a clear goal increases motivation and retention—and gives Duolingo another clue about how to tailor the experience. 

Looking for a more? Find out how Yotpo used Appcues to increase new user engagement, drive feature adoption, and improve retention.

Ongoing education to improve adoption and deepen proficiency

Once a user graduates from the beginner stage to become a regular user of your product, you need to take a slightly different approach to influence further feature adoption. Since, in most cases, regular users will have the basics down, you need to switch your focus to highlighting “deeper” features and use cases. 

Ongoing education using tooltips and tours helps these more experienced users get more out of your product. By surfacing features they either don’t know about or just haven’t incorporated into their workflows, you can help increase both their feature adoption and their product proficiency. 

The more features they use, the more users will be able to accomplish, and the more confident they’ll be about their own abilities and your product’s value. And the more features a user incorporates into their workflow, the more embedded your product becomes into their day-to-day—increasing retention in the long term.

Ongoing education is also extremely helpful in overcoming “feature blindness.” We humans are pretty good at filtering out anything that we consider irrelevant. We do it with online ads all day every day. Feature blindness is a similar phenomenon in which users stop noticing features that they don’t use regularly. It’s kind of a use-it-or-lose-it situation. 

Well-placed prompts, highlights, and tooltips can encourage regular users to reactivate these neglected features. This is especially important if the feature in the blindspot is part of your app’s core functionality. It’s one thing for a user to ignore a nice-to-have feature, but if they stop or never start using a core featurem, that undermines your product’s ability to deliver value. No value, no retention. 

Excellent ongoing education examples:

1. hubspot sales.

Originally called Sidekick, HubSpot Sales is a suite of time-saving sales tools including email templates, sequences, tracking, and scheduling. Early on, Hubspot ran into a surprising challenge with their email tracking feature. 

Despite the fact that being able to see when an email recipient received and opened an email was one of the product’s super powers, users were turning the “open-tracking” feature off. Even after they’d had an initial positive experience, they were opting out. 

The problem was that, without this key feature, the product’s ability to deliver  value was severely hampered. 

As it turned out, users were turning tracking off for specific emails, and then forgetting to turn it back on. Over time, they forgot about the feature (there’s that feature blindness), and just left it disabled. 

While HubSpot could have left open-tracking always on, this would have forced users to uncheck the feature manually when they wanted to send an email without tracking. 

To avoid creating friction, their solution was to automatically turn tracking back on after long periods of inactivity. The key to making this work was that they reintroduced the feature with a tooltip so that users could rediscover it. 

Push notifications are vital for social networks and messaging apps to maintain and increase user engagement. Despite this, many  apps only offer the opportunity to turn on notifications during initial onboarding. 

Gone-but-not-forgotten social media app Peach did a lot of things right ( people were devastated when the app went down). For instance, instead of asking users to enable notifications right away, they guided users through the rest of their profile set up first. 

Then, they used 2 in-app messages to encourage users to turn push notifications on. 

When a user landed on their empty activity feed for the first time, Peach served up a prompt inviting them to allow notifications.

Then, if the user declined that initial invitation, Peach presented a persistent banner in the notifications feed as a contextual reminder. 

3. Airtable

When you have a complex product like Airtable’s relational database, providing contextual guidance is especially important. But you don’t want that guidance to disrupt the user experience. Airtable does a great job of presenting relevant tooltips in context in a way that helps the user along without slowing them down. 

New feature announcements to keep users excited

Updating and adding new bells and whistles to your product is always exciting (and it’s a necessary part of the game if you want to keep up with the Joneses). New features are also an excellent opportunity to boost engagement and win back lapsed users. 

But you have to be a little careful about how you handle new feature announcements. Too many too often can start to feel like spam, and users will completely tune out. 

The key to ensuring your announcement is well received is making sure you deliver it in the right context. 

While an email announcement is a good support tactic for getting the word out about a new feature, an in-app tooltip delivered while someone is using your product will get more attention and—if it delivers valuable information relevant to the specific task at hand—more actual engagement.

A few other things to keep in mind when you’re announcing a new feature:

• Tell someone who cares. Segment your users to ensure that you’re only delivering the news to people it will affect. Time is precious—no one likes to have theirs wasted. 
• Tailor your delivery to the audience. Sometimes, less is more. When possible, keep your tooltips and other in-app messages very focused and tell users only what they need to know to get value from the new feature. But, sometimes, more is more. When you have a complex feature, a multi-step experience (like a feature tour) will be better equipped to deliver the information and get users engaged. Just be careful about the motivations behind your choice to go short or long—always keep user preferences in mind. If the user would rather a quick sound byte, but a multi-step experience will make your engagement metrics look better, the user wins. Every time.
• Draw yourself a picture. If the right choice is a multi-step tour or tutorial, use storyboards to give yourself a visual of what the experience will be like for your users. This will help you think through messaging, placement within the app, and when to trigger the experience.
• Pay attention to the devil in the details. Little things matter a lot, especially when you’re trying to influence user behavior. Keep your copy short, but include descriptive headlines and highlights so that the user understand why a feature is relevant to them. Be consistent about your presentation and “voice” through each step. And, where appropriate, include links to additional information and supporting resources. 

Excellent new feature announcement examples:

When Google launched Reminders for their Calendar app, they didn’t make the mistake of assuming that all users would know how and why to use this new feature. Instead, they used a pop-up modal to launch a short, focused tutorial that takes place in the app and makes it easy for users to start using the feature right away.

AdRoll used segmentation to their advantage when they released their MailChimp integration. Since they knew this added feature would only matter to users who were already MailChimp customers, their pop-up modal promoting the integration was only delivered to users in the MailChimp customer segment. 

When Github uses a tooltip to highlight a new feature , they make sure it’s specific, contextual, and timely—appearing exactly when the user is most likely to interact with the feature. They also routinely include links to more information for users who want to go deeper.

Find out how Litmus used Appcues to create new feature announcements that increased feature adoption by up to 2100%.

Keeping the love alive

Converting and activating new users is kind of like the falling-in-love part of a relationship. It’s exciting getting to know someone. And new users are obviously necessary for growth. But it’s crucial to realize that your job doesn’t end with activation. Just like in real life, keeping a relationship strong takes work. 

Adoption is the foundation of a healthy, growing software company. It’s how you move your users from the beginner stage to the regular stage and put them squarely on the path to becoming champions who just can’t say enough good things about your product to anyone who will listen. 

Using feature tours and prompts to create an ongoing dialog with your users is a very effective way of nurturing your relationship by delivering helpful and relevant information that is focused on driving their success with your product. 

If you’d like to learn more about building these kinds of experiences without taxing your development team’s resources, our team here at Appcues would love to chat. Learn more, try it out, get in touch!

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Beyoncé Is Riding Into Her Country Era. Here’s What to Know.

The singer said her upcoming album, “Cowboy Carter,” was the result of a deep dive into the history of country music after a negative experience: “I did not feel welcomed.”

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By Julia Jacobs

It started with a western-style Grammys outfit, complete with a cream-colored cowboy hat, studded string tie and matching Louis Vuitton jacket and skirt.

After a year and a half of Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” the lauded dance music spectacular that included a world tour and a concert film, the awards show outfit signaled to fans that a new era was beginning. From the start, Beyoncé had described “Renaissance” as the first part of a three-act project, and fans wondered if the second act was on its way.

One week later, the pop star made herself abundantly clear, this time in a Verizon ad that aired during the Super Bowl.

“Drop the new music,” she said at the end of the intricately produced commercial, which featured the comic actor Tony Hale, a robot Beyoncé and the real version, who showed off 10 outfit changes.

She had our attention.

At her command, her team released a minute-long teaser video that culminated with a small crowd staring at a roadside billboard displaying another cowboy hat-wearing Beyoncé. Then came two new singles , “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages,” filled with the kind of Southern twang and country instrumentation seldom heard in her catalog.

With the trail of promotional breadcrumbs — a succession of interviews with collaborators, billboard advertisements placed around the world, a chart-topping single — Beyoncé has returned to the more traditional album rollout, dropping teases and revelations before the big release, due March 29.

Here’s what we know.

‘This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.’

On Tuesday, Beyoncé released a statement to her website that gave some insight into the origins of the album, her eighth solo release, which is expected to tap into her Houston upbringing and reclaim the Black origins of country music.

“It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed … and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” she said. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive.”

It seemed like a possible reference to the 2016 Country Music Association Awards, when the singer performed “Daddy Lessons,” her first foray into country from the album “Lemonade,” alongside the Chicks, and a vocal segment of the country fandom questioned whether the performance belonged.

“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she wrote in this introduction to the album, which is called “Cowboy Carter.”

The singer warned in her statement against boxing her into a specific genre.

“This ain’t a country album,” the statement said. “This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”

It has been in the works ‘for years.’

When Beyoncé first announced “Renaissance,” the singer called it the first installment of a three-part project recorded over three years during the pandemic, a period she described as being creatively fertile.

Fans began wondering about the genesis of “Cowboy Carter” when Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, commented on one of her daughter’s Instagram posts promoting the new singles, saying, “I have loved this record for years, now so happy that you guys get to hear.”

“Years?” some asked in response.

The theory that the music has been filed away for some time was supported by a line from “16 Carriages,” the swelling, cinematic ballad in which Beyoncé sings, “It’s been 38 summers and I’m not in my bed.” (Beyoncé is 42, so you do the math.)

In her statement, the singer clarified that the album had been over five years in the making.

With ‘Texas Hold ’Em,’ Beyoncé has already made history.

Less than two weeks after its release, “Texas Hold ’Em” topped Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to do so.

A foot-stomping track that has inspired a dance trend on TikTok, “Texas Hold ’Em” evokes a hoedown animated by red cups, whiskey and boots with spurs, with Beyoncé singing: “I’ll be damned if I cannot dance with you/Come pour some liquor on me honey, too.”

The single’s success drew applause from some segments of country music — including from its queen , Dolly Parton — but also added fuel to a long-running debate over who is considered “country,” after a small country music station in Oklahoma initially refused a listener’s request to play the track.

‘Cowboy Carter’ may include a Dolly Parton tribute.

In an interview with The Knoxville News-Sentinel this month, Parton dropped a less-than-certain hint that Beyoncé covered her 1973 hit “Jolene” on “Cowboy Carter,” telling the newspaper, “I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that.”

An unauthorized slip of the tongue? Or another well-placed hint?

Parton added that the artists have “sent messages back and forth through the years,” saying that she had been “touched” to learn that Beyoncé and her mother were fans.

The album features respected country collaborators.

The album’s two singles credit Raphael Saadiq , the producer and writer who collaborated with Beyoncé on “Renaissance” and who is known for his work with R&B royalty, but the songs also list several musicians who are fixtures in the country-rock genre.

“16 Carriages” features the steel guitarist Robert Randolph, who is known for expanding the reach of a style of Black gospel called Sacred Steel through collaborations with Carlos Santana and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as while opening for the Dave Matthews Band.

Speaking with Rolling Stone last month, Randolph said that when he arrived in Los Angeles to record, he was told that he had been “handpicked” for the job.

“Beyoncé already had an idea of what she wanted to do,” Randolph said. “She wanted to do something with some playing, with some country fire. She said she liked the way I make my instrument sound like a singer.”

On “Texas Hold ’Em” the musician behind the banjo and viola is Rhiannon Giddens , a Grammy-winning performer who often uses her platform to educate fans about American music history, particularly the foundational influence of Black musicians.

In addition to artists well-known in Nashville, there are collaborations from well outside traditional country circles. Beyoncé and five other writers are credited with penning “Texas Hold ’Em,” including the Canadian alt-pop performers Nathan Ferraro, Megan Bülow, who performs as Bülow, and Elizabeth Lowell Boland. (In a video dancing to the song, posted and since deleted to TikTok, Boland, who performs as Lowell, included the caption, “Grew up in Calgary the country capital of Canada…. Rodeo’d my way to Hollywood!”)

Dave Hamelin, a producer and a member of the defunct indie rock band the Stills, is credited as a writer, producer, organist, guitarist and engineer on “16 Carriages.”

The pedal steel guitarist Justin Schipper called his involvement in the album “a bucket list moment for sure” in a post to Instagram .

It figures to challenge the country music establishment.

Giddens’s knowledge made her well positioned to respond when Beyoncé’s music release led naysayers to publicly question whether the singles should be counted on country charts.

“Whenever a Black artist puts out a country song the judgment, comments, and opinions come thick and fast,” Giddens wrote in a column for The Guardian . “‘That’s not real country!’ ‘That’s cultural appropriation.’ ‘She needs to stay in her lane.’”

Giddens responded by tracing Black musicians’ contributions to the creation of the genre, discussing the advent of the banjo by enslaved Black people in the Caribbean in the 1600s and the history of Black string band musicians.

“Let’s stop pretending that the outrage surrounding this latest single is about anything other than people trying to protect their nostalgia for a pure ethnically white tradition that never was,” she wrote.

There is a history of gate-keeping what should be deemed country, including a backlash among musicians in the 1970s when Olivia Newton-John (who was from Australia) was named female vocalist of the year by the Country Music Association, and a furor that led to the 2019 removal of the hip-hop artist Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” from Billboard’s country chart.

In her statement regarding the album, Beyoncé addressed her own experience of that strain of criticism, saying, “My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.”

With other Black performers like Mickey Guyton and Brittney Spencer gaining popularity and visibility within country music , “Cowboy Carter” may be positioned to light the match on the debate, said Francesca Royster, the author of “Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions.”

“We’re in the midst of Black country artists, especially Black women, really looking backwards, trying to get us to change the historical narrative of who belongs in country music, who’s allowed to cross over and the racial dynamics of that,” Royster said.

Royster added that she is looking forward to seeing how Beyoncé’s legion of fans, known as the BeyHive, respond to challenges to the singer’s country authenticity.

Already, fans have organized an online system to request that country music stations play the album’s first two singles, helping to ensure they take their place in the country canon.

Julia Jacobs is an arts and culture reporter who often covers legal issues for The Times. More about Julia Jacobs

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version)

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The Iron Maiden tour adds Phoenix date in 2024. Here's how to get tickets to the concert

Iconic British heavy metal veterans Iron Maiden have added a Phoenix date to the North American leg of the Future Past Tour, playing Footprint Center on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, with Mongolian metal greats the Hu.

No further shows will be announced for North America.

The Hu issued a statement saying, “Iron Maiden is the master of the masters of rock music. They are one of the biggest inspirations to us! The way that they create and perform their music is majestic and we still remember the first time we heard their ‘Trooper’ song and felt the deep energy behind each word.”

Iron Maiden last played Phoenix in 2019

Iron Maiden last played Phoenix on the Legacy of the Beast Tour in 2019 .

This will be their 17th performance in the Valley since playing Memorial Coliseum on June 4, 1981, as part of the Killer World Tour, their first time in the U.S.

Concert review: Iron Maiden make you wonder why more artists don't invest in 10-foot mascots

Future Past Tour features songs from 'Senjetsu,' 'Somewhere in Time'

The Future Past Tour, which features songs from Maiden’s latest studio release, “Senjutsu,” and 1986’s seminal “Somewhere in Time” alongside other fan favorites, played to more than 750,000 fans at more than 30 sold-out shows across Europe in the summer of 2023.

They also played Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their highly praised appearance at California’s Power Trip Festival in October, which had Consequence raving “Iron Maiden set the bar high at Power Trip” and The Desert Sun saying they “delivered a hard-hitting performance to open the festival on a high note."

The tour features one of the most spectacular stage productions of Maiden’s career.

How to get tickets to Iron Maiden at Footprint Center in Phoenix

Tickets for the Phoenix concert go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 29, at livenation.com .

Reach the reporter at  [email protected]  or 602-444-4495. Follow him on X  @EdMasley .

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Roger Daltrey’s New Tour Will Feature Deep Cuts and an Audience Q&A

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Roger Daltrey is coming to America in June for a rare solo tour that will feature an onstage Q&A with audience members, Who hits and deep cuts, and selections from his solo career. It opens on June 12 in Vienna, Virginia, and closes June 29 in Highland Park, Illinois. Midway through, Daltrey will return to the site of the original Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York. KT Tunstall is opening up seven shows, and Dan Bern is on the bill at two.

Daltrey’s backing band for the tour will feature guitarist Simon Townshend, mandolin player/background singer Billy Nicholls, percussionist Jody Linscott, guitarist Doug Boyle, bassist John Hogg, violinist Katie Jacoby, harmonica player Steve Weston, keyboardist/accordion player Geraint Watkins, and drummer Scott Devours.

On Daltrey’s 2022 solo tour, he played Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open The Door,” lesser-known Who songs like “Another Tricky Day,” “Break the News,” and “Tattoo,” and solo cuts like “After the Fire” and “Days of Light.” He also sprinkled in a few Who hits, including “Squeeze Box,” “Baby O’Riley,” and “Who Are You.”

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The future of the Who beyond these Teenage Cancer Trust gigs is unclear. “I think it’s time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next,” Pete Townshend told Record Collector last year, shortly before the conclusion of their world tour. “Because [the final summer tour stop] shouldn’t feel like the end of anything, but it feels like the end of an era… It’s a question of, really, what is feasible, what would be lucrative, what would be fun? So, I wrote to Roger and said, ‘Come on, let’s have a chat and see what’s there.’”

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Roger Daltrey U.S. Tour Dates

June 12 – Wolf Trap – Vienna, VA @ Filene Center June 14 – Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino June 16 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts June 18 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre June 20 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion June 22 – Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood – The Koussevitzky Music Shed June 25 – Detroit, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre June 27 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre June 29 – Highland Park, IL @ The Pavilion at Ravinia

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Marshmello: Performing in India is always an electrifying experience, but this Holi tour was truly special

T he recently concluded Sunburn Holi Tour, featuring the GRAMMY-nominated DJ and producer Marshmello, and presented by Asia’s largest dance music festival concluded on a successful note with a record-breaking 70,000 footfall across all centres.

The American electronic music sensation delivered smashing performances across Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune over the Holi weekend, dishing out his some of his biggest hits including ‘Happier’, ‘Alone’, ‘Friends’, ‘Blocks’, ‘Wolves’, ‘Find Me’ and ‘Silence’.

Delivering an unparalleled entertainment extravaganza, concert goers were treated to an unforgettable and electrifying experience, proving the enduring appeal of the 31-year-old artist. The multi-city tour was a visual and auditory spectacle, featuring world-class production, stunning visuals and potent on-stage theatrics and culminated in a perfect celebration to bid farewell to the festive occasion of Holi. Fans across all ages, especially young children, enjoyed the first-time with the unlimited organic colors. Curated family zone added a family touch to the festival's vibrant atmosphere.

In a crescendo of pulsating rhythms and captivating melodies, the superstar music producer set the stage ablaze as he infused a local element to his set by playing out Bollywood classics like Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Rang Barse’ and Shahrukh Khan’s ‘BIBA’.

Supporting acts such as DJ Ganesh, MC Altaf, Sammohit, DJ Sahil, VIISHVEK, DJ LIJO perfectly complemented Marshmello’s infectious dance-infused energy.

Taking Mumbai audiences by complete surprise, the global superstar invited actress Sunny Leone on stage who performed on ‘Baby Doll’ followed by rapper Badshah who sampled his latest trending track ‘Daaku’ from his third studio album ‘Ek Tha Raja’ whilst waiving the Indian flag, and while Armaan Malik closed the night by teasing his unreleased collaboration with Marshmello.

Reflecting on the tour, Marshmello stated, "Performing in India is always an electrifying experience, but this Holi tour was truly special. Feeling the energy of over 70,000 fans and seeing the joy on their faces was incredible.

A big shout out to Sunny Leone, Badshah and Armaan Malik for joining me on stage in Mumbai and being absolutely terrific. Thank you Sunburn for another unforgettable visit. I'm already looking forward to coming back!"

Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn, stated, "This year’s Sunburn Holi Tour with Marshmello was a monumental success, setting a new benchmark for live events in India. We are thrilled to have brought together such a massive crowd, celebrating with colors, music, and unity. Marshmello’s magnetic performance and the overwhelming response from the audience underscore the universal language of music. We are grateful for the love and support and promise to keep elevating the live entertainment experience for our fans."

Croma Sunburn Arena Marshmello India Tour 2024 is presented by Absolute Mixer, driven by Hyundai, powered by Rupay, good times partner Kingfisher Packaged Drinking Water and styled by Jack & Jones.

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USTA CEO Lew Sherr Details Blueprint for Tennis’s Premier Tour

• Author: Jon Wertheim

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (20) may have beaten Italy’s Jannik Sinner (22), the latest iteration of a swelling and textured rivalry that now stands at 4–4. But the fiercest battle to play out last week in Indian Wells, Calif., did so in boardrooms and conference rooms.

Andrea Gaudenzi, chairman of the ATP, announced that he had officially secured a $1 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to bankroll a streamlined tennis ecosystem. The hitch: a 1000-level event would be added to the calendar, to be staged in The Kingdom.

And on the other side of the net … a proposal for a Premier Tour—put forth by the four majors, presenting an uncharacteristically united front—outlining a new professional tennis model offering:

• The four majors.
• Ten other events: 96-player draws; men and women; equal prize money; all held outdoors.
• A team event.
• Year-end finals for both men and women held at the same site.
• Guaranteed off weeks before and after majors and a minimum two-month offseason.
• A PGA-style tour, open to the top 100 or so players; with a developmental tour open to players ranked roughly 101–300.

The BNP Paribas Open served as the backdrop for talks of a new tennis ecosystem.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

For a sport that, historically, has done change the way the royal family does transparency, this was a jarring disruption in the truest sense. For starters, it would mean the end of the WTA and ATP tours as they have existed for decades; and the death or demotion of more than 100 tournaments that currently dot the calendar, from Dallas to Doha.

Credit/blame for the Premier Tour generally goes to Australian Open chieftain Craig Tiley, who was moved to act dramatically, threatened as he was by a Saudi event in January that would squelch Aussie Open run-up momentum. Likely because Tiley, a born deal-maker, can polarize within the sport, it is now Lew Sherr, the USTA’s chief executive officer and executive director, who has become the front-facing figure for the Premier Tour.

Sherr spoke with Sports Illustrated this week about the Premier Tour, what it is and isn’t and what problems it addresses.

The following has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Jon Wertheim: Let’s start broad and then get to specific questions. What are you presenting?

Lew Sherr: So it all starts from a proposition that tennis is an attractive sport, but that it underperforms commercially, which is creating challenges to support athletes and for the sustainability of tournaments. I don't think that's news to anybody in the industry.

We'll go back to 2021. The [seven tennis stakeholders] commissioned Boston Consulting Group to understand what the issues were in the sport and what the opportunities might be. And all of that research—which included 5,000 tennis fans around the world surveyed—pointed to the fact that tennis, while broadly popular, had 70% of tennis fans only engaging with the sport through the four majors.

So you're the fourth most popular sport in the world, but 70% of those fans are only watching the four events during the year. And the feedback also indicated that events during the season lack consequence. Fans have a hard time following the narrative. We dilute our own product. We compete with our own product. You might have six events in a given week. Fans struggle to know where they should be watching. Why is Sinner playing in Rotterdam and Alcaraz is somewhere in South America? The solution that came back from all of that fan research? The best way to present the sport to fans was in a format where the best players are playing in a prescribed sort of elite season. At the same time, you're accounting for player health, rest, peaks in performance.

JW: That takes care of fans and players. What about tournaments?

LS: From a tournament perspective, there are just too many tournaments that are not viable. And because they're diluted, they're competing with one another. So we try to address the structural impediments in the system and bring forward a more expansive, a more holistic solution that would tackle all of that. … Ten tournaments [out of roughly 140] drive 80% of all of the economics. Four of them are the Grand Slams plus six others. So it's unbelievably concentrated. I don't think I'm telling you anything that you haven't reported, that you didn't know. So what we set out to do, the slams together, unified to say, if we can lean in and try to address the structural issues that the sport is facing, maybe there's a new opportunity.

JW: If tennis’s value today is X, what are you anticipating the valuation to be if all goes to plan?

LS: We estimate—and the consultants—that number is roughly a billion dollars in annual economic lift. Now that doesn't happen overnight. You've got to build to that and there are contracts and cycles. But it is substantial. We're talking about a successful sport that still has huge, huge economic potential.

JW: The biggest objections to me would seem to be, 1) the other guys have a bag with a billion dollars in it. You have consultants’ projections. 2) Everyone thinks the sport is under-monetized. Everyone thinks it’s confusing and the calendar is too crowded. But there are dozens and dozens of 500- and 250-level events that don’t seem to fit in.

LS: Our view is that billion is redistributed below to make sure players are earning sustainable for success. It’s a reimagination. We’ve gotta separate ourselves from what exists today. The analogy with what the ATP sort of developed with the Saudis, I guess is a bit of an apples and oranges. These are not, these are not mutually exclusive opportunities.

JW: What are you telling that guy that’s dumped a lot of money into his 500-level event?

LS: We are prioritizing creating sort of sustainability at the lower levels of our sport, we think there is an enormous amount of growth. Part of our proposition: there is revenue that has to be redistributed to other events. And we think there is an opportunity to create a much more viable proposition. There are 10 events that are driving 80% of the revenue in our sport. That’s not sustainable. We need to get to a sustainable model.

JW: I’m hearing four majors and 10 events that will be 96 draws; men and women; all outdoors; and the 10th is likely a grass event pre-Wimbledon. Accurate?

LS: Yeah, our vision for the calendar reflects four Grand Slams. We think 10 is the appropriate number of Premier Tour events. I can’t overstate the importance of all combined, all equal prize day one for the sport operating entity combined. And truly creating a gender-neutral sport is absolutely paramount for us and a critical sort of piece of this thing. We also think there is an opportunity for an international team event that would fit within this calendar; and then a year-end combined event.

JW: I’ve heard two weeks of protection pre and post the four majors.

LS: There’s absolutely one week. The other piece: we’re prescribing specific play-down weeks. So we know that competition matters. And if you’re a lower-ranked player, you may not be getting enough match play. If you lose early in a model like this, there may not be enough matches for you to be at your peak performance, so we’ve identified a series of weeks over the course of the year where you could drop down to get more match play, drop into what we think would be sort of the highest level of contender tour events.

JW: Your [model] is avoiding the sportswashing issue in a way that your competing offer is not. Would you take money from Saudi Arabia if they decided to reallocate with you?

LS:  What I will tell you is that we’ve not had one conversation with an external stakeholder about investment in this. We want to get this format right. We don’t doubt that there will be a number of people lining up to potentially want to invest in this. We’re not sure that we need external investment. We might be able to do this with some sanctioned sales. So it may not require equity. But what we also know is it’s an incredibly attractive sport. And you’re seeing increased investment in sport. And we’re good.

We want to focus on delivering the product in the right way to create something that's sustainable. That's right for fans, that’s consistent with what we set out to do at the outset. I won't exclude or include anything at this stage. But right now we, we've not been pursuing external investment.

JW: What do you see as the biggest challenge to this getting done?

LS: This is a massive reimagination of the way the sport is presented and change is hard. And we want to get it right and we’re taking our time and we’re working with stakeholders to make sure that we’re thinking through all of these questions that you’re asking and others are asking, because that stuff is important. Ultimately it’s going to require change from within and that’s really hard, right?

JW: The tours, as we know them, have outstanding media rights contracts. They have venue contracts. They have vendors. They have pension plans. They’ve got liability policies. What happens if there is no ATP and WTA as we know it? And can you do it all by Jan. 1, 2026?

LS: I think putting a date on this is really hard. If that needs to happen [Jan. 1, 2026] would be achievable. My guess is you will see a transition period, but we’re up to conversations we’ve had with, with players, the conversations we’ve had with tournament owners.

Look, everybody gets it, right? I think you probably would agree. This is a better presentation of the sport. However, the how you get there is where the complexity lies, right? And, and how long does that take? And what has to happen to get there and making sure that we don't compromise to the point that you lose the integrity of the vision in order to get there.

So it’s a process and, and we are committed. We’re working as quickly as we can work, but we’re not willing to sacrifice getting it right. We’re not trying to take some shortcuts or band-aids to get to something that ultimately is not going to serve us well in the long term. 

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