Edwardsville Futures Gains Not Only Local, but National and Global Attention Through Mia Heiser's Efforts

EDWARDSVILLE - Mia Heiser was a very important part of the Edwardsville Futures tennis tournament, presented by the EGHM Foundation, in the public relations department by providing constant updates on the tournament.

Last year, it became a worldwide sensation, as fans across the nation and around the world were kept updated on the progress of the tournament on social media and area news outlets, among them Riverbender.com and Edglentoday.com.

Heiser and her team won praise for their efforts, and the updates became a vital part of the tournament.

For an encore, Heiser is hoping to step up their game again this year, and do things just a little bit better, attracting more attention to the area and the Futures Tournament, and possibly picking up not only local, but national coverage.

In an interview that took place at the Holiday Inn Express hotel that followed a press conference to promote this year's tournament, set for July 28-Aug. 3 at the Edwardsville Tennis Center, Heiser expressed optimism about the opportunities to help promote the tournament to both the nation and the world.

"I love it," Heiser said. "It's definitely one of my favorite weeks of the entire year. It's a great opportunity."

As much as the social media game took a big step forward last year, Heiser is determined to step up even more and improve.

"Oh, yeah, for sure," Heiser said with a smile. "Last year was my first year of doing it, so I was just learning the ropes and everything, getting used to it. But this year, it's going to be even better than last year for sure. I'm excited to step it up."

Heiser's duties basically are to keep the tournament's three major social media platforms - Facebook, X, and Instagram - and area and national media updated with postings about the various aspects of the tournament.

"I needed to post about the sponsors that would come through and do a coin flip each morning," Heiser said, "down to the order of play, all of our special lunches that were provided by the community partners. I posted about our community events, and the players who were winning every day. So, I had a lot to cover during the tournament."

Heiser is hopeful that the tournament will be another smashing success and that the team will do things just a little bit better than the year before.

Heiser and Tournament Director Dave Lipe are equally proud that the Futures Tournament helps expose the Edwardsville community all over the world in a positive manner.

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